On a planet with finite resources and entering the not-so-humble beginnings of an irreversible climate crisis, the way that we are currently producing, manufacturing, and consuming our food is unsustainable and inexcusable.
Read More
Knowledge and wine appreciation are two completely different things. It’s easy to feel intimidated out of appreciating wine by not having a comprehensive understanding of what it is and what differentiates wines.
Read More
Fasting has a philosophical, spiritual, and psychological meaning: it represents the ability to choose over cravings. In recent years, various experts have increasingly proposed intermittent fasting as the miracle cure for losing weight and improving energy levels, attachment, negative thoughts and feelings that drive human suffering.
Read More
We have a systemic problem with the way we interact with food in this country. The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) released a report last year that explains in blunt reality just how much food the UK has wantonly disposed of in the last few years, how it has been wasted, and by whom. It quickly reveals that in 2018 we as a nation wasted 6.65 million tonnes of food.
Read More
There is no hot drink as pleasurable to sip than a cup of tea at its perfect drinking temperature, but getting tea at its best needs a certain degree of patience. It can be lip scaldingly hot at first, so timing is crucial here. Wait too long and it will be disappointingly cool, but there is a perfect temperature for each of us. For me, it is 57.3C precisely. I know this because I am a sad tea anorak and have measured it.
Read More
I woke up to my complacency, maybe even entitlement when queuing outside Sainsbury’s in March 2019. Overnight, shelves were stripped of old faithful fusilli, and passive-aggressive loo roll disputes broke out. Before Christmas, freight out of the UK was blocked by European countries after the emergence of the super spreader Covid-19 strain, triggering concerns over fresh food shortages.
Read More
Everyone seemed to be drinking the same thing, which made us very curious. It looked so refreshing, and we were beginning to feel a little left out, so we grabbed a table under the shade of a palm tree at the nearest bar.
Read More
It is an inconceivable privilege that in some parts of the UK we can sample Ethiopian injera one week and Georgian khachapuri the next.
Read More
Nothing brings back those nostalgic memories quite like dumplings. Specifically, Slovak pirohy. Stodgy, potato-y, fatty dumplings that hug me from the inside and make me feel like everything’s going to be okay.
Read More
If there was a book called The Coolest Things You Can Do To Help the Planet and You, it would say the latest thinking is to start eating more plant-based foods.
Read More
The average spud is about 100 calories and highly nutritious as they contain vitamins B and C, potassium, iron, protein, fibre and are 99.9% fat-free. They are reckoned to be the food of choice, should you suddenly decide you only eat one type of food.
Read More
I christened the different stages of lockdown ‘chapters’, a way of differentiating between those bewildering phases of eternal time. Nestled somewhere between the Loving Furlough Chapter and Missing The Colleagues you Hated Chapter - there was a national movement. We rushed to support independent producers.
Read More
If the government haven’t written into law that they must ensure all food coming into the country is produced to the same standards as our food is, then realistically, will they do it?
Read More
I am a chef. I have difficulty saying that. I'm already picturing you thinking about me working long hours for no money in a grubby basement kitchen, unable to string a sentence together without punctuating every other word with fuck.
Read More
It is not fundamentally expensive to be vegan; if you think of it in its most basic form, the husbandry, slaughter, preparation, preservation and cooking of meats is far more of a task than growing fruits, vegetables and cereals on your land. So why do I say that veganism is not cheap?
Read More
One thing that also increased over August, apart from customers and the layers of hand sanitizer on my hands, was the amount of catcalling myself and fellow waitresses faced.
Read More
Turns out that much of what we depend on to live today would not be possible if it were not for yeast. I kid you not. Without it, there would be no bread, no biofuels, no insulin and perhaps more shockingly, no beer or wine. In fact, no alcohol at all. So, what would a world without yeast be like? In a word, sober. Probably sadder, too.
Read More
Coffee is a big part of our lives and a delicious alternative to us hating each other every morning. As well as percolating its way into our hearts, coffee has ground its way into the heart of our homes, too. How many drinks can you think of that have an item of furniture named after them? The coffee table was first mentioned in 1938 but has been a must-have item of furniture since the 1950s.
Read More
Expressing one's dissent towards what doesn't work within the society is a fundamental right of every citizen. Hence, when the masses take to the streets demanding justice and equality over racism and police brutality, pressure on politics increases and governments perceive it as a threat to the status quo.
Read More
Over 3.2 million people work in the hospitality industry alone. Nonetheless, there is a sweeping generalisation that the hospitality and retail industries are just one of life's stepping stones – a way to earn an extra bit of money.
Read More