Apple Day
Apple Day is now a national event held every year on, or around, 21 October. It is a concept that was masterminded by the charity and lobby group, Common Ground to educate people about the diversity of apples grown in the UK. Common Ground’s main aim is to preserve local distinctiveness and retaining the individuality and variety of regional food is one facet of their work. The decline of traditional apple orchards and lack of demand for local heritage varieties, prompted them to choose apples as a symbol of the regional and cultural diversity that they are striving to preserve. So, Apple Day was devised to celebrate both old and new varieties of apples and to link them with their counties of origin, to show people that the apples on sale in supermarkets are only a tiny fraction of what is actually grown in the UK. Read More
Sugar - A Bittersweet Story
Sugar was once a luxury that only the very wealthy could afford. Black teeth, caused by eating so much sugar, were even thought to be desirable to flaunt great wealth. The huge profits that could be made from the 'White Gold' led to money driven Europeans moving to the 'New World' to set up sugar plantations. African slaves were exploited as the sugar industry flourished and the European plantation owners made huge profits. Equally the British government benefited from the high taxes on sugar. After the sugar tax was repealed in 1847, sugar became accessible to everybody. Nowadays the demand for sweet foods continues to rise. Consequently sugar, in various different and sometimes unexpected guises, is being consumed in ever increasing quantities. Unfortunately this is having serious repercussions on the nation's health, not only is sugar a major cause of tooth decay but also weight gain and blood sugar issues. Read More
The UK Has Superfoods Too
Foods that have been given the status of a superfood are known to contain specific health giving properties but many of the current superfoods are native to other cultures. This means that foods like noni juice, acai berries, spirulina, baoab fruit, pomegranates, avocados and quinoa all need to be flown thousands of miles to the UK. In the past, our Hunter-Gatherer ancestors would have found all the nutrients and minerals that they needed from the area around where they lived. It’s believed that their genetic makeup was most suited to thrive on the foods that their natural habitat provided. Maybe they were right and we ought to look closer to home for our superfoods as the UK produces more than you might imagine. Read More
Will You Be Eating Spring Lamb This Easter?
Daffodils bobbing about in the breeze and lambs frolicking in lush green fields are both images that are synonymous with spring. But if the lambs are in the fields at this time of year, what is the new season 'Spring Lamb' that is widely promoted in the run up to Easter? Read More
