There’s no doubt that plant-based diets are on the rise and with 1st October marking World Vegetarian Day, it seems there’s a variety to suit every taste. Broadly speaking, vegetarianism is an abstinence from meat and by-products of animal slaughter. Veganism extends this to all animal products including eggs and dairy. In between there are […]

Great minds think alike and that’s as true for food as it is for science. Just as in the late 19th century numerous inventors were experiencing lightbulb moments in the race for the first electric light, so as different civilizations first emerged, they independently invented their own versions of bread, beer and cheese. And so […]

Lindt, Hershey, Frys, Nestle, Cadbury all famous types of chocolate and they all have something else in common. But first, as we celebrate International Chocolate Day, let us peel back the layers of time and explore the rich history of this food of the Gods. It was said the Aztec deity Quetzalcoatl was cast out […]

Britain’s food favourites are changing and it’s a culinary classic dating back thousands of years that is on the rise. A survey earlier this year by YouGov reveals Chinese is the nation’s favourite takeaway, but delve a little deeper and you’ll find the future is pizza. Fish and chips was number one for senior citizens, […]

One of the joys of a good walk is how the fresh air gets the brain cells working. When I wander I start to wonder, deep stuff like if we get apples from an apple tree and gooseberries from a gooseberry bush how come we get beef from a cow? Well, it transpires it’s all […]

Amidst the rush to return to big-crowd sporting events and nightclubs, it seems lockdown has also prompted a yearning for a more sedate pastime. Angling is not usually associated with stampedes, but it’s now at the centre of a rush to the riverbank. It’s quite a shift from its traditional image. You may recall the […]

As the final rays of the sun slowly faded and I stood there on my patch of soil, I took a moment to reflect on the significance of the freshly harvested, somewhat misshapen, home grown potato in my hand. For me it was the culmination of that eureka moment 10,000 years ago when mankind first […]

Considering it has been around for an estimated 10,000 years, it’s taken a while for the world to realise the vital role that beer has played in the advancement of the species. International Beer Day, celebrated each August, has only been with us for 15 years and you still won’t find many people putting “beer […]

Cheesecake. A cake made of cheese. Not in my lifetime! Ah, do you remember that Peter Kay classic sketch? Or perhaps you remember this number: “Ohhhh….Cheesecake. Munchin’ on a cheesecake, munchin’ on a cheesecake. Cheesecake, munchin’ on a cheesecake, munchin’ on a cheesecake” If you haven’t heard this jazz gem before, take a trip down […]