News.

To escape the heat from the street I popped into a coffee shop the other day and treated myself to a frappucchino with a slice of banoffee pie. Whilst my eyes were checking my emails, my ears were alerted to the sound of a young child outside, excited at being allowed to walk the family’s […]

Ice lollies have brought great joy to the world and in recent weeks their ability to rehydrate sweltering bodies has been recognised as potentially lifesaving. It was 25 years ago this month that Jan van den Berg had his own moment in the sun when he claimed the record for the world’s largest ice lolly […]

Taste buds are complicated things and there seems no rhyme or reason as to why certain people just can’t abide certain foods. The new science of Gastrophysics has tried to get to the root of the problem and concluded it’s down to a variety of factors – how the food looks, smells and its texture […]

The heat is on in the UK (well for a few days anyway) with new highest temperatures being set in all four nations.  It’s also possibly the first time on record that Brits have wished they could jet off to the West Indies to enjoy cooler temperatures. The importance of taking water on board to […]

When you think of France what goes through your mind? Great art? Great scenery? Or the hilarious mis-speaks of Del Boy Trotter in Only Fools and Horses? With France celebrating its national day on July 14 it’s perhaps worth reflecting on how its influence has spread across the world in so many ways. The people […]

The tell tale signs of summer are here – midges at dusk ganging up against anyone entering their domain, devil-may-care fashion faux pas of socks with sandals and shorts with a jacket and, of course, the shell-shocked look of teenagers as they wade through the exam season. At least for the latter there is the […]

In the northern hemisphere July can appear the laziest of months, a time to kick back and relax, take some holiday. Yet the name July emerged from one of the most cold blooded – and celebrated – murders in the history of mankind. The Ides of March was the time when Romans settled debts and […]

The glorious warm weather (we have even had some on our fair shores this week) being enjoyed across Europe offers a chance to carry on an ancient tradition of getting out and about to celebrate midsummer. The long summer days have inspired artists throughout time, from George Gershwin’s 1934 classic Summertime to Monet’s 1891 masterpiece Grainstacks […]

When the price of cooking oil rises as it is now, the ripples are felt across the globe – commercially and domestically. From a consumers point of view, cooking oil is bought on a regular basis by 75% of supermarket customers for home cooking. It’s also a vital ingredient for most restaurants and takeaways with […]