September 25, 2008 • 11:55 am
Someone has contacted me to ask me to encourage you to take part in a survey. They say:
The study involves learning more about parents’ attitudes towards child nutrition, obesity and food choices offered to children at school.
This blog has been selected based on the overall content of your postings and the comments posted by your readers – so your readers’ participation would be very important. The survey findings will allow us to learn more about parents’ attitudes towards these important topics.
I’m quite excited by this! Not since the Evening Standard contacted me in desperation has my help been sought…
My problem is that:
- the survey that they want you to fill in seems to relate to the American market
- it’s for a potato products manufacturer and although the intention seems unbiased I’m not sure
But, hey, it’s up to you: Kids & Food: What do You Think? I’ve had a quick bimble through and if I qualified to fill it in then I would do (no kids so I can’t).
Not wishing to lead the jury, but I know what my response would be…. homemade packed lunches full of pretentious yummy mummy organics, no to school dinners until I can be sure that chips, mini pizzas, ‘chicken’ nuggets (or any kind of non free-range chicken) etc. are not on the menu.
Further than that:
- school dinner menus should be published a week in advance to help prevent clashes with home cooking (like they do in France)
- schools should not be allowed to purchase from food services companies such as brakes bros. etc.
- potatos would not count as a vegetable choice
However, I don’t think I’d go as far as banning jacket potatoes and am relieved to see that that this story was rubbish.
Although all of this is based on personal prejudice it’s not from a position of complete ignorance, my mum was a primary school bursar who had to outsource and then re-house school dinners and Himself works in the food service industry.
Filed under: Children, Cooking, Family, Food, PR, Shoes
Writing about http://www.justgiving.com/warwickwombles and http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=20425750303
Ok, so I’m not doing the walking – but I am an essential member of the Support Crew. In fact, I think I’m Support Crew Leader – it’s early days give me a break!
How hard can it be I hear you ask, well after Saturday’s gurkha-led briefing I am terrified about letting our walkers down. Because they are the ones walking 100km non stop day and night.
It’s the equivalent of two marathons and a climb up Ben Nevis we were told on Saturday…. and for those of you who know Justine, Claudie, Brian and Simon P they need your sponsorship. Hell, even if you don’t know them they need your sponsorship!
The route follows the South Downs Way, starting in Petersfield and finishing in Brighton – it’s a challenging journey that will change lives – including yours.
Trailwalker is organised by Oxfam and the Queens Gurkha Signals Regiment. It’s a chance to make new friends, to get out, get fit and to raise money for Oxfam and the Gurkha Welfare Trust.
Four people, one goal, 100 kilometres, 30 hours.
Still don’t believe me? Watch the video.
Filed under: Advertising, Campaigning, Charity, Cooking, Cookout, Exercise, Food, Friends, Trailwalkers
February 13, 2008 • 12:14 pm
I’m sure that the answer should be Himself. But actually, right at this moment Ocado is closer to my heart!
They are delivering the ingredients for our ‘romantic’ Valentine’s meal very early tomorrow morning before work, despite my only having ordered them this morning. Truely, for the girl without wheels, they are a saviour! (Now I just need to work out where to get a card from….)
Not that the meal is a secret, nor will it be very spectacular as it will mostly be cheating, but I just didn’t want to create an 
unecessary stress around it by trying to fit in a supermarket trip.
-
Kir Royal
-
Duck Pate with Chutney on Toasted Brioche
-
Steak au Poivre with Chunky Chips
-
Apple & Almond Tart with Suaternes Custard
Olive assures me that through various underhand shortcuts I should be able to achieve it all within an hour. I hoping that I can do that and still arrive on the other side looking like a fragrant and serene beauty and not like a harassed, sweaty, snappy and vaguely panicky mess.
So, fortunately, I’m at a conference in Coventry tomorrow which is due to finish at 15:30 thus leaving me plenty of time to turn myself and the house into an oasis of calm.
On the matter of Steak & a Blow Job Day I make no comment.
Filed under: Campaigning, Cleaning, Conferences, Cooking, Food, Himself, Shopping
January 8, 2008 • 8:56 am
Writing about http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/tv_and_radio/masterchef/
Hooray, the Beeb have put Masterchef on at a commuting friendly time. I can get home, cook tea and still have time to watch – and the new series started yesterday.
Now, long-term readers will know that I have long cherished a crazed idea that I might be good enough to get into the first round (if I could learn to overcome my issues with fish and seafood)… but this year, at least on the evidence of yesterday’s programme, the standard seems to have vaulted several levels.
I think that the final three yesterday might all have got through in different heats or in previous competitions. I certainly wanted them to break the rules and puty all three through!
My heart went out to little Welsh Art student – he really did have a magic touch. But after the barrister’s story about his father making him apply to the bar because he could always cook later I really felt that he had to go through. And was it my imagination? Or was there a touch of “so there” in his phone call to his dad?
And I suppose if I miss something there’s always the iPlayer….
Filed under: Cooking, Excellence, TV
November 23, 2007 • 12:24 pm
Writing about http://caseyleaver.wordpress.com/2006/10/04/tomato-soup-for-the-soul/
A different tomato soup – and one which I am trying not to spill over my keyboard as I type.
Incidentally I was reading Lindsey Bareham’s A Celebration of Soup the other day, and she claims to have over 20 versions of pumpkin soup – there surely must be more. Mine never turn out the same twice for a start!
- 6 (or so) fat over-ripe vine tomatoes
- A good slug of olive oil
- Sweet smoked paprika
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 bottle of passata
- Chilli oil
- Glass of good red wine
- Water – splash
- Beef stock (condensed in bottle) – glug
Roast the tomatoes in a good slug of olive oil in a medium over for 20 minsa of so (I did mine while I happened to be doing some tray-baked sausages). Then transfer to the hob and add all the other ingredients to taste. Bring to a simmer and then hand blend and serve.
I ended up unable to wait for the soup so I served it with a roasted sausage and onion baguette each! But I have brought the substancial left-overs into work.
Which reminds me:
Bubble and squeak and homemade chutney are back on the menu as part of a campaign launched this week to urge people to return to the values of wartime food rationing and cut the mountain of food waste emerging from the nation’s kitchens. (more)
Quite right too!
Research by the government’s waste reduction agency, Wrap, found that one third of all food bought in Britain is thrown away – of which half is edible. Wrap will claim that this discarded food is a bigger problem than packaging, as the food supply chain accounts for a fifth of UK carbon emissions and decomposing food releases methane, the most potent of the greenhouse gases. Wasted food is estimated to cost each British household from £250 to £400 a year.
The reason this came to mind is that when this recipe specifies over-ripe tomatoes – that’s because it was either soup or the bin… You (better housekeepers) can of course use fruit or veg at the peak of its perfection!
Filed under: Book, Cooking, Environment, Food, Recipes
Immediate apologies for the title of this post.
Today I have embarked, with a sense of due deprivation, on the Special K drop a jeans size thing.
It seems no less sensible than any other diet – at least in the short term as a bit of a kick start. And things have been lapsing recently so it’s time to get back on the wagon again.
So, with that in mind, I’ve been unable to think about anything but food all morning and am currently torturing myself by trying to decide how to stuff this evening’s tea-time marrow.
I’ve decided on a rice-based stuffing and maybe a tomato sauce over the top for extra flavour. My dilemma is that a lovely saffrony Claudia Roden rice dish would be utterly overwhelmed by a tomato sauce.
At the moment I’m leaning towards a kind of sumac-y, lentil-y rice stuffing with a cinnamon-y tomato sauce – but I’ll probably change my mind another six times before this evening.
Incidentally Jane Grigson was little help – she virtually says that marrows are only any good for padding out chutney. The problem is that she’s not wrong – they do need a hefty helping hand with flavouring.
Filed under: Cooking, Food, Recipes
