Fancy Dress For Food

Imagine that you are going to a fancy dress party and want to disguise yourself as something (even more?) exotic and interesting. You might raid your wardrobe and add a few specially bought props, or you might go the whole hog and hire a costume. So why not do the same with your leftovers. This works for both kids and adults.

As with all good parties, you need a theme. Taking cues from different world cuisines is a good start. Just as you would not expect to pass for an authentic Chinaman or Mexican at a party, your dishes will probably work best as a well thought out imitation.

With most fancy dress it is the props that help to create the effect, so do not forget the side dishes like poppadoms, nachos, prawn crackers and spring rolls. If you can produce side dishes from other leftovers then so much the better and this might influence your choice of cuisine.

It is relatively easy to transform cooked meat or chicken into a curry. Then, if you have cold cooked potatoes there are numerous aloo (potato recipes) such as aloo saag or aloo bhaja that can accompany the meal.

Make a simple salad of onions, cucumber and tomatoes, some poppadoms and a homemade mint raita (yoghurt, diced cucumber & mint sauce.) There you have a tasty ‘Indian’ meal, totally unlike yesterdays, and you have used up some perishable ingredients as well.

Enjoy.



The Water Footprint

Food for thought as the drought starts to bite. How much water has gone into the food that we waste?

People use lots of water for drinking, cooking and washing, but even more for producing things such as food, paper, cotton clothes, etc. The water footprint is an indicator of water use that looks at both direct and indirect water use of a consumer or producer. The water footprint of an individual, community or business is defined as the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce the goods and services consumed by the individual or community or produced by the business.

"The interest in the water footprint is rooted in the recognition that human impacts on freshwater systems can ultimately be linked to human consumption, and that issues like water shortages and pollution can be better understood and addressed by considering production and supply chains as a whole," says Professor Arjen Y. Hoekstra, creator of the water footprint concept and scientific director of the Water Footprint Network.

 "Water problems are often closely tied to the structure of the global economy. Many countries have significantly externalised their water footprint, importing water-intensive goods from elsewhere. This puts pressure on the water resources in the exporting regions, where too often mechanisms for wise water governance and conservation are lacking. Not only governments, but also consumers, businesses and civil society communities can play a role in achieving a better management of water resources."



Cash for votes

£££’s means votes

Choosing to support farms that look after the environment and the animals they raise in an ethical manner, is a very positive way to vote with your cash.

Animal agriculture produces surprisingly large amounts of air and water pollution, and causes 80 percent of the world’s annual deforestation. It also requires large amounts of water, and livestock worldwide consumes half the world’s total grain harvest.

By supporting local, sustainable and organic farms in your local community you also support the larger community of which we are all a part. By eating animal products raised in this way you provide the healthiest choice for your family and support the farms that support a healthy and ecologically sound environment.

1. Free of antibiotics, added hormones, GMO feed and other drugs; no GMO animals

Animals raised organically are not allowed to be fed antibiotics, the bovine human growth hormone (rbGH), or other artificial drugs. Animals are also not allowed to eat genetically modified foods. Further, animal products certified as organic cannot have their genes modified

2. Mad cow safeguard: Animals aren’t forced to be cannibals
The practice of feeding cattle the ground up remains of their same species appears to cause bovine spongiform encephalopathy, a horrific disease that destroys the central nervous system and brain, can be given to humans who eat the cows.

3. More humane, ethical treatment of animals
Factory farms treat animals like commodities, and they are kept in tightly confined pens and often never move more than a few feet their whole lives.

4. Animals free-range and graze
The words “free-range,” and “free to roam” are clues that the animals were raised in a more humane way. Their diet tends to be more varied; the animals are not confined and spend time outdoors in the fresh air.

5. Manure
Small farms use it, industrial farms pollute with it.

6. Animals are integral to small farms
Using animal manure is considered recycling of nutrients. No farm can cope with all the animal offspring, so selling some makes economic sense. Sustainable farms tend to provide and sell a range of products, and organic eggs and animal products would be included.

7. Fewer chemicals used
Synthetic pesticides and fertilizers are not used on the food or land. Residues of persistent chemicals such as DDT, PCBs, dioxin, and many pesticides concentrate in animal fat. Eating organic animal fat reduces your exposure to these chemicals.
Farmers working on organic farms are exposed to fewer chemicals.

8. Diversity
Industrial farms rely on just a few species of cattle, chickens, pigs, etc., whereas small sustainable farms tend to raise a wider variety of livestock. Entire species of livestock can die out if they are not raised on farms.

9. Factory farms use huge amounts of resources
The factory farm industry is run with cheap, nonrenewable fossil fuel. Producing, transporting, processing, and marketing the food all depend heavily on it.

10. Your money supports the farm you buy from
If you buy your meat from an organic stall at a farmer’s market you support that farm. On the other hand, if you buy non-organic meat that isn’t local, free-range, or ranch-raised from a supermarket chain, you most likely support a multinational food conglomerate.



Sainsburys Feed a Family for £50





I have to say that this is actually a brilliant concept. Even if you do not follow the exact plan there are many benefits to be had, especially if are not comfortable with meal planning, portion control and budgeting. The meals are nutritionally balanced and include your five a day fruit and veg. On top of all that, to stick to the £50, you can’t afford to waste any food.

There are a few caveats, you do need to have certain items in your store cupboard already, such as flour, oil, mayonnaise and spices. You will also have to pay for transport to and from the Supermarket or delivery. Drinks, desserts and snacks are extra.

Sainsburys first ran the feed a family for under £50 in 1994, 17 years ago, so how can we manage to do the same again now?

A lot of it is down to tiered branding. The ‘Basics’ range seem ridiculously cheap and the prices attract us to the shop. We then trade up to a level we are more confident in/comfortable to be seen buying, at a much higher price. The basics price range is kept artificially low and the hope is that few people will actually buy them.

With organic, animal welfare issues we will only shop where the highest standards are available, and then trade down to a price we like, sad but true.

Of course, just because you might be following the Sainsburys plan, doesn’t mean that you have to limit your shopping to them. Fruit and veg will almost certainly be cheaper from your local market stall.

Oxfam Warns Of Food Crisis

The average price of staple foods will more than double in the next 20 years, leading to an unprecedented reversal in human development, Oxfam has warned.

The world's poorest people, who spend up to 80% of their income of food, will be hit hardest according to the charity. It said the world is entering an era of permanent food crisis, which is likely to be accompanied by political unrest and will require radical reform of the international food system.

Research to be published on Wednesday (2/6/11) forecasts international prices of staples such as maize could rise by as much as 180% by 2030, with half of that rise due to the impacts of climate change.

After decades of steady decline in the number of hungry people around the world, the numbers are rapidly increasing as demand outpaces food production. The average growth rate in agricultural yields has almost halved since 1990 and is set to decline to a fraction of 1% in the next decade.

A devastating combination of factors – climate change, depleting natural resources, a global scramble for land and water, the rush to turn food into biofuels, a growing global population, and changing diets – have created the conditions for an increase in deep poverty.

"We are sleepwalking towards an age of avoidable crisis," Oxfam's chief executive, Barbara Stocking, said. "One in seven people on the planet go hungry every day despite the fact that the world is capable of feeding everyone. The food system must be overhauled."



Is it time for a Nouvelle Cuisine revival?

Britain's restaurants throw away more than 600,000 tons of food each year, or 22 tons per eatery, which means that half a kilo of food is wasted every time someone eats out, according to the first detailed waste snapshot of the sector.

Nearly one-third of all wasted food comes back from customers' plates, suggesting that British restaurateurs are following the lead set by their American counterparts and serving portions that are too large.

The bulk of the rest is thrown away during the preparation stage, according to a report published by the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA).

Some of the chefs surveyed in the report are already learning from the research. Nitin Padwal, head chef of Petrichor, at the Cavendish Hotel, said he was surprised that so much preparation waste was discarded. "The majority of it was orange skin and potato peelings. Now we are using up the potato peelings still with good potato bits on and doing skin-on chips for the staff canteen and orange marmalade for our breakfast in the restaurant," he said.

Michael Howie, head chef at the Three Stags gastro pub in north London, said: "The numbers from this survey will really help staff to understand how much food waste we produce here, and why it's important to try and reduce it."

A Japanese chef in Sydney may have the answer to plate waste - If you don’t clean your plate, don’t come back.

Those who leave food behind at chef Yukako Ichikawa’s restaruant, Wafu, are informally banned from returning. As she put it, “(When they try to return), if I remember their face, I say no,” Ichikawa said.

In addition to that hard line, Ichikawa also provides an incentive for her customers to eat all of their food.Diners able to polish off their old-fashioned Japanese meal get 30 percent off their bill and an invitation to join Ichikawa’s exclusive list of more than 800 regulars.



Boris Misses The Point

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has launched a major initiative to convert London's food waste into eco-fuel to cut landfill rates and carbon emissions.

Every year, London produces  nearly three million tonnes of organic waste, mainly from food. Nearly two thirds of this waste is currently burnt in incinerators or buried in landfill, which produces potent climate change gases. £31million has been earmarked for projects that will create energy from waste. It is hoped that the Olympic Games will also offer opportunities to convert its food waste into energy.

Boris Johnson, said: London is currently throwing away valuable food waste that could be used instead to produce an eco-fuel for businesses and homes. Whilst we can all take steps to throw less food away in the first place, it is extraordinary that we are losing this resource by simply chucking it out.

BAA and Sainsbury's are working with the Mayor to investigate the possibility of developing anaerobic digestion facilities in and around London. Heathrow airport produces around 8,000 tonnes of food waste each year and BAA is keen to investigate whether it is feasible to convert this into bio-gas to generate low carbon energy or as a fuel for vehicles. Sainsbury's is keen to help deliver an anaerobic digestion plant in the London area, as part of a planned wider portfolio of waste facilities that will help the company deliver its zero waste to landfill goal.

It is no surprise that Sainsburys is backing this project. While you continue to buy excess food from them and feel no guilt when it is wasted they are on to a winner.

So Heathrow wastes 8000 tonnes of food each year, BAA owns another 5 British Airports, what does that make their total?

Consumer food waste is the visible tip of the iceburg. Up to 40% has already been lost in the production process, 

Current waste to energy schemes recover only 49% of the energy available, which is a fraction of the energy required to produce it.

More energy is then required to process and transport the waste products left over by the processes.

Surely, the £31,000,000 would be better spent on avoiding food waste in the first place?