News
In L.A., Now You Can Use City Land For A Free Vegetable Garden
Ron Finley wanted to plant his own fruit and veg outside his house in L.A. so he did - in the vacant land between the road and pavement. One arrest warrant, lots of community support and an inspiring TED talk later, the city has made a new policy. This is such a simple idea but totally makes sense, how much redundant land is there in cities, especially in deprived areas, and how many people are struggling to get fresh fruit and veg in their diet? Yep.
Meat Free Week - Are you up for the challenge?
For those stead fast meat eaters out there, this could be a great challenge - no meat for one week starting from Monday 23rd. Numerous reports are telling us that the way our meat consumption is heading is not sustainable for our environment, the animals or our bodies. Here you'll find a lot more interesting info on these ideas and brilliant veggie recipes to keep you going throughout the week. If everyone could cut the amount of meat they eat by just a bit, say 2 nights a week, then it would make a huge difference.
Schoolchildren at heart of healthy eating drive as Croydon becomes London Food Flagship borough
There's been much talk of school children's health and diet since Jamie Oliver dissed those Turkey Twizzlers back in 2005. Not quite sure why it has taken this long to formulate the School Food Plan but better late than never, eh? Educating children about healthy eating and teaching them to cook is so so important in tackling obesity as they can go home and talk to their parents about their experiences and hopefully change their way of thinking too. Start with the youngest and they will help spread the word throughout society and end this cycle of poor diets. The Food Flagship programme started on Monday in London, here's hoping everyone gets behind it as it gets rolled out across the country and is a massive success.
How to combat the 'if in doubt, bin it' food culture
I think we've all been guilty of falling for the 2 for 1 offers in the supers, then chucking one when it sits idly on the shelf and the date passes. The ethics of this special offer practice aside (that's a rant for another day), research recently published has presented this fact: millions of tonnes of food are being thrown away because the best before date has passed even though the food is still perfectly edible. This article and the one above offer tips on saving our food from the rubbish bin along with an insight into tackling this problem.
Reviews
How to joint a raw chicken
Most people (me included) tend to buy pieces of chicken or a whole chicken to cook for a roast; how about buying a whole bird then chop it up into pieces to freeze? This saves you money as a whole chicken is a cheaper way to buy meat than individual portions plus it's always good to know that you've got a couple of breasts hanging out in the freezer ready for action. Oo-er. Check out the video for a demo, I'm going to give it a go.
Local News
The Square Wine Company - Gin Club
Gin club! I shouldn't need to say much more about this apart from it's every Friday, you get to try three gins and you get your very own gin passport! Square Wine is a brilliant wine shop that opened in Warwick's market square last year, the couple who run it are lovely and full of great advice. Look out for their wine tastings and food evenings where they invite a local street food seller or restaurant to bring their food in for a wine match up. They also have wine on tap, ON TAP! Oh yes.
Recipes
Fragrant pork & rice one-pot
It might not have gone unnoticed that a third of the recipes I've included in the newsletter so far have involved sausages. What can I say, the food of Kings! I cooked this easy one pot dish last night for the millionth time. Really tasty and cheap to put together; I usually have everything in the cupboards so just need to grab some fresh coriander and saus. Add a 1/2 teaspoon of sugar with the tomatoes, it won't taste sweet but adds a certain something.
How to cook the perfect falafel
I have had two ongoing culinary challenges for a couple of years: 1) to make a brownie that is worthy to comparison with Sweet As' award winning delicious chocolately cakes (this is quite a hardship for my family and friends who are chief testers, so far I've come close on flavour but not the gorgeous dense texture); 2) to make a falafel that is as good as those of Kuskus Foods. This recipe is the closest I've come to recreating those tasty falafels with a great nutty texture and delicate blend of spices. You can use all chickpeas if you can't find fava beans but you can buy them online here. It's worth using dried beans and peas as you can't get the right texture with canned. The trials continue...
Food for Thought
Feed ducks frozen peas instead of stale bread, charity asks
Ok, slightly tenuous link for a food newsletter, but it's about peas yeah! Those poor little duckies are on their way to joining us in the obesity epidemic because we're stuffing them full of bread. Grab your peas and sweetcorn next time you head down the park to help the birds join the slimming plan.
Just when you thought you could feel spring in the air and almost smell the barbecues lighting up, it's gone cold again pfffft. The bbq will have to wait while we make do with pies, stews and other such winter grub. If you fancy making something a bit different and vegetarian (two birds one stone, see below), I've linked to a brilliant falafel recipe. I'd love to hear your recipes for falafels and chocolate brownies, tweet me @kitchencrumbs if you'd like to join the search for the perfect recipe, or if you're having a go at Meat Free Week! Also please pass the email on to friends or family who might be interested in getting involved.