Culinary News

Open Farm Sunday – 7 June 2009

Discover the Story Behind Your Food

On Sunday 7 June 2009, farmers across the country are inviting everyone to discover at first hand, the story behind their food! Organised by LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming), Open Farm Sunday provides a great day out for everyone - to meet the people who grow their food and care for their countryside.

All over the country, visitors young and old will be given the opportunity to find out more about farming in the 21st Century. With activities ranging from tractor and trailer rides, sheep shearing, pig racing and milking demonstrations to picnics, BBQ’s, nature trails and farm walks, everyone, young and old, will learn more about how farmers care about the environment and the production of wholesome, affordable food. LEAF farmers in particular help to protect the wildlife on their farms and the environment in which they live.

Caroline Drummond, Chief Executive of LEAF, organisers of Open Farm Sunday said: “This is a day out with a real difference! Sunday 7 June offers everyone a chance to truly connect with their food and the land around us. Come and see for yourself how farmers care for the countryside: Enjoy a guided farm walk, wander through the meadows, or watch the birds; the list of possible activities is endless. There will also be opportunities to talk to those who are responsible for producing the food on our plate – from milk and cheese to bacon and bread. Come and meet the farmers who really care about your food and your countryside.”

The fourth annual event follows the success of Open Farm Sunday 2008, where over 400 farmers across the country opened their farm gates to 150,000 members of the public.

So, do you care about your food ?
Come and explore the links between your food and nature, on Open Farm Sunday - 7 June 2009

Log on to www.farmsunday.org to find a farm near you!

To find out more about LEAF and Open Farm Sunday call 02476 413911

 

Pea Shooting Season is Here...

Try New Ways to Cook with This Season’s Most Versatile Ingredient

• Now in season - grown in Wiltshire from April to October
• This healthy green leaf with seven times more vitamin C than blueberries and four times more vitamin A than tomatoes

Transform your favourite dishes and salads with this season’s ‘must-have’ British ingredient - Pea Shoots are the tender green leaves with all the distinctive and refreshing flavour of fresh peas. Pea Shoots are the young leaves of the traditional garden pea plant that are harvested after just two weeks so that they are literally bursting with flavour.

Packed with vitamins A, C and folic acid , Pea Shoots are a delicious, nutritious modern slant on the classic British garden pea. Until recently Pea Shoots were a well kept secret amongst chefs and foodies but this season they will become a welcome addition to selected supermarket produce shelves across the country

Download more information

VIEW PEASHOOTS.com

Peppadew Peppers

'I have recently tried these delicious Peppadew peppers so I thought you might like to find out a bit more about them too'

The makers of Peppadew™ Sweet Piquanté Peppers say;

Peppadew™ Sweet Piquanté Peppers are a Christmas store cupboard essential for anyone planning to entertain friends and family over the festive season.

Not only are they delicious straight from the jar, but they are ideal for tasty canapés. Mini Peppadew™ peppers can be stuffed, threaded onto skewers, chopped for a salsa or dip or simply added to savoury baking for the perfect accompaniment to a Christmas tipple (see over page for more detailed suggestions and recipes).

These spicy yet sweet little peppers are deseeded and then bottled to a secret brine recipe to retain a crisp texture and give just the right balance of flavour. They are entirely free of preservatives.

Native of South Africa, they are available in either mild or hot variants, Peppadew™ Sweet Piquanté Peppers come in a 375g jar and can be purchased at branches of ASDA, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Somerfield, Tesco and Waitrose…. the hot variant is currently available in Sainsbury’s and Waitrose only, priced at around £2.29.

Here are some recipes using Peppadew™ products.

Shoppers Munch Up Fruit And Veg

Britons are beginning to get their teeth around fresh fruit & veg at last.

Individuals are eating about 2.6 portions of fruit and vegetables on average per day, latest figures show.

The good news is that children's eating habits are picking up with youngsters showing the largest increase in their fruit & veg intake.

It has now reached 2.2 portions per day, up from 1.8 last year.
Spending on fresh produce has risen by 5.2% to £7.6bn over the past year, says market analyst TNS Worldpanel. That is due mainly to a jump in fruit & vegetable prices, said spokesman Tom Hogg.

"A key trend is the decline in shopper numbers for traditional staple fruits such as bananas, apples and pears.

"More consumers are buying what used to be considered niche fruit types."

Pomegranates & mangoes have seen a "significant" popularity rise, the research shows. The data is compiled from a continuing survey of 20,000 households and concentrates solely on food bought to be eaten at home.

Organic fruit & veg really are better for your heart

Organic fruit & veg may be better for the heart & general health than eating conventionally grown crops, new research has found.

A ten-year study comparing organic tomatoes with standard produce found that they had almost double the quantity of antioxidants called flavonoids which help to prevent high blood pressure & thus reduce the likelihood of heart disease and strokes.

Alyson Mitchell, a food chemist, who led the research at the University of California, believes that flavonoids can also help to stave off some forms of cancer & dementia.

She found that levels of quercetin & kaempferol, both flavonoids, were on average 79 and 97 per cent higher, respectively, in organic tomatoes. 

The team believes that the different levels of flavonoids in tomatoes are due to the absence of fertilisers in organic farming.

Plants produce flavonoids as a defence mechanism; they are triggered by nutrient deficiency. Feeding a plant with too many nutrients, such as inorganic nitrogen commonly found in conventional fertiliser, curbs the development of flavonoids. The lower levels of flavonoids in conventional tomatoes were caused by “over-fertilisation”, the research team concluded.