Those who place their faith in folklore will be Spring is in the air this year because, according to the saying, if March comes in like a lion it will go out like a lamb. The boffins at the meteorological office don’t quite agree, whilst their long-range forecast predicts temperatures above average for March, there […]

Chinese New Year (the year of the tiger in 2022) falls on 1st February and marks the start of a traditional period of celebration that has spread from Asia and is now embraced by communities across the globe. The precise date of Chinese New Year varies from year to year as it is based on […]

So, how are the New Year resolutions going? Does that one remaining festive bottle of wine remain uncorked?  Have you succumbed to chocolate yet? Are your daily steps on target? There’s nothing new about New Year resolutions in fact we’ve been setting them – and breaking them – for 4,000 years.  It started with the […]

How would you fancy celebrating Christmas this year with a delicious feast of caterpillar? Or perhaps a small decomposed bird wrapped in seal skin? Your reaction may be similar to someone who has never tasted Christmas Pudding before and is advised to mix breadcrumbs, dried fruit, treacle, suet and a sixpence in a bowl, then […]

There’s no doubt that plant-based diets are on the rise and with 1st October marking World Vegetarian Day, it seems there’s a variety to suit every taste. Broadly speaking, vegetarianism is an abstinence from meat and by-products of animal slaughter. Veganism extends this to all animal products including eggs and dairy. In between there are […]

As the final rays of the sun slowly faded and I stood there on my patch of soil, I took a moment to reflect on the significance of the freshly harvested, somewhat misshapen, home grown potato in my hand. For me it was the culmination of that eureka moment 10,000 years ago when mankind first […]

As Freedom Day dawns and lockdown restrictions are eased we can (look forward to getting back to normal and enjoying the pleasures of life we have been denied for the past 15 months, hopefully anyway. We say hopefully because ‘Independence Day’ in 2020 didn’t end up the way we all hoped, but there is genuinely […]

Everyone loves a great origin story. One such story concerns the humble hamburger. For over a century the origins of the hamburger have been disputed more hotly than a flame grill barbeque but one thing seems clear – the name has nothing to do with the ingredients. Nowhere has it ever been suggested that ham, […]

Considering it’s a superfood, the mighty tomato has had a pretty lousy press over the centuries. Up until 200 years ago it was wrongly regarded as poisonous by some because it is part of the nightshade family. And for centuries it’s been a go to weapon for anyone wishing to voice their displeasure at artistic […]