Nosh has created a unique service that delivers nutritious and appetising organic, dairy and gluten free meals direct to your door. Nosh’s highly trained chefs specialise in a variety of international cuisines and use only the highest standards of fresh, organic produce to create delicious, dairy and gluten free meals tailored to your lifestyle.

And it’s all so easy! Every morning Nosh will deliver specially prepared gourmet meals and snacks, for both you and your family that will both delight your taste buds and satisfy your dietary needs. So whether your aim is weight-loss, detox, or simply a long needed energy boost, you can forget recipe books and supermarkets, and concentrate on enjoying all your new found free time.

Brainchild of Geeta Sidhu-Robb, author of the best selling, ‘Food for All: Gluten, Diary, Egg and Nut Free Cookbook’, Nosh was founded in 2005, initially providing healthy food for babies and children. Geeta’s own son was diagnosed with anaphylaxis as a baby and went on to develop multiple food allergies, leading Geeta to retrain as a food technician with a mission to educate people in correct eating patterns and the benefits of a balanced diet.

Sadly for us out-of-towners Nosh is based in Chelsea and caters for customers within the M25 area of Greater London only. At £39 Nosh is the only food delivery service that guarantees its customers organic dairy and gluten free food.

One thing I picked up in yesterday’s Observer Food Monthly was the difference between the labelling descriptors flavour and flavoured.

“There is a crucial distinction between strawberry ‘flavour’ yoghurt and strawberry ‘flavoured’ yoghurt: only one of the products will have been anywhere near fresh fruit. By law, a flavoured product must be made with actual fruit, while one that contains fruit ‘flavour’ will get its taste from additives – and no fruit in site.

Are the words really different enough to avoid confusion? If you are rushing down the supermarket aisle are you likely to spot the subtle difference? I think not. I note the yoghurt in my photo just says ‘Lemon’ on the top label – I wonder if it is flavoured or flavour?

According to a poll carried out by the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS), three-quarters of people are opposed to any changes in UK planning law that would make it easier to build out-of-town supermarkets. Which perhaps is not a totally unsurprising poll result seeing as the ACS is ‘the voice of local shops’.

They also suggest that 77% would prefer a mix of branded retailers, independent stores and market stalls in our town centres. A high 64% thought large out-of-town shopping centres and supermarkets were harmful to town centres. Which I think is pretty much agreed on.

ACS chief executive, James Lowman, said, “Public opinion is clearly against any move to liberalise planning laws regulating out-of-town shopping centres.

“It is important that Government understands that not only is there a consensus of opinion amongst environmental, social and consumer champions, but the public also agree.

“This finding is a timely reminder to the Competition Commission that building more supermarkets is not the way to increase choice for consumers.”

The The Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2008 is launched on Friday 25 January priced at £15.99 (€23.20 in Ireland).
This year’s guide includes 15 new one star restaurants. Making-up the list of ‘Rising Stars’ for 2008 are five establishments tipped for one star and three that are tipped for two stars. There are also 33 new Bib Gourmand establishments, offering ‘good food at moderate prices’ – three courses for less than £28 (€40 in Ireland).

Derek Bulmer, the Editor, says: “Informal dining, greater use of locally grown produce and seasonality are the trends evident in this year’s guide. Customers are demanding more information about food provenance and sustainability, and chefs are responding by rediscovering local ingredients. “

There has also been a swing away from ‘fusion’ cooking and back to more European based cooking. “We have also seen more competitive pricing which is why we have awarded so many Bib Gourmands this year.” Derek Bulmer says “Culinary diversity has long been the UK’s strength and now there’s an even wider choice, thanks to greater informality and lower prices”.

The format of the Michelin Guide means that it offers readers an unrivalled selection of hotels and restaurants to suit all pockets, in a compact sized book. The 2008 Guide has 4,567 entries, and of those, 2,748 are hotels and guesthouses and 1,819 are restaurants and pubs; all regularly and anonymously inspected by Michelin’s own team of professional inspectors.

At the same time, the The Michelin Guide to London 2008 is also launched, priced at £9.99 (€14.50 in Ireland). This new-look guide was introduced in 2007 and forms part of our collection of City guides, from New York to Tokyo. It features two entries per page for non-starred establishments and one entry per page for starred eateries.

And so ends the press release.

Word via Silverbrow has

The Goose on getting their first Michelin star… Also good news for Hibiscus – still haven’t been – and Wild Honey, latter inevitable given sister Arbutus has 1 star… Greyhound, Orrery and Winteringham Fields lose their 1 *… Hibiscus gets the nod for 2* next year… Parsee and Racine lose their bib gourmand

The Michelin Guide Great Britain & Ireland 2008 available from Amazon.co.uk for £10.55.
The Michelin Guide to London 2008 listed at Amazon.co.uk for £6.59.

Did you know that 2008 is the International Year of the Potato? Neither did I until Eating Leeds gave me the nudge.

“The celebration of the International Year of the Potato (IYP) will raise awareness of the importance of the potato – and of agriculture in general – in addressing issues of global concern, including hunger, poverty and threats to the environment.

Over the next two decades, the world’s population is expected to grow on average by more than 100 million people a year. More than 95 percent of that increase will occur in the developing countries, where pressure on land and water is already intense. A key challenge facing the international community is, therefore, to ensure food security for present and future generations, while protecting the natural resource base on which we all depend. The potato will be an important part of efforts to meet those challenges… “

I’m waiting for the international lawyers to come-a-knocking; use of the logo is by permission only. I couldn’t be bothered to fill out the application form…

“The logo of the International Year of Potato was created by Italian graphic designer Giancarlo de Pol. The main graphic elements – above, a bowl with harvested potatoes and below, in the earth, a golden tuber – symbolize the intimate link between humanity and agriculture. The slogan, “Hidden treasure”, highlights the often overlooked importance of the potato for rural people, the economy and global food security.”

A multi-language website is available.