Archive for January, 2009

Marine Reserves & The Marine Bill

by Andrew on January 21, 2009 in On The Web with No comments

marine reserves nowParliament is currently reviewing a new law the ‘Marine Bill’. Full details are on a government website but the bill contains a proposal to establish Marine Reserves – an open sea version of nature reserves – where fishing, drilling and dredging would be banned.

The Fish Society sent the details in an email but added

“Inevitably, some fishermen fear the effects. The reserves will be introduced over a period of ten years. In my view, the critical debate concerns the proportion of the sea which will be designated as reserves. At the upper end, a substantial body of respectable opinion believes that 30% of UK waters should be reserved in this way.

I believe that initially, reserves, WILL result in modest reductions in fish catches. However, based on reports from countries which established marine reserves over the last ten years, the ultimate result should be highly beneficial, by resulting in significant increases in fish stocks and catches, because fish populations will expand unhindered in the reserves, but will be available to fishermen as their population spills out of the reserves.”

IYou too can support these proposed reserves by visiting www.marinereservesnow.org.uk

This website, set up by The Marine Conservation Society, enables you to send an email to your MP simply by entering your address. The process takes about 90 seconds.

If you enjoy fish, I encourage you to do this.


Win Cookery Classes with Nobilo

by Andrew on January 19, 2009 in In the Press with No comments

Nobilo Five FathomsNew Zealand wine brand Nobilo has linked up with Rick Stein’s Padstow Seafood School.

Via special on-bottle collarettes consumers can win one of six cookery courses at the famous cookery school. The whole effort being to emphaise Nobilo’s credentials as the ideal wine to drink with seafood.

The on-bottle promotion, in store from now until the end of May 2009, will operate across Nobilo Regional Collection Sauvignon Blanc (£8.20) and Nobilo Five Fathoms Sauvignon Blanc (£6.99).

Nobilo is ranked as the UK’s third biggest New Zealand brand.

The Great British Food Fight

by Andrew on January 16, 2009 in Television, Radio, Video, Film with No comments

Great British Food FightFor those excited by the forthcoming Channel 4 Food Fight season (and who is’nt looking forward to see how Mr Blumenthal gets on) I have just received details of forthcoming programs:

Monday 26 January 2009 CHICKENS, HUGH AND TESCO TOO
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall took on Britain’s biggest supermarket, Tesco, in an audacious attempt to change the company’s animal welfare policy from the inside by becoming a shareholder. Following Hugh’s Chicken Out campaign, supermarkets nationwide sold out of free-range chicken. But Britain’s biggest retailer Tesco was still reluctant to talk to Hugh. This film reveals what happened next. Hugh also visits poultry farmers to find out if higher welfare indoor birds could provide the nation with more humanely-produced yet affordable chicken as people increasingly feel the pinch.

Tuesday 27 January 2009 GOK WAN: TOO FAT TOO YOUNG
How to Look Good Naked’s Gok Wan explores the rapidly growing problem of teenage obesity in the UK. On a candid and personal journey, he also addresses his personal teenage issues around food, and hears from leading experts about recent breakthroughs in tackling this national epidemic. Gok talks to young people, addressing the frightening extent to which they have been affected by food addiction. He tries to uncover why this age group is particularly susceptible to weight problems, while Dawn French talks about the body image pressures today’s teens are facing.

Thursday 29 January 2009 JAMIE SAVES OUR BACON
Britain’s pig farmers are going out of business. In this 90-minute programme Jamie Oliver wants to find out why; and to support farmers and help consumers to make better-informed choices by showing exactly how pigs live and die to put pork, ham and bacon on our plates. He investigates how UK farmers’ expensive higher welfare standards have left them open to competition from some mass producers from the EU, which minimise costs, but may have questionable levels of animal welfare. And he’ll be cooking cheap, but tasty cuts of pork to feed a family on a budget.

Friday 30 January 2009 RAMSAY’S GREAT BRITISH NIGHTMARE
Multi Michelin-starred chef Gordon Ramsay is back with his trademark mix of tough talking and inspirational leadership in a feature length, one-off special for Channel 4′s Great British Food Fight season. Gordon takes on two struggling ventures at once – one in the north, the other in the south – to help transform them in difficult times. Come the autumn, both are sticking to his rules and business is booming, but then the economic downturn begins to hit. Can Gordon triumph even over market forces?

Egg Fried Rice Video

by Andrew on January 15, 2009 in Television, Radio, Video, Film with No comments

Phil Vickery Egg Fried Rice video

Phil Vickery Egg Fried Rice video

It is often the simplest things that are the hardest to get right. Take egg fired rice; try as I might I just can’t seem to get it right. I’m not sure what I do wrong but my efforts never reach restaurant standard – or any standard come to that!

With Chinese New Year rapidly approaching – January 26th sees us march into the Year of the Ox – Aldi has released another Phil Vickery video – a hassle-free way to make egg fried rice, how timely is that!

The video is available via iTunes or on YouTube.

Big Chef Takes On Little Chef

by Andrew on January 13, 2009 in Television, Radio, Video, Film with 2 Comments

heston_little_chefScreening as part of The Great British Food Fight, in Big Chef Takes on Little Chef , Heston Blumenthal takes on the challenge of turning around the fortunes of the troubled but iconic roadside restaurant chain Little Chef. You may have seen him chatting on one of the adverts.

He is tasked with redesigning the menu and interior plus training the staff at the Popham Little Chef branch in Hampshire. If he succeeds, Heston’s vision will be rolled out to every Little Chef in the country.

Little Chef is a British institution, with 180 roadside outlets all over the country but the restaurant chain has been experiencing difficulties and in 2007 it had to be saved from financial collapse. Now in its 50th year, Little Chef is in serious need of creative inspiration.

Really though can such an innovative chef more used to serving up £200-a-head meals and known for £100 cook books in addtion to bacon-and-egg ice cream and snail porridge turn around the fortunes of a much-loved but tired British brand? Can Heston make the British public fall in love all over again with Little Chef, and with classic British food in the process?

The first episode Heston goes on a fact-finding mission to one of the Little Chef restaurants before he meets Little Chef boss Ian Pegler for the first time. Heston is apparently horrified to discover that the Little Chef kitchens don’t use pots and pans, relying on microwaves to heat up and cook all of the food. Unsurprisingly Heston wastes no time telling Little Chef bosses that he intends to scrap the entire menu to start from scratch, the start of an “at-times-volatile relationship”. Volatile but great TV I imagine.

Heston only has one month to create a new menu, which will be trialled at the Little Chef branch in Popham. British favourites with some elaborate twists are promised to appear – like lamb thyroid hot pot with oysters, and smoked salmon and scrambled eggs cooked in Lapsang Souchong tea. Rather too ‘out there’ I imagine!

I for one am rather looking forward to following the series. Episode 1, of three, is on Monday 19 January at 9:00pm, Channel 4.

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