Homemade strawberry lemonade...

I love lemonade and original homemade is my favourite but with a recent excess of strawberries I decided to try the strawberry variety and it was well worth the effort. I found various recipes online, all fairly similar but I mainly followed this one from Gastronomy Domine (I added a little more sugar and I used my handheld blender to liquefy the strawberries as I didn't have time, ie. the patience, to soften overnight). It was pure loveliness in a glass.....

Sale on at Ethical Superstore

Ethical Superstore are in the midst of a massive clearance sale and there are some hefty discounts going on that you might like to take advantage of. Unfortunately, most of the clothes items for sale that I would otherwise consider seem to only be available in very limited sizes (ie. only in large) but if you are lucky enough to find your size it is well worth a look. A number of their other home and grocery items have also been significantly reduced.

My top sales picks are:

Komodo Merino Stripe V Neck Jumper £13.79 (was £56.12 but only available in XL)

Marrakech Mosaic Glass Lantern £8.38 (was £16.75)

Spiezia Lemongrass & Marigold Body Scrub £11.25 (was £22.50)

Stroopwafels from 'The Grocery'

I don't often take a lunch break at work...I know one is supposed to for improved productivity and work-life balance yada-yada but generally I would rather get more done and be able to leave on time. However....the recent spate of sunny-gorgeousness outside has made me resent being desk bound for long periods at a time and so I have been 'popping out' to get some fresh air and enjoy the sunshine on my face. And I do actually work in a very interesting area (Shoreditch) and have discovered some great shops and pubs and cafes in the last few days that I have generally known about but never actually located. In particular I can't believe I have never been into 'The Grocery' on Kingsland Road despite having walked past it a few times. It's right up my street (figuratively and kind-of literally), and crammed with not only lovely organic and/or fairtrade groceries but various organic cosmetics and toiletries as well. In their own words "The Grocery sells organic, fresh and whole foods, household goods and all your favourite everyday brands. Our stock is sourced from reputable local producers and we advocate good trading relationships. We supply healthy, well sourced produce, keeps prices down and tie our efforts in to local community needs." All of which sounds good to me. I am not quite sure where my purchase of Stroopwafels (Syrup Waffles) fits in with these policies but I had been after some since reading about the Holland House Festival on the weekend and The Grocery seemed as good a place as any to pick some up. Will definitely be stopping by there a bit more often in future....

Join the Fish Fight....

Luckily for me, I am not a seafood fan....not because of any sustainability arguments (although there are many) but just because I honestly can't stand the taste. As I was so fond of reiterating during my childhood when well-meaning relatives would try and encourage me to eat fish, prawns, lobster, calamari etc...."nothing from the sea please! I don't eat anything that swims or lives underwater". But this isn't really about my fussy eating habits. This is about Greenpeace's current campaign to improve the sustainability of UK tinned tuna, and they are doing incredibly well but they are still appealing for consumers to help them even more and influence, in particular, John West and Morrisons, to raise their games.

Many of us are familiar with the dangers of certain commercial tuna fishing methods and the impact they have on sharks, rays and other marine species. If you want to know more, I suggest you check out the Greenpeace website (www.greenpeace.org.uk/fishfight) and/or check out Hugh's Fish Fight which is being shown again tonight at 10pm on More 4.

A fantastic number of supermarkets and manufacturers have joined the campaign and improved their methods but for some reason John West and Morrisons are lagging behind. The simplest thing you can do of course is not buy John West and not shop at Morrisons but you can also join the campaign by writing to them via the Greenpeace website. With so many supermarkets improving their methods there really is no excuse for others not to do the same, so make sure you voice your disapproval and let them know it's not a minority 'treehugger' concern but something that everyone is aware of and not prepared to accept!

Pretentious....moi?

In a happy marketing coincidence I was contemplating the fact that we should eat more fruit and vegetables (because this is the kind of thrilling thing I sometimes contemplate) on the very day that an Abel & Cole flyer had been popped through our front door announcing that they were now operating in our area. So rather than ignore the universe I am busy trying them out. Today I received, for the third week, a 'small mixed organic box' which is apparently perfect for one person according to them but I am seeing how it does the OH and I and will upscale if necessary. So far I am enjoying the delivery and have been very impressed with the quality generally. I especially like that the box normally has a little recipe card tucked in with it so you can try something different with some of the produce you've just received. My only concern is that I have wasted a fair amount of the vegetables simply because they don't always fit into what we're having for dinner although I am getting better at making sure I incorporate what we receive. Abel & Cole have loads of information on their website (particularly in the faqs section) about the 'organicness' of their goods, their packaging and their work with small, independent producers.....so if you're a 'concerned shopper' then they may be for you.

The OH said that our weekly organic box is pretentious! Which made me laugh and tcha with disdain but I did mull it over and fair enough in some respects I suppose if one was going to go round blabbing about it and how fantastically virtuous it is.....which I am soooo not doing here by the way....I just like that it is an easy way to support independent organic producers. I would love to shop exclusively at small grocers and/or farmers' markets but that is not really an option so for now I am going to go along with the pretentious organic weekly box!

Kitchen Clickalong....

The OH and I have participated in few of Allegra McEvedy's kitchen clickalongs on the Guardian website. It's kind of a no-brainer that it would appeal to me, lover of food and recipe books! What makes these particularly interesting is the unknown element. You don't see the recipe as a whole so it is very different from following a recipe in a book....but it's also lots of fun.

Allegra also focuses on seasonal food and tends to use a lot of fresh produce which is great. Last night's was one of the best yet, especially because it was the first in our lovely new kitchen which has a breakfast bar counter perfect for the person on calling-out-the-instructions-from-the-laptop duty...which the OH did fabulously while also managing to make some amazing fresh raspberry and chambord based cocktails (more on them later as I think they are deserving of their own post!). We made English quiche of new season garlic, asparagus and new potatoes with lemon curd pots for pudding. I managed to use pretty much every utensil and container in the kitchen....but the end results were absolutely delicious! For anyone interested in cooking, I suggest you keep an eye out for the next one and join in....

3 of the best.....natural cold and flu relievers

In keeping with the general illness theme which I established last week, I thought I would highlight ‘3 of the best’ natural cold and flu relievers (I say relievers because I can’t really vouch for these as remedies….during my own recent germ-struggles I have found the following quite helpful although not cures…the best cure for flu is most often time and rest).

Ginger, honey and lemon tea – ginger is a natural antiviral plant and has long been used to treat asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory problems as well as assisting with digestion and easing nausea. One of the easiest ways to take it is as a tea by steeping shavings of fresh ginger in hot water and adding honey and lemon to taste.

Tomato Soup – ok so this may be more psychosomatic than anything else as a warm bowl of soup is essentially comforting but tomatoes contain high levels of vitamin c and are generally a good source of vitamins. Soup is easily digested which is helpful for someone who is generally worn down. Heavy meals require energy to digest and for someone ill, this energy can be best utilised by the body for getting better.

Steam – steam moisturises and soothes your nasal passages which can be a huge relief when suffering from a cold or flu. The easiest way to get a dose of steam is obviously to have a hot shower. Steam can also help ease congestion and help you expel phlegm.

Ok, I am going to stop going on about being ill now......I promise!

Lurgy, laziness and London Borough Market

I have been a very neglectful blogger of late. The past few weeks have flown by in a haze of fuzzy-headedness and a desire to do as little as possible brought on by an indeterminate illness. So I a) haven’t actually done anything worth sharing and b) have spent any time while not at work sleeping, in the bath or lying on the sofa feeling vaguely sorry for myself.

The one thing I did do before the rot set in was visit London Borough Market. Now is not the best time for a first visit as construction is well under way on one of the market’s main sections….so it is even more crowded than usual and rather difficult to navigate without getting stuck in bottle necks but for anyone who likes food (and I find it hard to imagine how anyone could not) it is still worth a visit.

While there I feasted on raclette, numerous bits of cheese and bread with various olive oils, and fresh cranberry and apple juice. I went home with toffee-pecan cheesecake (oh my word, this is amazing, trust me on this one), Spanish hot sauce (the exact name of which escapes me), chipotle paste, sausages, dry-cure bacon and various herbs and vegetables. Whenever I buy food from Borough I am always amazed at how well dishes turn out and what a difference it makes buying things that are fresh and in season rather than from the supermarket. It’s not possible, unfortunately, for me to do day-to-day shopping at a market but I think it really is worth doing as often as possible.

Food news....

Although I actually love general grocery shopping (which may sound very odd to some people), I also like looking at and buying unusual ingredients and online food shopping opens up a whole new avenue for this. Online food shopping doesn't, in my mind, compare to having a wonder around an actual market (especially Borough market which may just be one of my favourite places in London) but sometimes when that isn't possible online browsing can be the next best thing.

A great site I came across recently is Goodness Direct. The site has all sorts of information, an interesting blog (which recently featured a post about ethical food) and a number of different food categories such as fairtrade and raw foods and they only use biodegradable and/or recyclable packaging.

In other foodie news, it is currently Organic Fortnight so visit the Soil Association's website, http://www.soilassociation.org/ for some more information about the campaign to promote awareness about organic products.

Organic debate (en)rages....

There has been a great deal of coverage in the media this week regarding the FSA’s recently published ‘Organic nutrient content review’. The Review concludes that there is no significant nutritional difference between organic and conventionally produced food and that there is no evidence to suggest eating organic food has any additional health benefits.

As someone who has always favoured organic food (if not always able to buy it due to budget constraints) I was quite interested to read the subsequent articles and comments which have followed the release of these findings. Interestingly, the study doesn’t take into account the effects of fertiliser and pesticide traces in food. This to me, kind of makes the whole report a bit of a cop-out really. Personally, I try to buy organic for environmental reasons rather than nutritional ones (after all, if I was so concerned about nutrition, I wouldn’t consume vast amounts of Wotsits on a shamefully regular basis). However, surely any study on how nutritious organic food is in comparison to ‘regular’ food should take into account chemicals found on and hormones found in conventionally produced food? Although my motivation is environmental, I do still like the idea that I am not ingesting potentially harmful chemicals when chomping on an organic apple….for example.

This is also, to keep things in perspective, one study among many others which have different conclusions. It is very difficult for us (and by us I mean those not in a position to test the nutritional content of our food which I feel fairly safe to assume is quite a large group) to know which study to believe and how accurate the information that filters down to us really is. One thing which really interests me is the level of hostility which some seem to feel towards those who buy organic food calling them ‘smug’ ‘rich’ ‘stupid’ and my favourite ‘middle class trendies in the west with more money than sense’. I wish I had more money than sense! Why such anger and contempt? The Soil Association suggests a number of benefits to ‘going organic’. Nutritional arguments aside, these include that organic farmers use natural methods to feed soil and limit pests rather than harmful chemicals such as nitrogen fertiliser which contributes towards greenhouse gas emissions. Organic food avoids pesticides and I don’t know about you but I would like to consume as little of those as possible. Animal welfare is also an important part of organic farming. Organic animal rearing standards prohibit cruelty and guarantee free-range conditions. And, according to the Soil Association’s website, “The UK Government’s own advisors found that plant, insect and bird life is up to 50% greater on organic farms”. Now to me all these things sounds like something I’d like to encourage as much as I can.

If I had the money, I would only buy organic produce. I don’t do it to be smug or to assuage my conscience. It’s because all of the above sounds good to me. So I don’t really understand the anger. I think discourse on the issue is important and the more information available the better. I personally would like to know whether the higher price charged for organic goods is actually justified or if part of it is cynical retailers knowing they can make money from us smug, middle class trendies…..so perhaps we can move forward this debate with a little less name-calling and a little more thought regarding what kind of farming practices we’d like to support and the best way to go about this….