Wild, free..... and tasty

It's rare to find anything for free these days, but right now all over Ireland, swathes of wild garlic are growing wild underneath hedges, in woodland and possibly right under your nose.

From April to June this tasty plant is plentiful in this upland area of Wicklow. Once I climb over a five bar gate it's free for the picking... after I shoo aside my neighbour Michael's sheep who are possibly more competitive about food than me.

Wild garlic grows from April through to June and you'll often find it in damp, woody and often neglected areas where animals aren't grazed. Most farmers consider it a weed, particularly as each year it seems to spread further along the banks of the Dargle river and throughout the hedgerows dotted along the Dublin and Wicklow mountain.
I simply head out with a bucket, gather a bundle - long green stems and pretty white flowers and incorporate it into any recipes I can. It adds a zing of Spring flavour to salads, chopped into omelettes and makes a great pesto. That's the joy of seasonal food - you only have it for a while so it's nice to make the most of it, and when the season ends, move on to something else.



Last year my husband took to making pesto in a big way. I was delighted - after all, what a fabulous way to monetize the local environment, and him. Over last Winter we overdosed on pesto so we're doing less of it this year, and using the wild garlic in other ways.

Soups are a simple and comforting way of eating more vegetables, use up food and experiment with new flavours.


The carrot and coconut soup pictured above is a perfect candidate for wild garlic - I chop the leaves into the carrots while cooking, then add a final sprinkle of flowers when it's served. It's also an easy and versatile soup without any garlic. More importantly - it's really simple, and one of my regular family dishes for the "30 minutes before all hell breaks loose" slot to rustle up dinner.

Carrot, coconut and curry soup

8 carrots
500ml vegetable stock or stock cube
1 tin coconut milk
1 and a half teaspoon curry powder

Peel and chop the carrots, place into a large pot with the stock or stock cubes. Bring to the boil then simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the curry powder and more water as required. When the carrots have softened blitz the mixture and add in the tin of coconut milk. Blitz again, set back on a low heat and add more curry powder to taste.
That's it. Told you it was simple.

It serves four people and the curry powder gives it a lovely deep flavour for a single vegetable soup.

If you're thinking of foraging for wild garlic, anywhere near damp land or river banks is a good place to start. Avoid picking plants near run-off from farms. In woodland you'll find some of the best wild garlic, anywhere you see bluebells you'll probably also spot its pretty white blossom, so grab a bundle and bring it home.

And here's some of Michael's sheep thinking my white colander was a feed bucket.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twUPGhmPiYE&feature=autoplay&list=HL1337292325&playnext=1

Is your belly fit for a lodger?

We think about pregnancy as a time when we particularly watch what we eat - making sure our diets are rich in high quality protein and a variety of fruit and vegetables to build a strong healthy baby. We take folic acid to protect against spina bifida, iron to build the blood cells needed for a second blood supply and alcohol (and for some hardy sorts - tea and coffee) go out the window. But pregnancy affects your diet in more long term and sometimes bizarre ways.

After having two babies I still can't eat anything worthwhile in the morning. I'll make a slice of toast, stare at it for a while and then give it to the dog. Other foods like celery send me into a seasick whirl, despite having an iron stomach that survived months in India without a single gastric disaster.

I'm not alone in being left with a food hangover after pregnancy, but what's more common is for new mums to get hung up on every detail of what goes into their mouths and beat themselves up about not doing the right thing.

"Should I eat bagged salad?
"Is Brie going to kill the baby?"
"Am I eating too much?"

"Am I eating too little?"


Super thin celebrities walking around with wheatgerm shots and tiny bumps is not helping the diet-anxiety scenario. The funny thing is, most pregnancies will progress well on an "ordinary" diet and eating more is normal - 77,000 extra calories are needed to bring a baby to full term. Most women's non-celebrity diets will take them through a pregnancy fairly well - remember - getting pregnant in the first place is a pretty good indicator that your body is fit to carry a baby.

What we often don't realise, is that much "unexplained infertility" which accounts for about 30% of couples who have difficult conceiving, is in fact to do with diet and lifestyle. In a recent landmark study by Surrey University, 80% of couples who were struggling with conception ended up conceiving after following the University's programme of simple changes to their diet and lifestyle.

What's hugely exciting about this is that couples with difficulties may not need to go down the expensive IVF route if they improve their chances of having a baby so phenomenally by just diet alone. Female eggs and also sperm grow for about 90 days before they're at the stage to become candidates for conception. This proves how much what we eat has a bearing on whether conception is going to happen or not.

I wrote about this for my Shelf Life piece in this week's Irish Times Health. You can read the full piece at the link below, and remember enjoying food and enjoying yourself are also one sure fire way to get pregnant, and a sun holiday. Apparently that's the real place where the magic happens x

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/health/2012/0515/1224316125534.html

Feeling unwell? Have some chicken soup - Jewish medicinal cooking at its best

The runny nose, the headaches, the shivers, the huge bill for useless products at the pharmacy... Manflu - we all get it from time to time. Despite not actually being a man I've suffered from three bouts of manflu this year and I've found many people reporting the same. Colds, coughs and flus seem to be increasing in number and severity.

What's the reason? It could be many things - an increase in warm, damp weather or higher levels of virus mutation and activity. What's not helping is the rise in antibiotic resistance of many bacterial infections.

There are moves in the EU to reduce antibiotics fed to animals which can only help the problem of bacterial infections and viruses in public health. What was thought to be good farming practice is increasingly viewed as something that has created giant health problems - generations of factory farmed animals have had antibiotics routinely included in their diets. This promotes organisms in their systems to become resistant to antibiotic treatment. And once those organisms spread from the animal population into the human population they can do real damage, such as the prevalence of MRSA in hospitals.

MRSA has been found on packaged meat in Europe. Other antibiotic resistant organisms that are now present in human health have been found to have originated in poultry populations in Holland and in pig farming in the US.

The FDA in the United States which is one of the world's slowest moving food bodies, is finally also examining antibiotics in the food chain. Farm and food groups are lobbying the FDA for change. It's greatly needed and consumer pressure can have huge influence so don't underestimate the power you hold in helping your own future health.

In terms of the common cold there are over 200 viruses around us that are actively causing colds and flus at the moment. And if you're anywhere near small children, you'll get all 200 of them, in the one year. Or so it seems in our house.

When I examined foods that might help stave away colds, I found good evidence of some that actually do work. Others, like vitamin C, have a reputation for curing or preventing colds that simply doesn't stand up. Particularly if you're spending money on vitamin C supplements, think again - the research sadly proves that it doesn't do much good for colds.

In Shelf Life in today's Irish Times I give a run down of the best food bets for beating colds and give ideas for rustling up some traditional chicken soup. It really does work, the ancient Greeks and Jewish medicinal cooks were on the money! Check it out and take hope - feeding yourself properly will boost your immune system and it's pretty easy to do. Nothing complicated, just simple sense x

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/health/2012/0501/1224315399589.html

Tesco suspends contract with UK farm after animal cruelty allegations

UK supermarkets including Tesco have just announced that they are suspending pork supplies from a pig farm involved in cruelty allegations. For the second time in recent months, undercover footage has emerged from the lobbying group Animal Equality appearing to show pigs being beaten and inhumanely killed.

Tesco has suspended its contract with the pork supplier saying that they expect "extremely high standards" for animal welfare and are urgently investigating what went wrong at the farm, which was also approved under the RSPCA's "Freedom Food" higher welfare standard. The Co-Operative Group has also asked its own label suppliers not to source from the East Anglian Pig company which is at the centre of the allegations.

For consumers, viewing images like the photos and video which have emerged from the Norfolk farms would put you off your breakfast sausages in a jiffy. I've filmed and interviewed farmers on pig farms in Ireland, and in the supersized version - pig units in Holland. This is the intensive end of the pig farming world - pigs are housed indoors in large numbers and like it or not, it's where most of our rashers, sausages, pork loin etc come from.

In both the UK and Ireland they are regulated under EU food and farming regulations which have codes of practice and welfare conditions to be met in terms of the pigs having space to move, correct ventilation, feed and veterinary care. And at the end of the pigs growing period, they are to be sent to abbatoirs with veterinary inspectors present to be humanely killed for the food chain.

Unfortunately this system does sometimes go wrong.


In England the RSPCA has released a statement saying it has visited the farm and has concerns about the handling of the sows, younger pigs and the way animals seemed to be inhumanely killed. It's the second time in recent months that pig farms, (both in Norfolk) have been found to be breaching guidelines. After the first Norfolk footage emerged, the farmer was found dead three days later. This terrible outcome followed an interview he gave saying he was unbelievably distressed that the animals he farmed were so badly treated by the workers he employed on his farm.

I feel that in Ireland that pig farmers are closer to what is going on on their farms, livestock handlers are more connected to what they are doing, and also to food and animal welfare standards. In Ireland, Bord Bia "Quality Assured" pork means farms have a extra layer of standards above the EU regulations for regular pig farms. They are inspected, audited continously and there is a high degree of traceability in the chain. In terms of pork you buy in the supermarket, "Quality Assured" label on packaging as it means the pig meat was farmed in Ireland under a highly regulated system. 

What happened in the UK should not be happening on pig farms anywhere in Europe, including Ireland. I read a lot about food and farming systems in the United States and one thing we have in bucketloads in this part of the world is regulation on how our food is produced, including the welfare of the livestock we eat. The good aspect of this story is that the supermarkets were very quick to react to consumer fears, and the off-putting idea that animals are suffering for your plate.

If you want to pay extra for animal welfare to the extent that it influences your shopping you can always buy free range pork from the many Irish farms now selling it. Pigs on these farms roam in the open and have a more natural "herd" structure. If you can't make that price point  - free range is going to be more expensive, look for Irish pig meat, Bord Bia approved or from small producer groups like Trully Irish.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Farting and Probiotic yoghurts - do they work?

Bulgar wheat, spinach, feta... all are pretty much superfoods for your gut. Yes it's a word that makes us wince sometimes so I'll say it again - gut, intestine, bowel...  that 26 foot tube that processes our food is more important than we think. Despite choosing foods with our eyes and on the basis of what looks attractive, our poor guts is where that food ends up, with mixed results. 

I looked at this topic earlier in the week for my series in The Irish Times on foods to improve particular aspects of your health. Again, magnesium came up as something we often don't eat enough of. Not only does it play a central role in the bowel - (it is the key ingredient in most over the counter laxatives as it draws water into the intestines to move contents along). Keeping things moving along prevents bloating and helps the absorption of what we eat into use for essential functions. 

Next time you're in the supermarket throw some packets of almonds and cashew nuts into your trolley as they are high in magnesium. If you fancy something with high levels of  magnesium, potassium and essential B vitamins, reach for an avocado. Yes avocados have lots of calories but they're great calories, as opposed to empty ones. 

Check out the full piece at the link below. I have plenty of tips on foods that are the real deal for your insides and if you've issues with wind, gas... farting - (let's call a spade a spade) - or a loved one has (our Labrador), have a look. I also have an explanation of the FODMAP diet which is proving successful at tacking IBS and some info on probiotic yoghurts - they may be an expensive, and useless addition in your shopping trolley.   

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/health/2012/0417/1224314808802.html

Eggs au Urine

While most of us who love cooking are very fond of eggs, would you eat one that's been urinated on? Well in the Chinese city of Dongyang, this time of year is the special season for - eggs soaked in urine. Though quite possibly nauseating, the urine soaked eggs are a delicacy believed to have health benefits. In fact, at this time of year, locals with buckets come out in force - collecting boys' urine from the toilets of local primary schools. For the urine must be from boys under ten known in Dongyang as "virgin boys".

The eggs are then boiled in pots of the urine which are said to emit an unmistakable scent to those who pass the many street vendors selling it.

"If you eat this, you will not get heat stroke. These eggs cooked in urine are fragrant... and good for your health. Our family has them for every meal." So said Ge Yaohua, who runs one of the most popular "virgin boy egg" stalls to a Reuters reporter.

Apparently the eggs take a day to cook, first in their shells and then without them - simmering away in the urine for hours. Then they are sold at about twice the price of normal eggs.

While I love food traditions, the food safety issues of this particular one are legion. And don't even get me started on the taste. All that ammonia? But what's interests me most about this food combination is who in God's name came up with this idea? Coq au Vin is one thing but Eggs au Urine?

Maybe it's a question not worth asking... As always, Happy Eating x

The pizza that's saltier than seawater

Did you eat pizza lately? If you did, you're one of the 40% of us who eat one of Ireland's most popular foods every week. And if you live in London, you could be eating a pizza that's saltier than seawater. Yes sireee. Health authorities in the UK released an analysis of a pizza from the Adam and Eve restaurant in Mill Hill London which contained 10.57 grams of salt. At 2.73 grams of salt per 100, it means the pizza is saltier than Atlantic seawater.

Other pizzas analysed also showed high levels of salt and fat, some of which would give Elvis Presley's deep-fried peanut butter sandwich a run for it's money.

The trouble is, I really like pizza. Restaurant pizza, take-away pizza, home made pizza. There are many pizzas which are very healthy and clearly others which are not. Mostly these days I make my own, and hopefully by doing so I can control most of what goes into it. With fresh meats from my butcher and local cheeses it also tastes pretty good.

The problem with most mass-produced pizza is that it's full of salt. Salt is a major issue in terms of what we eat in Ireland as one third of us will die of heart-related illnesses. Eating foods with high levels of salt ramps up blood pressure, as your body has to hold on to much more water to get rid of it. And even if we don't add salt to our cooking or at the table, plenty of foods have hidden salt which we're totally unaware of.

Earlier this week I wrote a piece in the Irish Independent about the big offenders in the hidden salt category - even soups which we may think of as healthy often have large amounts of salt. Check it out for tips on what to avoid, and some tactics to beat the food manufacturers at their own game.

http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/independent-woman/health-fitness/too-much-salt-can-leave-more-than-just-a-bad-taste-3072076.html

Eating - it's all emotional. No Seriously...

Feeling low.... fumble for the chocolate at the back of the cupboard? Missed your train, give yourself a boost with a milky latte? We all have certain foods we reach for when our plans, or our emotions hit the floor. Up to recently this was viewed as something that was our own fault - a behaviour rather then a pattern we couldn't account for.

But new research suggests that the Gut-Brain Axis - the relationship between our brains and what we eat is much more complex than this. For example 50% of Irish people who suffer Irritable Bowel Syndrome also have depression. Did their feelings of "lowness" bring on problems in their gut or vice versa?

The link between mood, depression and diabetes is also becoming clearer with a huge rate of those diagnosed with both type 1 and type 2 depression in Ireland also taking medication for depression.

We also now know that a nerve called the GABA nerve is very active is in how our neurotrainsmitters work and what feelings and emotions the brain produces. It's also heavily influenced by certain foods, and the messages these foods upload in terms of our emotional state.

One sure thing most of us reach for when feeling low is sugary snacks or refined carbohydrates - that tub of Ben and Jerry's or the white baguette sandwich smeared with mayonnaise. Eating refined carbohydrates boosts insulin and provides a clearer path for tryptophan - the amino acid linked to serotonin production, to act in the brain. No surprise then that sugar gives us an instant "high"- but we now know that this spike of wellbeing is physiological rather than emotional. It's just a pity that half an hour later you crash back down to earth.

I wrote about this cycle today in The Irish Times, and talked about some foods to throw in your trolley to break the flip-flop cycle of eating for your mood. It's a fascinating area as most of us forget that our brain needs fuel and fail to see there are simple foods we are neglecting and thus prolonging our pattern of sugar high and sugar crash eating. Check it out at the link below, and my personal tip - unsalted peanuts... great brain fuel and they taste pretty good.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/health/2012/0403/1224314289134.html

Feed your tourists well, they have feelings too

Rome is a magical city and as food goes, it has some of the best in the world. After spending a few days there last week, I pretty much ate my way through the city, with the highlights being polpo con salsa (pictured left),
Saltinbocca (veal and bacon) and swordfish carpaccio which are Roman specialities.

Like most heavily-touristed cities, most of the food around the busy areas like Piazza Navona, the Spanish Steps etc is pretty rubbish. A lot of the dishes are microwaved or re-heated from earlier servings. One reason for this is that restaurants pay extortionate rents to be in tourist areas. So to make it work financially, they serve the cheapest ingredients possible with plenty of cut price techniques. Staff are usually unskilled and you wouldn't want to look too closely at their kitchens.

Roman restaurant law is also pretty hard on businesses. You have to

pay two months wages in June and December, and another months worth into social security. At the fabulous Fortunata de Pantheon (pictured right and below) the owner explained how rents were killing Roman food and that it was hard to find good value in the city that wasn't "caca". Fortunata is one of Rome's best loved restaurants, and it's walls are adorned with photos of it's favorite customers - Helmut Kohl, Ronald Reagan et al.. He also made the point that only massive ,attention to detail kept their business as popular as it is, despite opening its doors decades ago. When the family opened five franchises around the city they eventually sold them off, as it became clear that they couldn't deliver the same level of quality served in their main restaurant. As the food wasn't the best it could be, they didn't want their name over the door, so they got out. Take heed Gordon Ramsay et al... getting bigger is often the kiss of death in the restaurant business.

One lovely thing about Rome is the value for money in food. At Fortunata de Pantheon most of the mains were between 10 and 20 euro, and the food was breathtaking; everything had huge flavour and the ingredients just screamed freshness and quality, from the ricotta stuffed zuchini flowers to clams that tasted of the sea in the spaghetti vongole. Ristorante di Tirambo on Piazza della Cancelleria was another great recommendation. I had a tartare of Piedmontese beef with black truffle and sheeps cheese. A carpaccio of vegetables with shrimp was also beautifully balanced, very simple but super tasting. Again this was a great value place with food which you simply don't get the chance to taste in Ireland. It's also gorgeous to sit outdoors in the fading evening sun and to be in a city that is one of the most beautiful in the world.

Everyone should go to Rome at some stage in their life, and if you haven't been, it's a fantastic destination for those who like their grub. But stay away from eating on the main tourist squares and anywhere with a waiter wandering outside trying to get you in the door. You'll leave significantly lighter in pocket and could have an eventful holiday spent largely in the confines of your bathroom.

And it's a trend seen in most cities. Food designed for tourists is often pretty awful, you only have to think of Temple Bar to see this is also the case in Ireland. With a few exceptions, we tend to think that tourists don't notice bad food, but it's a costly mistake. Tourists who eat well are more likely to remember their trip fondly and recommend the destination, and the restaurant to others. So the lesson is, feed your tourists well, after all, they have feelings too.

Karma coma, in the supermarket aisle

Ah, the supermarket. It's part of our lives whether we like it or not. Personally supermarket aisles throw me into a kind of panic. It's either that or I fall into a coma looking at the tens of thousands of products and sixty or more aisles of stuff I mainly don't need in my life.

To make it all a little easier I did a radio piece on 2FM explaining how to avoid the supermarket pitfalls like going in to buy a week's worth of healthy produce and leaving with some Bombay mix, a pizza and a bottle of coke (I've been this soldier). I also talk about stuff to add to your trolley that can help your heart - I reckon there's enough advice out there telling people what not to eat and it's easy to throw some things in your trolley that are tasty and are proven to benefit high blood pressure or heart health.

I also suggest we should all be a bit easier on ourselves. Cookery programmes are great but they often give us unrealistic ideas about what we should be preparing every evening. My view is keep it simple with really great stuff like scrambled eggs on toast or a great salad I made the other day with sardines, tomatoes and butter beans, with crusty bread.

The podcast of the programme is below at the fourth link down. I hope it gives out some positive ideas about easy foods to choose and avoid the trap doors of the grocery shop. Happy eating x

http://www.rte.ie/radio1/podcast/podcast_colmhayesshow.xml

Would you pay more for non Genetically Modified food?

In the UK, Morrisons, the large supermarket chain has dropped its requirement for poultry suppliers to feed non GM food to their chickens. They say it's a cost issue for producers, and here in Ireland it's certainly the same.

So we as consumers want to pay less for our chicken fillets, we have to accept that poultry here is fed with genetically modified food. In fact feeding chickens, pigs or cattle non-genetically modified feed is significantly more expensive than the more commonly and cheaply available GM feeds. So do we care as consumers?

Apparently not. Most of the animal beef, chicken and pigmeat we eat in Ireland is fed with GM rations. The only way to absolutely assure that you're not eating animal products fed on GM food is to buy organic. And that obviously has an expense premium attached.

The Morrisons announcement comes just as the debate on Teagasc's plans to grow GM potatoes at its Carlow research centre is hotting up. If you want to know more about the issue check out my interview on Today with Pat Kenny at the link below. GM is a complicated, emotive topic. This radio piece focusses primarily on Teagasc's plans and gives an overview of the issue. You could do hundreds of hours of broadcasting on GM and still not come to agreement between those who support the technology (Teagasc) and those who hate it (GM-Free Ireland) and other groups.

It's very much the case that GM has a sorry history in the US and needs to be hugely regulated and watched as a developing technology. Does it have a place in food? You have to make up your own mind.

http://www.rte.ie/radio/radioplayer/rteradioweb.html#!rii=9%3A3228018%3A133%3A14%2D03%2D2012%3A

Yes, you can self medicate with food. Things to throw in your trolley...

What's a legume? Well essentially its a bean - a kidney bean, chick pea, butter bean, runner bean... you name it. Legumes take central stage in a piece of mine in the Irish Times today. It's the start of a series on how what you put in your trolley can improve common illnesses we all suffer from.

Instead of telling people what Not to eat, my approach here is to give them solutions. So if you've high blood pressure, eating legumes helps rid the body of excess water, which if retained can raise blood pressure. Beans such as lentils and white beans also contain high levels of potassium which helps rid the body of excess salt.

There's all sorts of things you can include in your diet to address many different health issues. The series will also cover mental health, fatigue, fertility and lots of other annoying conditions that appear in our lives on an ongoing basis. What I'm saying is - before getting a prescription as long as your arm for simple common conditions, (like migraine, or continual tiredness) try looking at your diet. Though perpetual tiredness... with a toddler and a young baby on the go I'll put my hand up to this. Though 70% cocoa chocolate helps, a lot. x

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/health/2012/0320/1224313565296.html

Horses: addictive, expensive... may lead to impaired mental health

This time of year I'm particularly vulnerable to damaging, self destructive behaviour as today sees the start of the Cheltenham festival, which to horse folk is sort of like Christmas.

Besides good food, horses are one of my more ridiculous, hard to kick habits. After a few years on the sidelines with small children I've jumped back in head first, and with Cheltenham starting tomorrow, it feels like party time, particularly as I'll be

flying to the Caymans with my winnings by Friday. For those of you who ask "What the what is Cheltenham?" - it's an English race meeting in Gloucester where the best of national hunt horses (horses that run over fences and hurdles) in England, Ireland and France compete for the largest and final accolades of the season.

If you've been to Cheltenham you'll know it's an insane mix of Royalty, travellers, trilbys and high emotions. In 2007 I stood in the winners enclosure beside Princess Anne in a mass of bodies and high decibel cheering as Micheal O'Leary draped a tri-colour over a sweaty and steaming War of Attrition who had just won the Gold Cup. Later that day, Kate Middleton (then the world's best known civilian) tapped my husband on the shoulder with her race card in the weigh room and asked him for tips. He took one look at her mink hat and said "I'd imagine you've

better information then me love" and walked off, not knowing who she was until she appeared on the front of The Telegraph the next day. It's that kind of place.

You laugh, you cry (seriously) you feel knackered as hell after four days there but it's a life experience everyone Irish or who loves horses needs to experience at some point.

Last Sunday night I won four tickets to Cheltenham at a pre-racing event and gave them to a friend to go as he'd never been. I think the karma is coming back in a strange way as I just found out the horse I'm riding at the moment was

3rd to Sizing Europe (pictured right) and Big Zeb who are two of the favourites at this year's festival. Let's just say after 30 odd years riding I finally know the definition of "travelling". So goodwill brings its own rewards (are you listening Paddy Power?)

I did a piece on Saturday on our Irish lady riders competing at the festival if you want to check it out below. They are all fabulous women (pictured in the group shot above) and hard as nails. Both Katie Walsh and Katie Harrington were also accomplished event riders before riding in bumpers and then over fences. Lovely to see the girls competing on an equal footing in the sport and best of luck to all the Irish runners and riders this week. If you feel like a flutter, scan the papers and put on a few quid in the local bookies. The twitter feed for the meeting with all gossip and reaction is at #cheltenham and my highs and lows (will try to control the emotions) evident @campbellsuz

The Irish Times

10th March 2012

Suzanne Campbell

Never before has there been so much competition in the weighroom, only this time it’s female. Irish lady jockeys are increasingly taking home the silverware in National Hunt Racing, with two of our best known - Nina Carberry and Katie Walsh competing for wins at the Cheltenham festival next week. These two riders have altered the perception of women in the sport from being “female riders” to simply top jockeys in their own right. Last year Nina Carberry won the Irish Grand National becoming only the second woman rider to win the race. Katie Walsh, sister of jockey Ruby Walsh and daughter of the commentator Ted has also proved a leading rider over fences. She finished the 2011 Cheltenham festival with two winners, one of them fought out against the mount of Nina Carberry who is also Katie’s sister in law. These two riders, alongside Kate Harrington, Liz Lalor and Jane Mangan have been chosen by racing journalists as the Ladbrokes Grand National “Leading Ladies of Racing”. Kate Harrington is an accomplished three day event rider, and like Liz Lalor and Jane Mangan, has also had wins on the track. Expect more top prizes going into the hands of these jockeys, and some tight Cheltenham finishes fought out by our leading lady riders.

Let them eat caviar

Yes we're in a recession, so how about some caviar? Last week Mag Kirwan from Goatsbridge farm launched her new baby on the marketplace; a trout caviar. Having had a sneak taste at her farm a few weeks ago, I have to admit it's pretty damn good. A lot of people blanche at the thought of fish eggs rolling around their mouth, but generally if you like seafood or shellfish, it's just more of the above, only better.

Mag and her husband Ger farm trout in Thomastown in County Kilkenny. After selling trout roe to Polish and Eastern European customers, they figured trout eggs were an obvious but unexploited business opportunity. So they developed a caviar, with eggs harvested from their live two-year old mature female trout. These are really lovely fish. They dive about in their freshwater ponds looking the picture of health, and more importantly, they taste fantastic.

No surprise that the caviar is also pretty good - I ate it on a water cracker with no accompaniment. It has a subtle rather than strong fishy flavour, with a light saltiness and whisper of the sea.

Regular caviar comes from the sturgeon which is a fish that lives in various parts of the world but caviar by and large is harvested from black sea sturgeon. It's so expensive because sturgeons take decades to mature and are relatively scarce. Caviar from other fish have to have the prefix "trout" etc to distinguish it from it's crazy expensive cousin (the big lad pictured below).

If you fancy tasting Mag's trout caviar you'll soon see it on high end restaurant menus across Ireland and in speciality food stores. It's a great product and judging by the early feedback it's sure to be a huge success. If you're interested in hearing more on trout, my report on Goatsbridge farm (before the trout launch) and women in rural food businesses can be heard at the link below. http://www.rte.ie/radio1/countrywide/18022012.html

GM or not to GM. That's the question, bet I know the answer

There's a rift appearing in the Irish agri-food sector which could affect what has for so long now been a good news story. Last week Teagasc announced that they've applied for a license to sow genetically modified potatoes at their research centre in Carlow.

Irish groups opposing GM claim this threatens our export food market in a climate when agriculture is one of the top performing sectors of the economy. Surveys do suggest that consumers don't want to eat GM food, and that the perception of Ireland as a "clean, green nation" is key to the success of our exports in countries like Italy and Germany.

It also comes at a time where in the US, farmers who choose not to grow GM are currently taking a class action against Monsanto - they fear that when Monsanto's GM seeds contaminate their own crops, Monsanto will claim ownership and charge them licence fees on what were originally sown as non GM foods.

But Teagasc and agri-food experts like Dr. Paddy Wall say the fear of GM is nonsense and it's the only way to tackle world hunger, and a mistake for Ireland to not embrace it. They also feel not allowing GM animal feed into Ireland has made our pig and poultry sectors completely uncompetitive. There argument is - if consumers want Irish food at a fair price, eventually we will have to accept genetically modified crops as part of that picture and that arguing against it will damage Ireland in the long term.

Let's also remember that the Teagasc research is not to look at the economic viability of blight-resistant GM potatoes here, but to look at their environmental impact in the first instance. I'm doing a radio report on this next week and encourage all who have a vested interest or from a consumer point of view, a preference to GM or non GM food, to get in touch. Let your views be known!

Calories on menus, hate it or love it, let your views be known today

This debate has pulled in lots of new voices, divergent views and strong opinion. Is putting calories on menus a health policy that will cripple an already pressurised restaurant sector? Or a badly needed intervention that has proved to have had some success reducing calorie intake, notably in the US.

Today is the final day to let your views be known on the proposed new legislation. The consultation process is being run by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and has been accepting views from the public and food businesses for a month now. Whatever your feelings, let them be known at www.FSAI.ie.

If you want to learn more about the proposals, and how they could affect you, your health or your business, check out my radio piece with Pat Kenny from last week at the following link. Scroll the player 1hr 36 mins up the timeline; I've tried to include all views and give an overview into what the proposals could mean for all of us

http://www.rte.ie/radio/radioplayer/rteradioweb.html#!rii=9%3A3199527%3A133%3A15%2D02%2D2012%3A

Would you eat meat that was grown in a lab? Even if it solved world hunger?

Winston Churchill - bon vivant and lover of food, drink and the odd giant cigar, once offered a view of the future where meat would be grown not on a farm, but in a lab. Churchill wrote: "We shall escape the absurdity of growing a whole chicken in order to eat the breast or wing, by growing these parts separately under a suitable medium.''

While it sounds very Orwellian and proves that Churchill wasn't just handy at moving model armies around a giant map table - now, eighty years after his pronouncement, Churchill's predictions are coming to pass. Scientists are close to producing the world's first commercial meat grown in a lab. Mark Post of Maastricht University, one of the premier scientists in this field, claims he will produce the first "cultured meat" burger by the end of the year.The question is, would you eat it?

Most initial reaction will no doubt go along the lines of "Hell No!!!"

After all, lab grown meat is grown from stem cell technology, a science that makes a lot of people squirm as in the first place, let alone, suggest they eat the results. In order to grow "cultured" meat, stem cells are taken from pig or poultry muscle and then cultured with added nutrients to form a film of animal flesh. Think - chicken fillet, only thinner.

If you're at this point pretty repulsed by the idea, think of the following reasons for why lab-grown meat could be better for animals and also, better for people.

Growing meat, whether in factory farms or out in fields, is one of the major contributors to global environmental degradation, especially de-forestation and global warming. It uses up water resources and has contributed to huge loss of biodiversity. Currently our appetite for meat has meant that almost one-third of global land use is used for growing either meat, or cereals to feed meat animals - including cattle, pigs and poultry. You could argue (and plenty do) that our lust for meat, and the growing "middle class" appetite for meat in China and India is killing the planet.

And how does the alternative stand up? - research shows that cultured meat has 80-95% lower greenhouse gas emissions, 99% lower land use and 80-90% lower water use compared to conventionally produced meat in Europe. More importantly, even if the meat produced by factory farms (which certainly in the US and in some cases Europe, have proved to have dubious records for animal welfare) was replaced with cultured meat, it would take the horrors of large scale factory farming out of the food chain. If people don't want to look at video of where their chicken is produced well then they probably would be better off served by something grown in a lab.

But the real issue comes when you look at world hunger. Cereals are grown all over the world not for people to eat, but to go into animal feed. And this is the case even in developing countries where hunger and deprivation are serious issues. Cultured meat, (given that over time it would have to be produced at huge levels) would mean that less cereals leave the food system for animal feed and instead can be given to humans, yes - us, to eat.

So what about it? Would you eat it, even if you knew it was morally and ethically more correct?

What's the most risky food you've ever eaten, go on, spill

Spaghetti with "best-before July 2009" lurking at the back of the cupboard? Cheddar you've scraped the green bit off before toasting on some 2 day old baguette?

We all eat food that is suspect at some point, wondering idly while we chomp down if we'll die in the middle of the night from our righteous attempt at thrift. A Food Safety Authority survey shows that in fact half of us eat foods past their use-by dates. This is despite the fact that use-by dates are worth paying serious attention to... as opposed to best-before dates which are just a general guide.

As the whole best-before, use-by and sell-by date area is clearly a bit of a mindfield, I wrote the following piece for the Irish Independent to give a clearer outline of foods that we can happily eat beyond their best-before dates, and those that might hit you like a punch in the gut, or worse. Have a look, tell me the most risky item you've ever put in your mouth, and let's compare. Mine wins hands down... I promise

Use By Dates: How to find the balance between being safe and wasting food

Irish Independent February 2nd 2009

Most of us have packets of food lurking at the back of the cupboard which are long past their best-before date. But as so many Irish households cut back on their grocery spend, is it a false economy to eat food that is out of date?

A survey by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) showed that nearly half of us eat foodstuffs which have passed their use-by date. The results, from a group of 1,000 questioned by the FSAI and Teagasc, show that consumers rely on their instinct, as opposed to labelling, to judge if something is safe to eat.

The 46pc of Irish consumers who disregard use-by dates said that they were happy to eat food as long as it "looked and smelled okay". The FSAI think the statistic is worrying and shows Irish consumers are still willing to put their health at risk rather than throw something out...

As the article is quite long, check out the rest of it at the following link (no paywall) and let me know your food horror stories. I won't tell a soul.... I promise

http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/smart-consumer/use-by-dates-how-to-find-the-balance-between-being-safe-and-wasting-food-3007649.html

Trouble in land of the spuds

We had a lot of reaction to the discussion on RTE Countrywide Saturday on all things potato. I particularly loved the listener who texted in that Rooster potatoes were "muck" and that anyone knew anything about potatoes wouldn't touch them with a barge pole. What's interesting is that it's a topic that enlivens so many people, but the reality is that the demographic eating potatoes in Ireland is getting older, potato sales are falling, and many farmers are leaving the business. The day of the Countrywide report I heard of a farmer, his wife and three kids who were emigrating to Canada just days later having left the potato business.

We talked about several possible solutions to the problems in this sector. Later this month Bord Bia will have research on consumer attitudes to potatoes which will throw a lot of light on buying patterns and how engagement with this wonderful vegetable can be improved. If you're interested in hearing more, the link to the programme is below, with the potato item (myself and Thomas Carpenter from the IFA discussing the issue) at about half way into the programme. The post previous to this also gives an outline of the problems - yes agriculture is thriving in Ireland, but if we turn a blind eye to the the unfair amount of power supermarkets wield and fail to legislate for primary producers, it's not going to stay that way

http://www.rte.ie/radio1/countrywide/

Can we save our spuds?

The Irish spud is in a bit of a crisis. Sales are declining and Irish farmers say this season they are selling potatoes below the cost of production. Like all commodity producers, potatoes are victims of the marketplace and as Ireland had high yields this year (the crop was very good) there is over supply. Over supply leads to a depressed price, and a very unfortunate situation for farmers who are growing a vegetable that they are ultimately forced to sell at a loss.

Yet many of us still cook potatoes, just less of them. And one of the main reasons in their decline is that we have replaced our staple carbohydrate with newer, glossier contenders - rice, pasta, noodles and even bread. We also import some potatoes, and have turned away from some of the traditional Irish varieties. Tomorrow I'll be on RTE radio discussing this issue and why as consumers are leaving the potato behind.

Or are we? If you're a champion of the potato and use it in inventive and new ways drop me a comment - it's worth keeping in mind that per gram they have still less fat than pasta and rice and are a super-healthy unprocessed food. And also, in the main, Irish. Have a listen to the programme if you're up and about at 8am or catch it on a podcast afterwards from www.rte.ie/radio. And let me know your spud views!