Tips for a safe and brilliant barbecue

I remember when I was learning about food safety early in my career being taught there were peaks in food poisoning incidents which correlated with barbecue season and Christmas.  If you think about it, some of the reasons are the same.  We are sadly a nation of people who don't cook as much as we used to and let's face it, the person manning the barbecue is not always the most experienced chef.

That said, some of the advice on cooking safely on barbecues does take the joy out of them (I'm not going to suggest cooking all the food in an oven first, I'm going to assume some common sense!)

Social Media Detox

Social media.  Love it or loathe it, it's become a huge part of our lives, some would say too big a part.  So how does it feel to wind back the clock and be without it for a while?  Believe it or not, Facebook is only 13 years old and Twitter only 11.  How quickly these things have become something which seemed essential yet, to my 21 year old self would never have occurred to me as necessary.

Food Myths

A quiet Easter weekend got me thinking about some food myths which seem to persist however many times they are debunked.  I've discussed some here but please add your own or comment and take part in the debate!

"Lack of exercise kills as many as smoking"

This was a quote someone said to me recently when she was talking about a mutual friend she'd been trying to encourage to exercise.

It's a shocking statement.  We all know that smoking kills you and while, hey, we all have to die of something, smoking kills you earlier than you would have died from perhaps something completely unrelated.

What I love about London

Last week a man took a car in a part of London I know well and drove it into the crowds.  He then stabbed a police officer to death.  This was near where I'd been only days before along with the millions of other people who pass through Westminster every day.

If this is all you read it may make you fearful or lacking in hope.  For me, it didn't.  Last week was a fantastic example of the spirit of London and of British people.  It took me years to "get" London.  When you only travel at rush hour, it can feel cold and unfriendly.  It's not all that surprising because if you have your body pressed up against strangers for an hour, it's not the most pleasant feeling.  It would be wrong though to see London and Londoners as unfriendly, it's not true.

Spring Forward

The clocks go forward this weekend.  I mentioned this to a member of staff in my local supermarket called Anne.  She had said to me.

"Oh it's getting dark already!"
"Yes but next week the evenings will be much lighter, isn't that great?"
"Oh the clocks going forward?  So we lose an hour.  I hate that"

10 a day. What have I learned?

First of all, I've learned never to do another stupid challenge like this!  Seriously.  Anyway, I put my body through this so you can see what it's like kind readers!

Day 10 of 10 a day

The last day of this ridiculous challenge!

I'm joking but of course this has been a challenging thing.  Eating 10 different fruits and vegetables a day for 10 days in the quantities recommended by "official guidance" has been a challenge for my body, my mind and my wallet.  So I would be lying if I said I wasn't happy to be on the last day.

Day 9 of 10 a day

On the home stretch and today I feel fantastic.  It's like I've gone through the lull and come out of the other side.  I woke up at half past 5 with a smile on my face.

Day 8 of 10 a day

Day 5 of 10 a day

Yesterday was tougher than I expected and part of the reason was starting the day with only one portion at breakfast rather than two.  The key to getting 10 portions in a day is definitely to have no fewer than 2 with every meal, 3 is even better.

Day 4 of 10 a day

Day 4 of eating 10 a day.  I can't believe it's already day 4.  It's been a challenge so far.

Day 3 of 10 a day

Three days in and the 10 a day is still not easy but becoming routine.

Day 2 of 10 a day

I started the day with one of my breakfast bowls.

This is a great way to get more fruit into your breakfast and you can easily fit in two portions, even three if you're really hungry.

Day 1 of 10 a day

Wow, what a day to chose to start this challenge; a day when I was eating away from home for two meals.  I do like to make life hard!

10 days of 10 a day

A while back I gave myself a challenge to eat 7 portions of fruit and vegetables a day for 7 days.  A recent review of research by Imperial College however, has now suggested increasing this to 10 portions is where we need to be.

Now this is a challenge when you consider that even the most positive survey (which I doubt) proudly proclaims "A third of us are eating at least 5 a day!"  Which also means two thirds, i.e. the vast majority in the UK are not.  I also have the sneaking suspicion the Daily Mail only published that article because we were better than the German's at something.  #Justsayin'

So my plan is to eat 10.  Yep, 10 portions a day.  Twice the amount the NHS recommend currently.  There is a quote I love from Michael Pollan, he's not a dietitian but a journalist, his quote sums up what these next few days will be all about.

So the challenge is, can I do it?  For 10 days can I eat 10 portions of fruits and vegetables?

So you think you can't afford to exercise?

I used to say this to myself when I was younger that "exercise is expensive" and something I couldn't afford.

This is one of many excuses people give for not exercising and it's a really bad one.  Here are 14 top tips to keep down the cost of exercise.

20 Ways to save money on food

Christmas is nearly here and before the credit card statements come through, I wanted to share some frugal tips which don't feel all that frugal and may be worth keeping in mind over the holidays.

Make the most of your leftovers!

Poultry like chicken or turkey are brilliant to use up as leftovers.  I always make stock from the carcass and often make a pie in the days to come out of the leftover gravy, stock, meat and some vegetables.  It's also fantastic in curries.  Another top tip is to freeze the cooked meat in gravy or thickened stock to make a pie later on.

Stopping to rest before Christmas

I've had an imposed time of rest and reflection over the past few days.  After working too hard, sleeping too little and having a few issues at home, I eventually fell ill.  What at first seemed like a sudden and severe cold, led me to the out of hours GP seriously unwell.  Before I get jokes, no it wasn't Tinsel-itis.  Groan.

When the GP handed me my prescription and told me to "rest and stay indoors." I admit there was part of me that thought  "Ok, well maybe a little bit of rest..." but soon realised I had no choice I was in so much pain and exhaustion.

Great ideas for Seafood Week 7-14th Oct

It's seafood week this week and it's a great opportunity to try something a bit different.

There are some special offers and events going on around the country, take a look at the Seafood Week website to find out more.

In the meantime, here are a few great recipes to get you going.