When he was very young my son asked me how the factories made the chicken that we ate, and why did we call it the same as the chickens on Farms. I explained that factories didn't make it, that it was the same thing, that we ate the chickens from the farms. He didn't believe me. It seemed cute at the time. Now I think back on it, he may have had a very good point. These days I think he is right, factories are making chicken for us to eat, and its nothing like the chicken on the Farm.
This week they found that some ready meals contained between 60-100% horsemeat. Traces of horsemeat or horse DNA caused quite a ruffle, but 100% horsemeat!! That's not a slip up, that isnt some machine being slightly wafted over by DNA molecules, that is a deliberate act. And the outcry is less about the horse it seems, but the condition of that horse. What was its life, was it injected with this or that, what state was it in. My view is more why aren't we up in arms that cheap always means crap. One journalist said that maybe we should not be surprised that cheap burgers contained horsemeat or pig meat but instead we should be surprised that it contained any meat at all. I think the thinking is often - if you pay 99p for four burgers what did you expect to be in them?
And this is where I come in really, I am in agreement that dodgy horse meat should not be in the food chain. But neither should dodgy beef or rubbish chicken be fed to people either. And who does it target the most? Those who cannot afford to choose organic happy meat. It targets the old, the poor, the food-on-a-budget people and it targets the got-a-set budget people (like schools and hospitals) Why is it always the case that the families with the most need for good nutrition have to make do with very poor quality ingredients?.
Apparently in order to be called a beefburger the patty needs only to contain 62% beef. Thats a lot of % to fill then, so its filled with cereal and all sorts. And the meat portion can be made up of connective tissue, tongue, heart, feet, tail......... in fact as far as I have discoverd by reading Trading Standards pretty much anything apart from genitals and bums.
So we could all have a part to play in this food shame - we demand cheaper and cheaper and the supermarkets respond by sourcing cheaper and cheaper materials. Its one arguement. But on the other hand, most of the big supermarkets are producing very healthy profits. They are doing OK. So, I am not really going along with the idea of the poor supermarkets being forced to sell us cheap food just to scrape by.
The other thing I'd like to spout on about is cooking. I was raised in a family who planted most of their garden to veg and fruit, we ate from the garden, we cooked from scratch. When I went to school we had cooking lessons. All that is eroded now. I cant name a school that has regular cooking lessons as an essential part of the curriculum, maybe you can and if so you're lucky. Most adults are prepared to buy ready meals, take-outs etc and the thought of making a pie from a bag of flour and a joint of beef would be a nightmare or a joke. But, guys, it can be a cheap way forward.
OK leaving the soapbox behind let me tell you of a lovely place. I have been indulging, and indulging is the right word as its been a gourmet pleasure, in researching good food, good ingredients and good places to eat. Following a trail from one source I ended up on the facebook page of Local Roots, which is a cafe in High Wycombe that also sources and sells local artisan food products. Went there yesterday, had a most delicious baguette for lunch (oat baguette filled with blue cheese and ale chutney - oh my) and then we shopped. We bought a wide and wonderful collection of cheeses to try, all suitable for veggie's and we could taste them before buying, the owners could tell us about them; where they came from, what they would taste like etc. We bought eggs, scotch eggs (runny middle) brownies, bread, honey and pasta. Bridge enjoyed the chocolate tasting array and chose cranberry and peppercorn dark chocolate to treat herself with. We asked for goats cheese and were told the reason they had none in stock was that the goats had not had their kids yet so were producing no milk. That is so cute! And very pc food wise. Love it.
And, on Friday, our invisible milkman delivered goats milk, apple juice and baking potatoes to our front door, sitting waiting for us when we opened the door at 7.30am. Just like in the old days.
Happy days foodwise, and not a T burger in sight.
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