Ugly Fruit and Veg Back on the Shelves.

In the foodie news this week - the EU has finally scrapped 26 of the 36 controversial food rules governing the shape and size of fruit and veg.

Hopefully this means that we will see real fruit and veg back in the shops - although how much depends on how deeply conditioned we are to the ‘perfect’ carrot - and stop the 20-30% wastage of harvests that occurs today.

Interestingly, while the UK has been lobbying for this for some time now the rest of Europe is still mostly opposed to relaxing these regulations - putting a poke in the eye to the Daily Mail lot who claim that the EU is full of loony bureaucrats hell bent on wrenching power from this sovereign nation, rant, rant…

Stopping the veg waste and modern obsession with ‘perfection’ PLUS undermining the swivel eyed bigots - in my book that is a real win, win situation. Well done EU.

You can read more about it on BBC News 

If you love slow food and fancy mingling with fellow foodies then getting down to the South bank this weekend will fill your heart with joy.

There is a slow food market, talks and discussions, a photographic exhibition of British bread-making, cooking demonstrations, a bee tent (!), burlesque afternoon tea and much, much more.

Thursday 18 - Sunday 21 September, 12 noon - 9pm every day.

Full details on their website:
www.southbankcentre.co.uk/festivals-series/festival-of-food 

If you’ve ever daydreamed about living the Good Life , or you have a little balcony that would be perfect for herbs, then get yourself down to Covent garden to their Spring Renaissance festival - 23 April - 18th May.

They have a lovely living allotment with working shed (as opposed to an ornamental one, I suppose) and experts on hand to give out advice, and also talks to inspire and inform, from honey history with tasting to foraging for food in the garden and composting with David Bellamy…

If all that seems to much like hard work the flower market has also returned to a corner of the garden where you can pick up not only flowers but already grown fruit and veg too.

Find out more at http://www.springrenaissance.com