Culination - An App For Food Lovers
Culination is a great looking app for all lovers of wine and food. You register, find a few friends, join a few groups, ask questions and offer or ask for advice. It is early days yet, but it is always nice to get in on these things early…
Members are welcome to share thoughts on cooking, chefs, culinary news, restaurant openings or anything about food as it relates to wine.
Groups so far cover Italian Food, Pairing with Pinot and general Cooking Tips. While I think the ‘relating to wine’ aspect might be a little restricting I can’t see why more general food topics couldn’t be covered. Easy to use you can modify your own page, upload photos and videos, browse via a mobile device and generally make the most of a marvellous free package.
Head on over, create your own group and don’t forget to add WineScribbler as a friend!
Scores on the Doors Scheme
The Food Standards Agency is consulting on a scheme to help consumers know at a glance how well their local takeaway or restaurant has done in food safety inspections.
Scores on the Doors is a scheme whereby food businesses are given a score to show the hygiene standards found in their premises during inspections by local authority enforcement officers to check that they are complying with legal requirements. Each food outlet may display the score on its door or window so the public can clearly see how well the establishment has done. Details would also be available on the local authority’s website.
Various ’scores on the doors’ schemes have been piloted across in various towns - Swansea and Wrexham for example and Reading with its snappily named Food Safety Star Rating Scheme . Now the FSA is consulting with these pilots to develop a UK-wide scheme. The existing schemes, while aiding the consumer, have also encouraged food businesses to raise their hygiene standards. The Scores on The Doors website currently lists 77 council ratings (with another 12 ‘coming soon’) all fully searchable.
Keeping Food Waste to a Minimum - Video
Now I’m rather careful on planning my weekly meals and shopping and do have some success in keeping food waste to a minimum but apparently Britians cook enough extra food at dinnertime to feed at least an extra 19 million mouths. A survey found that 39% of us admit to cooking enough extra food to feed at least one other person and 36% suffer from ‘waste worry’ over the amount of food they waste each week!
With food prices still increasing any help in reducing the food wastage bill has got to be a benefit. Research conducted by online grocery specialists Ocado for Waste Awareness Week shows 1 in 3 bags of shopping go straight in the bin, and the most concerning thing is the majority of it goes completely untouched.
One man who knows a lot about reducing waste is Arthur Potts Dawson who launched eco-friendly restaurant ‘Acorn House.’ In this new video he explains how running a household isn’t that different from running a business and offers his top tips on keeping food waste to a minimum.
Click here to see Arthur in action
Bristol Wine and Food Fair
Head down to Bristol’s Harbourside for the Bristol Wine and Food Fair, on from the 11th-13th July 2008.
This is an exciting new three day event celebrating wine, fine dining and good food….Taste 100’s of wines from all over the world, for free. Buy by the glass, bottle or case. Learn from the experts at wine and cheese tutored tastings, pick up handy tips from inspirational chefs, sample signature dishes from top local restaurants and buy produce from the region’s acclaimed food, drink and cheese producers.
More than 35 wine producers, importers and merchants will welcome you to explore the world of wine and unravel some of its mysteries. It’s a golden opportunity to meet experts face to face, ask questions and sample some great wines in a relaxed environment. You will be able to choose from a massive range of different wine types and styles, to suit all tastes and budgets, allowing you to sample before you buy.
Amongst the wine exhibitors will be an organic wine specialist, local organic vineyards, a Chilean producer and many more. The Artisan food market should cater to all your foodie needs with 31 traders that representing some of the best independent food and drink businesses in the South West region.
Our hand-picked producers are committed to selling quality regional products, promoting healthy eating and buying habits, with a belief in good practice and provenance.
A £5 entry ticket will be required with the Wine and Cheese tasting sessions requiring an additional ticket. For more info see www.bristolwineandfoodfair.co.uk
Video Tips on 5 A Day
A new report released for the Department of Health’s 5 A DAY campaign shows that although parents understand the importance of getting their 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day, many are still confused about what counts towards that target, with one in three admitting that their children know more than they do about 5 A DAY and nutrition.
1 in 2 parents don’t realise that any vegetables they include in homemade food such as spaghetti bolognaise can count towards their five a day, and that of their children. A shocking 95% of mums and dads also didn’t know that chips cannot be counted towards the 5 a day target.
While 91% of parents know that fresh fruit and veg counts, and 78% are aware that frozen fruit and veg counts, 4 in 10 parents don’t realise that canned fruit and veg counts too.
It looks as though there’s some clearing up to do on the 5 a day issue, and in this exciting new video celebrity mum Melinda Messenger offers parents the clarity they need. She offers her top tips to make sure both you and the little ones get all the daily fruit and veg you need.
