The chopping board

I love the interesting perspectives and themes of the articles in Eat me magazine. Whether they are big or small they all share the same humour and quality. For example the magazine includes a section called The chopping board, which is a selection of shorter pieces based on issues that have arisen during the making of that particular issue.

Article from : Eat ME magazine

This article from Eat Me magazine campaigns for the recognition of London's street markets. It claims that they define their particular location and the people who live, work and shop there better than any art or community project.

I am a huge fan of street markets for both expanding my collection of brick-o-brac crap that I don't need nor can accommodate, as well as buying better, tastier, cheaper, more interesting foods. My favourite markets are foreign ones. There is nothing I like more than rumaging around a market where I don't know or understand the produce. These are some pictures I took of an amazing spice stall in a souk market I visited when I went to Morocco.

Review : The Breakfast Club, Soho

This is a review from Eat Me magazine of The breakfast club in Soho.

Eat Me magazine : London Food Guide

The london food guide part of Eat Me magazine reviews various eateries in London. Rather than focussing on just one class of restaurant, it reviews both the classy expensive and the cheap and charming, the quality of the food being the focal point, rather than prizing open the bulging wallet of the reader like some other food reviews.

Article from : Eat Me magazine > The Full English

I came across this article in Eat me magazine whilst researching for Breakfasts. I love the illustration it really depicts the 'Britishness' of the full english.

rip it, read it, cook it, eat it...

Eat Me magazine provides the reader with a variety of  different recipes, four of which come as a perferated page which can be ripped into four indivsual cards. I love the illustrations on the reverse making them very attractive to stick on your fridge.

Article from : Eat ME magazine > ice creams

this is one of my favourite articles from Eat Me magazine. The thing I like about it is the delivery. I like the way that the illustrator has presented the information.

Eat Me 'Ingredients'

I think that the attention to detail with this magazine makes it just that bit more perfect. For example the contents of the magazine is called ingredients. Features in one particular issue include the full english and cereal dieter, and regular articles include Eat this, the chopping board and the drinks cabinet. I like the play on words and the overall food theme, despite the fact that a lot of the articles have a lot more too them than just food!

The Eat Me Supper Club

I like the fact that Eat me magazine involves the readers and fans by hosting a whole range of events such as a breakfast club, a supper club and a party for the launch of each issue in some of the trendiest bars in London.

• The Eat Me Supper Club
• Eat Me loves supper clubs. We love them so much that we’ve decided to do our own. What’s more, we’re going to take photographs of it and feature them in issue 3. Want a seat at the table? Read on for details.
• 
  
  • 16th August 2010
  • 11:12 pm
  • 1 comment
• 
  
  Eat Me Magazine are doing our first supper club in an ultra-secret East London location and you can win a seat at the table.
  It’ll all kick off on Monday 23rd August from 6.30pm.
  Guests at the supper club will take part in a photo-shoot and filming documenting the evening. Upon arrival guests will be receive full styling from the Eat Me team, for a portrait that will feature in the magazine. (Probably not great for the camera shy!)
  For your chance to be involved, all you have to do is send us your name, age, a little paragraph about yourself, along with a snappy snap of you in your favourite autumnal outfit.
  Those selected will be sent the details the night before the event.
  Of course, if you want to take part you must be available, Monday 23rd August from 6.30pm.
  Send everything to supperclub@eatmemagazine.com.

100 ways to cook an egg

This is an article from Eat me magazine titled: 100 ways to cook an egg. Eggs are one of my favorite foods, and I love cooking them every which way, but these are four ways I've never heard of!

Breakfast in... United States and Canada

Traditional

Traditional breakfasts in the United States and Canada derive from the full English breakfast and other European breakfast traditions. They feature predominantly sweet or mild-flavored foods, mostly hot. Typical items include hot oatmeal porridge, grits (in the South), other hot grain, porridges, egg sausage or small link sausages, pan-fried potatoes (hash browns), biscuits, toast, pancakes, waffles, bagels, French Toast, English Muffins, pastries (such as croissants, doughnuts and muffins), and fresh or stewed fruits of various types (stone, citrus, etc.). Steak may be served with eggs on the traditional menu. Cold cereal has become nearly ubiquitous in recent decades, and yogurt is widely popular. Coffee, tea, milk and fruit juices are standard breakfast beverages.

Many regions of the U.S.A. have local breakfast specialties that are less popular nationally. In the South, homemade biscuits served with country-style gravy (also called sawmill gravy), country ham and red eye gravy and grits are one traditional breakfast menu; the Southwest has 'huevos rancheros' and spicy breakfast burritos: scrapple is a favorite in the Mid-Atlantic states; Salmon bagels are popular in the Northwest and pork roll is rarely available outside New Jersey and Philadelphia; and New Englanders still occasionally indulge in fried salt-pork, and pie. Fried eggs with bacon or sausage and American cheese on a seeded kaiser roll is a popular breakfast sandwich in parts of New York. Many Soul Food breakfast menus across the country include fried chicken wings, catfish, pork chops and salmoncroquettes. Specialty items also vary in popularity regionally, such as linguica sausage and Spam in Hawaii, crab cakes in southern New England and the Mid-Atlantic regions, andouille sausage, chicory coffee, Chisesi ham and beignets in Louisiana, chorizo in the Southwest, lox and smoked salmon in the Northwest, goetta in Greater Cincinnati.

American breakfast customs derive from those of rural England in the 18th century, and some divergences probably reflect changes in the latter since that time. For example, modern English hot breakfasts not uncommonly include lightly fried tomato slices or a sauteed whole mushroom, but neither are found in the U.S. Breakfast kippers are also uncommon in the U.S. On the other hand, the steak-and-eggs breakfast is rare in England and probably a recent American import. English muffins (not to be confused with the British crumpet) are commonly eaten as a breakfast food in the United States.

Some regions of Canada especially Quebec, New Brunswick and parts of eastern Ontario will commonly include maple syrup with crepes, French toast, pancakes, or waffles.

Hotels now often serve breakfast buffets for a fixed price, or offer sweet rolls, cereal, and coffee as a free "continental" breakfast. Traditionally, hotel breakfasts were made to order at a restaurant or by room service. Omelettes made to order are also an option.

Contemporary Breakfast

Today, most Americans and Canadians eat a reduced breakfast most days, but may still enjoy a traditional hearty breakfast on weekends, holidays, and vacations. Having only coffee or skipping breakfast entirely is also common. Eating out for breakfast or brunch is common on weekends and holidays.

Eggs are strongly associated with breakfast, to the extent that many Americans and Canadians consider egg dishes out of place later in the day.

Restaurants that serve breakfast typically base their menus around egg dishes and pork meats such as sausage, ham and bacon. Pancakes and waffles are also popular. An assemblage commonly known as a country breakfast in restaurants consists of eggs or omelette, sausage or bacon, hash browns, sausage gravy, coffee, biscuits or toast with jam or jelly, and fruit juice.A typical contemporary combination of food for a hearty breakfast consists of eggs (fried or scrambled), one type of meat, and one or two starchy dishes; commonly hash browns and toast. A more basic breakfast combination would be a starchy food (such as toast, pastry, breakfast cereal, oatmeal, pancakes, or waffles) either alone or served with fruit and yogurt. This second option, similar to the continental breakfasts served in Europe, is especially common in institutional situations where serving hot food is difficult, expensive, or impractical.

A typical breakfast for those that eat ordinary breakfast as a home meal is instant oatmeal or a cold breakfast cereal with milk. Leftovers from the previous day's meals may also be eaten, such as cold pizza.

Breakfasts influenced by recent dietary advice are gaining in popularity in some parts of the country, such as California, featuring yogurt, whole-grain cereal, fresh fruit or egg-white omelets.

Coffee is the most common breakfast beverage. In the United States, 65% of coffee drunk during the day is with breakfast. Also common are tea, milk, hot chocolate, orange juice, and other fruit juices (grapefruit, tomato, etc.). Occasionally, caffienated carbonated beverages may be substituted for the more traditional coffee or tea. Espresso drinks such as cappuccino and latte have become increasingly popular since the 1990s. In Washington State and British Columbia, the cappuccino and latte are the default way of buying coffee for breakfast.

The modern options typical of the U.S.A. and Canada are representative of Western-style breakfasts that have become common worldwide, especially in industrialized nations.

Breakfast foods are thought to be typically eaten during morning hours, these foods are distinct from other foods even if eaten outside of the morning. In this sense, some serve breakfast for supper. There are several fast food and casual dining chains in North America, such as IHOP and Denny's, that specialize in hearty breakfast-style foods, such as pancakes and country breakfasts, and offer them all day. Like greasy spoons in the UK, American coffeeshops and diners typically serve breakfast foods all day.

Quick/commuter's breakfast

A worker's breakfast often consists only of coffee and prepared food purchased on the way to work or brought from home, eaten during the morning commute or at the workplace just before clocking in. Food items that fit this eat-on-the-go strategy include various sweet breakfast breads and pastries, bagels (often with cream cheese), sweetened flavored yogurt cups, smoothies and milkshakes, fresh fruit, granola, muesli or other quick "energy" bars, toaster pastries, and fast food. Many fast food restaurants sell breakfast versions of their typical offerings that include eggs and are usually sweeter and less spicy. Examples of such breakfasts-to-go are: egg-filled sandwiches, croissants, biscuits or muffins, and breakfast burrito filled with eggs, cheese and sometimes sausage.

Programme : Great British Waste Menu

'Great British Waste Menu' was a program on BBC One over the summer. It follows four of the nation’s top chefs – Angela Hartnett, Richard Corrigan, Matt Tebbutt and Simon Rimmer – as they journey deep into the heart of Britain’s food waste problem, exploring how and why we throw away and reject huge quantities of perfectly edible food. This 90’ food event will follow the chefs as they source shocking amounts of unwanted food from every corner of the food chain – from supermarkets to ordinary homes, markets to farms – and then transform it into mouth-watering dishes.

The scale of the food waste problem is eye-popping. Every year, British homes throw away enough food and drink to fill 4,700 Olympic sized swimming pools. Retailers throw away 400,000 tonnes of food every year. And it’s estimated that every day we bin around 4 million apples, 5.3 million potatoes, 2 million tomatoes a day, 2.3 million ham slices, 1.8 million yoghurts, 1.4 m sausages and 7 million slices of bread. Shocked by the scale of the problem our four chefs have agreed to take on a challenge that will test their culinary skills to the limit.

The chefs will face a unique and near-impossible task: can they create a fabulous banquet for over 60 VIPs using the food that the rest of us don’t want? Can they create restaurant-standard food using ingredients that have been discarded, rejected or deemed unsuitable for sale? Will they be able to change the way we all think about the food we waste? The dishes the chefs create will be judged by four of the nation’s toughest food critics – Matthew Fort, Prue Leith, Oliver Peyton and Jay Rayner – who will decide which dishes should go onto the menu for a lavish banquet designed to prove that we should all be saving our scraps. The challenge for the chefs is to create dishes good enough to grace any menu in any restaurant in the world, using the food that the rest of us don’t want.

With millions of people starving around the world, it’s a scandal that so much delicious food ends up as animal feed, is composted, or gets dumped simply because consumers and retailers have become picky and squeamish about ingredients. Just because ingredients are misshapen, blemished, the wrong size or unfashionable, it doesn’t mean they can’t be turned into great food. Our chefs’ mission is to prove that all this unwanted food can be great food, by sourcing it for themselves and then turning it into mouth-watering dishes. As well as raiding the bins and sourcing discarded, unwanted and unsellable food from shops and homes, our chefs will travel further up the food chain and explore how food gets wasted at source. They’ll discover how farmers and food producers are struggling to provide for a society that has ceased to treat food as a precious resource and begun to treat it like a disposable commodity.

The show begins with Simon Rimmer and Matt Tebbutt competing to make a starter and Richard Corrigan and Angela Hartnett competing to make a main course. The chefs raid supermarket bins, visit shops, markets, homes and source scraps from restaurants and restaurant suppliers before returning to the Great British Menu kitchen to cook their dishes for the judges. Because the food is perishable, they have only 24 hours to source all the food they need – it’s an entertaining race against time that will reveal the amazing truth about the food we waste. The losing chef from the starter and the losing chef from the main then compete to make dessert for the banquet. Once the judges have chosen the menu for the final banquet, the chefs hit the road again to supersize their dishes. The chefs need enough food to serve over 60 VIP diners, and that means travelling further up the food chain. They visit farms, suppliers, producers and abattoirs to find out how and why perfectly edible food never makes it onto our plates. It’s an eye-opening journey and the chefs are shocked by the huge amounts of perfectly good food that we as a society are rejecting and wasting.

I found this show really inspiring in the way that it brings to light the amount of food wasted as well as demonstrating the possibilities of what can be done with the waste.

Article from : Eat ME magazine > Cereal Dieter

This is an article from Eat Me magazine about cereal diets and whether they work or no. I particularly like the images used to illustrate the article.

The thing I love most about Eat Me magazine is the illustrations and photography.

Greasy Spoons

Greasy spoon is slang used in Britain, Ireland and North America for small, especially cheap, working class restaurants or diners. The name "greasy spoon" is used to imply a less-than-rigorous approach to hygiene and dishwashing and appears in use in the early 20th century. In the UK, greasy spoons are generally called cafes, which in the South is often colloquially referred to as a "caff". The typical greasy spoon serves mainly fried or grilled food, such as fried eggs, bacon, black pudding, bubble and squeak, burgers, sausages, mushrooms and chips. These are often accompanied by baked beans, cooked tomatoes and fried bread. Hot and cold sandwiches are also often available, the bacon or sausage butty being particularly popular. The main drink in British greasy spoons is usually tea, especially Builders tea (a nickname for a mug of strong English/Irish breakfast tea or Yorkshire tea, usually served with milk and sugar and is typically robust and flavourful with a brisk character and a dark red colour). Often the only coffee available will be instant, though this has slowly changed with the proliferation of coffee drinking in the culture. British greasy spoons will sometimes also offer bread and butter pudding, apple crumble and rhubarb crumble.The greasy spoon was also the mainstay of British truck drivers who travelled the major trunk roads such as the A1 and the A6 prior to the opening of the motorways. These cafes were not only stops where the driver could eat, but also made convenient meeting places where the trade unions could talk to their members.In the United Kingdom, the traditional greasy spoon has been in decline due to the rise of fast food chains. However, they remain numerous all over the UK, especially in certain parts of London, Manchester, and many seaside towns.

Other than Britain and America, greasy spoons also exist in Hong Kong, although they are called a 'cha chaan teng', (literal translation: "tea restaurant").

Brunch?

Brunch is a combination of breakfast and lunch. The term is a combination of the words breakfast and lunch. It is supposed to be a heavy meal meant to take the place of both breakfast and lunch. It is common in the United States and Canada, however according to 'Punch' magazine the term was thought to be introduced in Britain around 1896 by 'Hunter's Weekly', then becoming student slang. Other sources claim that the term was invented by New York Morning Sun reporter Frank Ward O'Malley based on the typical mid-day eating habits of a newspaper reporter. A meal cannot be considered brunch if it is started before 10 am, such meals would still be considered breakfast. Typically brunch is had at around 11 am, close to lunch time but still before. Some colleges and hostels serve brunch, especially on Sundays and holidays. These are often serve-yourself buffet but menu-ordered meals may be available instead of, or with, the buffet. The meal usually involves standard breakfast foods such as eggs, sausages, bacon, ham, fruits, pastries, pancakes etc. However, it can include almost any other type of food served throughout the day. Buffets may have quiche, large roasts of meat or poultry, cold seafood like shrimp and smoked fish, salads, soups, vegetable dishes, many types of breadstuffs and desserts of all sorts. Mimosas, Ramos gin fizzes, brandy milk punches and bloody marys are popular brunch cocktails.

The dim sum brunch is a popular meal in Chinese restaurants worldwide. It consists of a wide variety of stuffed bao (buns), dumplings, and other savory or sweet food items which have been steamed, deep-fried, or baked. Customers select small portions from passing carts, as the kitchen continuously produces and sends out more freshly-prepared dishes. Dim sum is usually eaten as a mid-morning, midday, or mid-afternoon tea.

Breakfast vocabulary around the world : 'Crumpet'

A crumpet is a savoury/sweet bread snack made from flour and yeast. It is eaten mainly in the UK and other nations of the Commonwealth. Crumpets are generally eaten hot with butter with or without a second (sweet or savoury) topping. Popular second toppings are cheese (melted on top), honey, poached egg, jam, Marmite, salt, marmalade, peanut butter, chese spread, goldern syrup, hummus, lemon curd, maple syrup and Vegemite. The butter may be omitted - but a phrase very commonly associated with crumpets is "dripping with butter".

Breakfast vocabulary around the world : 'Goetta'

Goetta is a peasant food of German origin that is popular in the greater Cincinnati area. It is primarily composed of ground meat and oats.The dish originated with German settlers from the northwestern regions of Oldenburg, Hannover and Westphalia who emigrated to the Cincinnati area in the 19th century. The word "Goetta" comes from the Low German word götte.

Goetta was originally a peasant dish, meant to stretch out servings of meat over several meals to conserve money.

The modern popularity of goetta in Cincinnati has led to it being called "Cincinnati Caviar". Glier's Goetta, the largest commercial producer of goetta, produces more than 1,000,000lb annually, around 99% of which is consumed locally in greater Cincinnati.

Breakfast vocabulary around the world : 'Huevos rancheros'

Huevos rancheros (Ranch Eggs) is a classic Mexican breakfast dish popular throughout much of the Americas consisting of eggs served in the style of the traditional large mid-morning fare on rural farms. The basic dish consists of fried eggs served upon lightly fried corn tortillas topped with a tomato-chili sauce. Refried beans, slices of avocado, or guacamole accompany the dish.

Breakfast vocabulary around the world : 'Grits'

Grits is a food of Native American origin that is common in the Southern United States; it mainly consists of coarsely ground hominy. It is sometimes called sofkee or sofkey from the Creek word. The name 'grits' likely derives from the Northern European grit gruels. It is similar to other thick maize-based porridges from around the world, such as polenta. It also resembles farina, a thinner porridge. Grits can also be fried in a pan or mold to create a firm block. The resulting block can be cut with a knife or wire, and the slices are fried in a fat such as vegetable oil, butter or bacon grease.

The history of breakfast

Breakfast has commonly been practiced worldwide and is a concept easily transferred between cultures, but there have been many regional interpretations over the years. In Medieval Europe, for instance, the basic format of meals differed from what is currently 'standard', in that only two meals were to be had; a heavy dinner at noon and a light supper, largely due to the influence of the Church.

However, exceptions existed, most notably for children and people who were ill. They were allowed a small breakfast meal, and many labourers, farmers, and other physical workers also took the meal despite criticism and social pressure on them not to, and by the 15th century even the nobility had begun to ignore the rules and mores of polite society and took breakfast.

Perhaps the earliest appearance in print of the idea that "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" occurs in the novella 'Metamorphosis', published in 1915 by Franz Kafka, which includes the line, "for Gregor's father, breakfast was the most important meal of the day".

Breakfast Drinks

Breakfast beverage choices are fairly uniform worldwide, comprising

• Fruit juices (orange juice is the most popular),
• Milk (hot, cold, possibly cultured), milk analogue or hot soya bean milk in Vietnam and China,
• Hot caffeinated and decaffeinated beverages (tea, coffee, and chocolate).

Cultures around the world commonly shun or restrict alcoholic beverages at breakfast. (Alcohol is a depressant and a psychoactive drug, and so its effects might not be desired during working hours.) Notable exceptions would be the mimosa cocktail : champagne and orange juice (known as Buck's Fizz in the UK); Bloody Mary Cocktail : vodka and spiced tomato juice; and liqueur coffee: a coffee brew with a 25 ml (1 imp fl oz; 1 US fl oz) shot of liqueur, which generally has a lower alcohol content than spirits (around 15 to 30%). Still, a mimosa is normally served at brunch, and rarely consumed before 10 am. Another notable exception is the Champagne breakfast, a full western breakfast accompanied by sparkling white wine; usually saved for special occasions.

Statisitcs on food waste

• Every year 18 million tonnes of edible food end up in landfill.
• Approx 1/3 from producers/ supply chain, 1/3 from retail and 1/3 from households
• Annual value : £23 BILLION [and rising rapidly due to soaring prices]
• Massive environmental damage and landfill costs to dispose
• Disposal costs to business passed on to consumers in higher prices, landfill costs in local taxes – less income

from website http://www.foodawarecic.org.uk

Article from : The Guardian

"More than 30% of our food is thrown away - and it's costing billions a year."

From the field to the home, UK may be worst in world for waste.

John Vidal, environment editor
Friday 15 April 2005
The Guardian

The British may waste more food than any other nation, throwing out 30-40% of all the produce they buy and grow each year, according to research. Figures collated from the government, supermarkets, processors and farmers show that modern food production methods may appear efficient, "but the reality is that large-scale manufacturing and rigid supply chains are creating very significant quantities of waste".
It is estimated that the wasted food is worth between £8bn and £16bn a year.

"The food sector now accounts for over a third of all the waste produced in the UK, a total of 17m tonnes," says the research, by C-Tech Innovation, a manufacturing consultancy. "About 15% arises from food manufacturing and a further 21% from distribution, retailing and consumption."

It notes that US food wastage is running behind Britain at about 25%, and that 4 million people in the UK "cannot afford a healthy diet and that one in seven people over 65 are at serious risk of malnourishment".

Separate government figures show that some 17m tonnes of food worth up to £20bn a year are being put into landfill, even though approximately 25% of it could be safely eaten by people or animals, or turned into compost and energy. The cost of transporting it and throwing it into landfills is thought to be more more than £175m a year.

Guardian research, backed by BBC Radio 4's Costing the Earth programme broadcast last night, suggests the increasing amount of food waste - thought to be rising roughly 15% a decade - is being experienced across the whole food chain from the field to the house.

"It is increasing at a phenomenal rate. We are buying more, but we are also abdicating responsibility, too. It's easy to let the food industry tell us what to do," said the food charity FairShare, which collects surplus - but edible - food from hundreds of canteens, retailers, supermarkets, manufacturers and restaurants, and distributes 2,000 tonnes of food a year to voluntary groups, who feed more than 12,000 old and otherwise vulnerable people a day.

FairShare has estimated that the edible food thrown away could feed more than 250,000 people. "We could easily increase what we collect and distribute," said a spokesman yesterday.

The waste starts with farmers, who are frequently forced to plough up or dispose of large amounts of perfectly good fruit and vegetables because of rigid contracts with processors or retailers. These usually specify the size and shape of fruits and vegetables, and the exact number needed.

"If you have even a small increase of temperature, you may see a 10-20% increase in crop yields," said Phil Hudson of the National Farmers Union.

"There may, however, be no home for this food because of extremely tight programmes by the industry. Some years ago, the extra food produced might have gone to wholesalers, but this market is now only about 15% of the total, and it cannot take surpluses."

Consumers were also largely responsible for wastage, said Mr Hudson. "We now always look for a specific size and shape of food in supermarkets. Anything outside that is left on the shelf. But is this human nature or are we being conditioned by retailers to look for this? We have certainly created a level of expectation which encourages large scale waste."

A recent report for Prudential Insurance, based on a survey of more than 1,000 households, found that 61% of people admit throwing out at least one bag of salad each week without even removing the packaging. A similar percentage threw away unused loaves of bread and fruit, while slightly fewer threw out milk, cheese and meat. Also regularly wasted were prepared meals.

According to Biffa, one of the largest waste handlers in Britain, households now throw out more than supermarkets and the food processing industry combined. Food waste is roughly one third by weight of all the waste produced by households.

"People just buy more than they can eat," said Peter Jones, a Biffa director.

"We estimate that each family now throws out about 2.7kg (6lb) of food per person per week," said East London Community Recycling Partnership, which collects and monitors the food waste of thousands of households on several housing estates and then composts it before giving it back to people for window boxes, allotments and garden use.

"The amount of food being wasted is increasing all the time," said Cam Matheson, who runs the East London scheme. "We are not allowed to sell it, because of animal byproducts, but composting like this could easily be extended to every housing estate in Britain."

The food manufacturing industry, which prepares convenience foods, sandwiches, tinned food and processed food, throws away at least 1m tonnes a year, Mr Jones said. New regulations which apply to anyone handling food for humans or animals are also encouraging the food industry to reject food, he said.

According to Biffa, supermarkets and other retailers throw out about 500,000 tonnes of food a year, of which only a small proportion goes to charities. Supermarkets are reluctant to say how much food is wasted, but it is possible to estimate from information put on their websites and in annual reports.

Tesco, which dominates British food retailing, says it sent 131,000 tonnes of waste to landfill in 2004, of which "the majority was food". Sainsbury's, which distributes surplus food to more than 400 charities, says it sent 91,000 tonnes to landfills, of which at least 70,000 tonnes is believed to be waste food. Most retailers say they have significantly reduced the amount of food wasted each year since 2000.

Better storage and distribution of food by supermarkets has reduced the amount of waste to only about 0.5% a year, industry sources say, but the total tonnage is enormous. The Environment Agency has estimated that the food and drinks industry generates 10% - about 10m tonnes - of the total waste produced by all industrial and commercial activity in the UK.

"A very few people remember rationing, but most of us have no idea what it is like not to have enough food," said Jeanette Longfield, coordinator of Sustain, a group of more than 100 food, environmental and other charities and unions. "The only justification for chucking stuff is because it is unsafe. We don't know how it is produced so they chuck it out without thinking."

Where it goes

Supermarkets: Up to 500,000 tonnes may be wasted each year, mostly because it is approaching its sell-by date. Some supermarkets make food available to charities and more composting is done. But the majority is landfilled, the cheapest option, in its packaging. In future it will be illegal to landfill any food derived from meat. This will encourage incineration.

Households: Up to a third of food bought may be wasted because we buy too much and do not plan menus. Much is discarded when it is near its sell-by date and people no longer eat everything on their plate. Processed food is increasingly rejected before it has been unpacked. Less is composted as most food is processed and vegetable growing has declined.

Farmers: Some 30%-40% by weight of all food grown can be lost. Retailers and food processors demand unblemished, specifically sized, shaped and coloured food. Bumper crops resulting from high temperatures cannot always find a market because of the declining wholesale trade . Food is usually ploughed back in to the fields.

I found this article interesting because in my time not at college I work for the national farm research unit back home where I speak to farmers all day everyday about the yields of their crops and who they are growing them for. I hear a lot about the amount that is wasted because it is simply not perfect, however completely edible.

Breakfast in... The Middle East

Egypt

In Egypt the traditional breakfast is 'ful medames' : slow cooked fava beans (sometimes with lentils) dressed in olive oil, lemon juice and garlic.

Iran

In Iran, varieties of Iranian flatbreads (naan), Iranian feta cheese (panir-e irani) or Persian feta cheese, butter (kareh), a variety of traditional marmalades (morabba) or jams, honey (angebin or asal), cream (sar sheer) and hot tea are essential breakfast foods. Other foods, such as heavy cream, walnuts, hard and soft boiled eggs, and omelettes are also popular for breakfast. Traditionally, a choice of butter and cheese, butter and marmalade, heavy cream and honey, butter and honey, or cheese and walnuts are rubbed on fresh bread and folded into bite-sized sandwiches and are to be consumed with hot tea. The tea is preferably sweetened with sugar. Another breakfast food, which is usually consumed between the hours of three to five in the morning, in winter, is called halim. Halim is a combination of wheat, cinnamon, butter and sugar cooked with either shredded turkey/chicken or shredded lamb in huge pots. It is served hot and cold, but preferably hot. Almost everywhere in the country, especially in colder regions, a lamb head stew (kale pache) is consumed, usually on the early hours of weekend (Friday mornings).

Israel

An Israeli breakfast typically consists of coffee, orange juice, fresh vegetables salad, goats/cows cream cheese, fresh bread or toast, olives, butter, fried eggs of your choice, and some small cookies or slices of cake. For an even fuller breakfast it might include hard-boiled eggs, cottage cheese, quark cheese, and Israeli salad. Another type of breakfast would be fried dough, 'malawach' served with sweet fruits or something spicier. Hotels with continental, in addition to the aforementioned items, will usually serve many different kinds of fish and yogurts, as well as a dish of egg and spicy tomatoes known as 'shakshuka'.

Lebanon

In Lebanon, there are several types of breakfast, including include 'labneh', 'mankoucheh', 'lahm bi ajin', 'kichek' and 'knefeh'.

Mashriq

In the Mashriq, breakfast varies greatly according to taste, but a typical breakfast consists of tea or instant coffee, juice, a morning salad (cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, mint and olive oil), pita bread dipped in rich 'labneh', a type of yogurt, or in olive oil and 'za'atar' (a common Middle-Eastern spice mix). This breakfast is by far the most polular in most Arab areas. Hummus, ful medames and falafel are more common on the weekends. Other breakfast items include a variety of olives, cheeses, especially goat cheese, variety of vegetables, cereals, jams and pastries.

Other popular breakfast foods in the Mashriq include boiled eggs, olives, cheese and fava beans.

Breakfast in... Latin America

Latin American breakfasts feature many items seen in North American and continental European breakfasts in regional variations, according to their own culture.

In northern South America, maize-based breads, such as tortillas or 'arepas', may dominate or be augmented with wheat breads or pastries. Caffè, caffè e latte, hot chocolate, and tea are common beverages.

Argentina and Uraguay

In Argentina and Uraguay, breakfast consists mainly of espresso coffee, café con leche, or 'yerba mate'. There are also croissants, brioches, or 'facturas' with 'dulce de leche', filled churros, French bread with jam and butter, grilled sandwiches of ham and cheese known as tostados, and sweet cookies or crackers.

Brazil

Brazilians use the term café-da-manhã (morning coffee) or, less often, desjejum (fasting) to refer to breakfast. Morning meals are different in the various regions of Brazil. Black coffee, cow milk, yogurt and white cheese are quite popular, and so are fruit juices (especially orange, guava, cashew and passion fruit). The coffee or juice accompanies french bread or sliced bread with jam or butter, grilled sandwiches of ham and cheese called 'misto-quente', slices of cake such as corn cake, orange cake and carrot cake. As for children, the most popular are sweet cookies or crackers with jam, toasts with fruit compote called 'tostadinha' or 'torrada com geléia/compota' accompanying chocolate milk or hot chocolate,"mingau", a hot porridge made with cow's milk, corn starch, sugar and vanilla with cinnamon sprinkled on top, as well as cornflakes or sucrilhos(frosted flakes) with milk. In the Southern States, adults use to drink a steaming yerba mate infusion in a typical gourd, called 'chimarrao'. The cold version is called 'terere'.

Chile

In Chile, breakfast is a light meal consisting of milk, coffee or tea, juice (typically orange), and two types of bread: marraqueta and hallulla, or toasts. They are accompanied withmarmalade, manjar (dulce de leche), butter, cheese, ham, margerine, eggs, avocado, cream or jelly.

Costa Rica

In Costa Rica breakfast is traditionally Gallo Pinto which is black beans and rice. Some people may add natilla (sour cream),Salsa Lizano (a sauce commonly used in Costa Rican cuisine) and a corn tortilla. Black coffee or coffee with milk are the preferred beverages, although orange juice is also common. Another traditional drink is "Aguadulce", made from sugar cane syrup which is warmed up in water or milk. Usually breakfasts are complimented with things like avocado, fried ripe plantain, ham or some type of cold meat like sausages or salchichón, cheese, bread, eggs, etc.

Colombia

In Columbia there are various breakfast staples. In the Cundinamarca region people eat 'changua': a soup of milk, scallions, and cheese. In the Tolima region, a tamal tolimense is eaten in the company of hot chocolate and arepas. Tamales tolimenses are made with rice, dry legumes, beef, chicken and pork, egg, potato, and seasonings, covered with a maize dough, cooked while wrapped in a banana leaf. In Antioquia the usual fare includes arepa (arepa antioqueña, a typically home-made corn bread), with either cheese, fried eggs, or fried meat as well as hot chocolate as drink.

Cuba

Breakfast in urban areas traditionally consisted of cafe con leche that was sweetened and included a pinch of salt. Toasted buttered Cuban bread, cut into lengths, was dunked in the coffee. In rural Cuba, farmers ate roasted pork, beans and white rice, café con leche and cuajada sweetened with caramel.

Dominican Republic

In Dominican Republic the main dish for breakfast is called mangu (mashing boiled plantains). It is prepared with ground plantain mixed with butter and is usually eaten with salami, fried cheese, eggs (fried eggs or scrambled eggs). This dish is usually accompanied by cafe con leche, hot chocolate, or juice. Another main breakfast dish is the sandwich, prepared with cheese, ham, salami, or scrambled eggs. This is often accompanied with coffee, hot chocolate or juice. To make this particular sandwich the Dominican people use a bread called pan de agua (water bread—a simple bread made with water, flour, yeast, and salt). Other kinds of bread are also used to make this simple meal.

Ecuador

In Ecuador breakfast depends on the region it is served. Along the Pacific Coast, breakfast mainly consists of strong black coffee brewed in a special little aluminium pot (café de olla), fried plantain and white hard cheese made locally. It can include also an omelette and fresh fruit juices. In the highlands, breakfast may include some black coffee or herbal teas (infusiones) with some fresh bread rolls, scrambled eggs and even a kind of corn called mote.

Guatemala

In Guatemala they eat scrambled eggs with frijoles (beans) and tortillas with some chesse, fried banana and sometimes chirmol (tomato sauce with condiments).

Mexico

In the past, when Mexico's population was predominantly rural and agricultural, breakfast tradition included a light 'desayuno' of hot beverages and breads at dawn and a heavier almuerzo mid-morning, with egg dishes such as 'huevos rancheros', chilaquiles, meats, beans, tortillas, pastries, and fruits. Commercial cereals are widely spread now, and consumed in the belief of nutrition factors, regarding of it being a product of marketing. Today, almuerzo generally means "lunch," and the Mexican breakfast may be the lighter or heavier version, depending on the person or occasion. 'Menudo', a tripe stew considered a folk remedy for a hangover, has become a breakfast dish as well as one eaten at other meals.

As in other countries, breakfast in Mexico differs according to the region. In the north it is usual to eat salchicha con huevo (scrambled eggs with hot dog) or machaca con huevo(scrambled eggs with beef jerky, in some places also called machacado), these with wheat tortillas. In the central and southern regions of the country, corn tortillas are used. Most breakfast dishes in the state of Veracruz are called antojitos (this word can be used for other meals, which consist of pastries made with corn flour) and are very fatty. The most common ones are picadas (or pellizcadas, a tortilla with a sauce, onion and fresh cheese topping) and "empanadas" (tortillas filled with an ingredient like cheese, chicken orhuitlacoche); in the northwest 'birria' (beef or goat stew) and 'barbacoa' (steamed beef or lamb) are also very popular.

Perú

In Lima and other coastal cities of Peru, daily breakfast is a fast and simple meal: sourdough bread with jam, butter, ham or a little bit of cheese on it and sometimes scrambled or fried eggs on it, served with a cup of coffee, tea or oatmeal.

Kids in school age use to have milk (plain or with cocoa powder) or thick oatmeal served on a bowl (with milk, coffee or cocoa powder) or a lighter oatmeal prepared with apple, quice, quinoa or kiwicha.

In working-class areas of Lima city, 'emoliente' is a common breakfast, which consists on boiled barley with linseed, alfalfa, boldo, horsetail, key lime juice and an infusion of assorted herbs or boiled quinoa, served with wheat bread or sourdough bread with fresh farmhouse cheese or fried eggs.

Sunday breakfasts are much bigger; They consist of 'tamales' or a 'pan con chicharron'.

Other common Sunday breakfasts are the 'salchicha huachana' scrambled with eggs and served with bread, the 'lomo saltado', 'humitas' with cheese on it, boiled choclo (corn) and a lot more dishes.

During Sunday breakfast in Arequipa (in the south of the country), they eat a dish known as abodo de chancho .

In the central mountain range area, it is typical to have breakfast very early in the morning, when they eat thick soups made out of mote (hominy) and some meat (e.g. tripe, chicken, sheep, etc.). It is also common in the andean area to have potatoes, hominy and boiled broad beans as a breakfast.