That's Health: Why a January ‘detox’ can do more harm than good A...

That's Health: Why a January ‘detox’ can do more harm than good A...: Feeling bloated after too much bubbly? Partied out? Stuffed after too much Christmas cake and turkey sandwiches? Stuart Roberts, nutritionis...

That's Christmas: New Year's Resolution? Get it 50% cheaper! With Fr...

That's Christmas: New Year's Resolution? Get it 50% cheaper! With Fr...: Fruit For The Office are offering all new customers the chance to get 50% off their first fruit del...

Top ten food predictions for 2012, from the experts at My Secret Kitchen!

As we predicted last year, money will be a key factor in the food trends for 2012:-

1 Price Increases on food – At the back end of last year the manufacturers supplying the retailers realised that they needed to force the raw material increases through the chain if they were going to survive and understandably so. Anything grown in the ground has increased, especially the basics so expect people to think even more carefully about what they put in their shopping basket.

2 Granny’s cooking – Retro was big in 2011 and the desire for security and safety in an uncertain environment will steer cooking towards old family recipes. People still have egos and pride and what better way to show off than by resurrecting that old recipe that was handed down through the generations? – Could there be a rise in dumplings, suet puddings and the like?

3 More of the Grain – Home baking and cooking is a hot trend and people want to know more about what they are eating but without spending a huge amount. Whole grains are great value for money and the likes of Quinoa, oats and cornmeal could see a surge in 2012.

4 Forage, forage, forage – we predicted hedgerow flavours for 2011 and this will continue but expand into the general wild. Expect to see a rise in types of mushrooms, herbs and berries in people’s diets. Wild garlic anyone?

5 Whatever Twitter says – As social networking becomes viral, people want to share the good and bad things in food. In the past it was all about what Delia said, going forward it will be a lot more about that latest blog report, that Twitter comments and that facebook photo. And we can’t predict what ‘that’ will be.

6 The rise of the minor celebrity chef – following on from the previous comments, there will be a big rise in passionate cooks moving into doing video blogs on recipes, and these will become so much more accessible through the social media movement. So it won’t be Delia’s goose fat as the big thing next year, it will be a Youtube special chef. My Secret Kitchen will be jumping on this trend with a new video blog starting soon.

7 Moroccan – Full of Spices and flavours, a healthy diet with grain and greens and a little different with not too many expensive ingredients, Moroccan has been hovering around for a while. Expect 2012 to see a full blown launch of all things North African.

8 South American – We were wrong last year. We stuck our neck out with predictions that this continent would be big in 2011. It grew but not how we thought. Peru is widely predicted to be the big flavour country in the ‘States for 2012 so we expect this to jump over to the UK along with Brazil for 2012. And if the food goes superbly with Caipirinhas we won’t be complaining.

9 French Macaroons – 2011 was the year of the Whoopie Pie, an attractive and fun filled cake. One of the key reasons for it’s popularity was it looked cute. We think French macaroons will be big for 2012 for a similar reason, so expect to see gaudy shop windows full of ‘em. Whoopie pies will also get a makeover and remain popular but with alternative flavours and styles becoming big.

10 Back to the Dinner Table – As family values become ever more important, there will be a push to get more social interaction into the family dinner table which has declined over recent years. More family get togethers and more group meals will mean recipes involving more members of the family. What better way of bring a family closer together than cooking.. unless it goes pear shaped…

My Secret Kitchen is the UK’s first food and drink tasting company. The team has spent many years travelling the world and presenting food trends to major food manufactures. They now spend their time launching unusual and trend setting foods through home tasting events throughout the UK. Think the Tupperware party concept… but with food.

That's Food and Drink would like to thank Phil Moran for this feature.

That's Food and Drink to be "more proactive" in 2012

The food and drink website, That's Food and Drink will be "more proactive during 2012."

This means That's Food and Drink will be providing its readers with more news and features about special foodie events that will be occurring throughout the year.

That's Food and Drink will be helping readers celebrate and enjoy sausage weeks, barbecue months, wine and beer festivals, events, tea and coffee weeks, harvest festivals, etc., etc., etc.

If YOU have a special event that you would like to see featured, then please send us an email to afj_uk@yahoo.com using the subject line: "Special Event"  and we will do the rest.

Barracuda Pub Group Crown 2012 as the year of the beer

The Barracuda Pub Group, a national pub operator who run over 160 Smith & Jones pubs across the UK, are looking to extend Christmas cheer by making 2012 the year of the beer.

Throughout January, Barracuda will be offering Greene King’s Tolly English Ale, a lower strength beer which, at 2.8% (abv), qualifies for a 50% reduction in the rate of duty payable to the Treasury, for £1.29 in the majority of its pubs. Pubs based in Scotland will be offering Caledonian’s Deuchars IPA and those in Wales will be offering Brains Bitter.

Richard Stringer from the Barracuda Pub Group said; “2012 is the perfect time to showcase all that is good and great about the British pub, with the Olympics, the Diamond Jubilee and all the visitors that these events will attract.

The pub is the only place to truly enjoy a pint of excellent ale and we want to encourage all those visiting the country to sample Britain’s national drink. We’ll be starting our commitment to cask ale with our January offer and throughout the year we will be creating activity to positively promote cask ale in our business. We will also be delivering further training to our managers to ensure that every pint of cask ale served in our business is in perfect condition and leaves our customers with nothing but good things to say about cask ale.”

To find your nearest Smith & Jones pub, please visit: www.smithandjonespubs.com

(EDITOR: I know where my nearest Smith and Jones pub is! I think I'll be paying it a visit, this week!)

Alcohol Pricing: Better England Free than England Sober

The Libertarian Alliance, the radical free market and civil liberties institute, today has issued a strong and trenchant condemnation of proposals to make it harder for poor people to buy alcohol. The proposals include higher taxes, compulsory minimum prices for drink, further controls on advertising, and power to close down retailers. The only disagreement between the three main parties is how far they wish to go.

Speaking today in London, Dr Sean Gabb, Director of the Libertarian Alliance, commented: “These measures, if adopted, amount to an attack on the poor. The ruling class politicians who continually whine about alcohol will not be affected by minimum pricing or the abolition of special offers. I might add that none of them can be affected by such laws. Income aside, anyone who lies his way into Parliament can look forward to round the clock drinking in the Palace of Westminster of untaxed alcohol.

“But the measures will hurt poor people, for whom alcohol will become cripplingly expensive and hard to find. They have the same right to drink as the rest of us. Bearing in mind the problems willed on them by our exploitative ruling class, they often have a greater need to drink.

“The claim that drinking ’causes’ public disorder is nonsense. Alcohol does not run about the streets. People do. If people are making nuisances of themselves, the police should be instructed to stop behaving like some equivalent of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and to start protecting life and property again.

“The claim that drinking makes people unhealthy is irrelevant, where not a lie. People must be regarded as responsible for their own mistakes. Anyone who bleats about increased cost to the National Health Service should consider that drinkers already pay more in taxes than the alleged cost of treating their specific illnesses.

“We oppose all controls on the availability of alcohol to adults. Better England free than England sober.”

The Libertarian Alliance believes:

* That all the licensing laws should be repealed;
* That all controls on the marketing of alcohol should be repealed;
* That alcohol taxes should be reduced to the same level as the lowest in the European Union, and that there should be no increase in other taxes;
* That not a penny of the taxpayers’ money should be given to any organisation arguing against the above.

That's Health: A new very healthy alternative to sugar? It's call...

That's Health: A new very healthy alternative to sugar? It's call...: Sugar has been part of our diet for hundreds of years and remains a staple of our everyday lives. It has three main drawbacks however, which...

That's Health: Diabetes. What it is, what it does, what to do wit...

That's Health: Diabetes. What it is, what it does, what to do wit...: Diabetes. At one time a diagnosis of diabetes was considered as either as death sentence or at the very least either a series of painful inj...

That's Christmas: Don't Yell for Yodel!

That's Christmas: Don't Yell for Yodel!: Don't yell for Yodel! That's the message that many customers are sending to mail order firms like Amazon, Littlewoods, Early Learning Centre...

That's Christmas: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

That's Christmas: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the team behind the That's Team of online magazines! We hope that you are able to get and to giv...