TRIP is the official soft drink of Dry January. Find out what TRIP can do for you

Every January, people all over the UK decide to ditch drinking for the month. Considering that a third of adults report feeling anxious after alcohol (TRIP), breaking boozy habits is certainly a good way to start the year feeling healthier and happier.

Last year, 2023, 9 million UK adults participated in Dry January® (Alcohol Change UK), with similar numbers of participants expected this year. 

But one in three fail to make it to the end of the month without reverting to their usual drinking habits (reports YouGov); the tools and support of Alcohol Change UK make it much easier to enjoy lasting success.

Why? Studies show people often drink in order to unwind, and alcohol alternatives generally don't have the same calming effect. Swapping out your usual tipple for a booze-free option might leave you hangover-less, but often the soft drinks we reach for are filled with sugar or have other additives that won't help you to relax in the same way a glass of wine with dinner does.

It's for this reason Dry January® is widely assumed to be a month of sacrifice. We forget it doesn't have to be this way. Not drinking doesn't need to be boring.

Wellness expert and co-founder of non-alcoholic CBD drink brand TRIP Olivia Ferdi that it's possible to take the edge off without reverting to our normal drinking habits: “CBD can be an exciting part in how we socialise.”

But why the sudden demand? Studies indicate people are increasingly giving up drinking, and since most alcohol alternatives generally don't have the same calming effect, only TRIP can help people unwind in a similar way.

In the first month of this year, approximately 8.8 million adults attempted to go without alcohol (Source: Alcohol Change UK), and with its delicious and functional flavours, TRIP helped many of these people stay on track. In fact, among Generation Z - the most likely age group to be teetotal - 1 in 2 have now tried a CBD drink (Source: KAM Media and Drinkaware). 

As part of their awareness driving for Dry January, TRIP has begun working with Roman Kemp, a vocal advocate for looking after your mental health; Olivia Ferdi comments, “Roman was a natural choice to partner with to promote our Dry January campaign, which is encouraging people to unwind naturally with TRIP and avoid the dreaded alcohol hangiexty.”

Roman Kemp adds, "Have you recently been affected by that dreaded word… hangxiety? Well, you don't have to feel like that, that's why I'm sticking with TRIP. A non-alcoholic drink that still gives me that relaxation and feelings of unwinding without the horrible aftermath and only 24 calories, too."

With 30 million impressions on TikTok and Instagram in January alone it's increasingly obvious just how in demand these kinds of functional alcohol alternatives really are. It seems that the only way is up for TRIP. As a result, TRIP now appears above both trip.com and Tripadvisor when searching 'TRIP' on Google! As consumers change their habits to drive soft drink sales, it's no coincidence that the official drink of Dry January®, TRIP, is also the fastest selling soft drink nationwide.

https://www.drink-trip.com

Vegan campaign flag flies on International Space Station in historical first

Veganuary, the exciting global campaign to encourage people to try vegan food and drinks for January and also beyond, expanded into space in 2023 by sending a flag bearing its logo to the International Space Station where it orbited Earth 4,400 times, a historical first for a vegan campaign. This landmark event coincides with Veganuary’s 10th anniversary as the very first pledge took place in January 2014.

The initiative was the brainchild of Richard Garner, the founder and director of The Space Collective, who is also celebrating 10 years of being vegan this year.

Speaking about his idea, Richard says: “Why launch the first Veganuary flag into space? Well, why not? The future of spaceflight is vegan after all. Curious? As you should be! See, when humanity finally settles on a new world, those first brave explorers will be vegan by necessity.

Transporting the materials necessary to grow plants in space is considerably easier than transporting live animals. This is why NASA and other space agencies’ endeavours in prolonged spaceflight are centred around establishing greenhouses in space and on new worlds."

He went on to say: "Even as we speak, aboard the International Space Station where the Veganuary flag flew, there's a Vegetable Production System that allows astronauts to grow their own food. This also has the added benefit of enhancing the astronaut’s happiness and well-being as it is a touch of nature from home. After all, it's really amazing what a little bit of greenery does for the soul, isn’t it?

"The flag spent 275 days in space, orbiting Earth 4,400 times, travelling 112,000,000 nautical miles, and passing over every country on Earth. In a way, the flag followed the same journey as us, spreading the hope of a kinder, more compassionate world across the globe. Start as you mean to go on, right? To the stars with kindness.”

Veganuary’s Head of Communications, Dr Toni Vernelli, added: “It’s absolutely amazing how the presence and acceptance of veganism has grown around the world in the past 10 years and I know Veganuary’s friendly, non-judgemental, just-give-it-a-go-for-a-month-and-see-what-you-think approach has played an instrumental role in this shift.”

She added: “We’re thrilled to be now taking our message into space to spread this positive vegan vision even further. To everyone who took their first step towards a vegan diet with us in January 2014 – Happy 10th Veganniversary! To everyone taking their first step with us today – welcome to a growing movement taking positive action for a better world – and future worlds!”

There's no cost involved in joining Veganuary and readers of That's Food and Drink can sign up at veganuary.com to receive their new 7-Day Revolutionary Meal Plan, Celebrity eCookbook, the Official Veganuary Starter Kit and an e-mail a day throughout January packed with nutritional info, delicious recipes, more meal plans and helpful advice.  

Since Veganuary launched its first pledge 10 years ago, back in January 2014, millions of people, coming from almost every country in the world, have officially taken part. From humble beginnings on a kitchen table in Yorkshire, Veganuary now has campaign hubs in Germany, USA, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, India, Spain and the UK. It has truly become a global phenomenon.  

AI "no food safety magic bullet" warns expert

The food industry has been warned that AI technology is no magic bullet to ensure food safety and that developing the right culture should always be the first step.

While AI presents opportunities to improve overall efficiency within global food supply chains, LRQA believes that the industry needs to foster a culture in which food safety is emphasised at every part of the supply chain before new technologies can fully be leveraged.

Jan Kranghand, who is the Global Head of Food Centre of Excellence at LRQA, says: “Technological advances have the potential to revolutionise the way we approach food safety. AI systems could enable large amounts of data to be analysed to identify patterns and generate insights, while blockchain, which is an unchangeable digital record of transactions, promotes transparency by monitoring the movement of food products through the supply chain.

“But it's vital we put the foundations in place before we put all our faith in technology. Food is better than ever, but this must not be taken for granted. The food industry must prioritise transparency, ensure it is collecting the right data, and focus on creating a food safety culture.”

Jan says that many food businesses operate with a traditional, science-based approach that addresses food safety on a compliance basis: “Before organisations implement technologies such as AI, blockchain and the IoT (Internet of Things), they must first change the way they think.

“Moving forward, this means evaluating processes and asking if current techniques are fit for purpose. Companies must understand what ‘best-in-class’ food safety is, with business leaders driving change from the top. Plus, by taking a step back to assess systems, processes, and procedures, gaps can be identified to achieve a harmonised risk-based approach.”

The Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) defines culture as, ‘shared values, beliefs and norms that affect mindset and behaviour toward food safety in, across and throughout an organisation’. The GFSI’s position paper, A Culture of Food Safety, clearly stipulates the importance of all employees having a basic overview of hazards so they recognise the responsibility that comes when working in an industry that delivers consumable goods.

Jan went on to say: “For an effective food safety culture, implementation requires employee engagement. It’s about clearly explaining not just what staff need to do, but why these protocols matter and what the consequences of falling short are. Doing this helps gives teams ownership of food safety and ensures they feel more accountable for their actions.”

For organisations looking to implement or augment a strong culture, the Food Safety System Certification (FSSC 22000), among other schemes, offers an excellent framework for action. Supply chain integrity programmes from independent assurance specialists, such as LRQA, can also guide organisations on how to create a strong food safety culture that balances compliance with a holistic approach.  

Jan also points out that technology will have a role to play, but that a cultural framework is absolutely vital: “From a traceability perspective, a combination of technologies could provide end-to-end traceability, enabling consumers to verify the origin and quality of their food. If applied appropriately, they could also transform the risk analysis framework from reactive to proactive. And, when this comes together, auditors will be able to conduct a risk-based approach assessment rather than 'ticking the boxes' for scheme requirements. This added value will benefit us all.”

For more information on how to create a food safety culture, please visit www.lrqa.com. Or to download LRQA’s Food Safety Culture Whitepaper, follow this link https://www.lrqa.com/en-gb/resources/food-safety-culture-whitepaper

(Image courtesy of  Gerd Altmann from Pixabay)

TV Chef Theo Michaels has launched a special Veganuary recipe teaming up with SmarterNaturally

TV Chef Theo Michaels has launched a delicious Veganuary recipe for people who are looking to lower their blood sugar - a key risk factor for type-2 diabetes.

The TV star has teamed up with SmarterNaturally, an exciting UK company that has created a unique super-strain of broccoli with patented health-boosting properties.

Earlier this year Theo and SmarterNaturally launched a very popular series of cooking videos creating delicious food for people tackling type 2 diabetes.

Theo, who is an award-winning author and former MasterChef contestant, created the free online videos which show how to prepare a range of delicious, easy-to-make and diabetic friendly meals using the super soup.

And to celebrate Veganuary Theo has created a vegan pasta dish which is healthy and has a SmaterNaturally twist!

The new dish is called Sun Blushed Tomato and Walnut Pesto Rigatoni incorporating health boosting SmarterNaturally soup mixed with a dose of very smart science.

Packed with flavour and goodness, this is a great vegan recipe to have in your repertoire, using vegan parmesan alternative which doesn’t compromise on flavour while also being packed with goodness. Theo’s recipe makes enough for two servings and it keeps in the fridge for a week or the freezer for a month.

The dish uses courgettes, sunblushed tomatoes, walnuts, garlic, fresh coriander, vegan Parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt and the SmarterNaturally broccoli soup.

Theo Michaels said: “After being introduced to Smarter Naturally soup and reading the research behind the health benefits, I was sold on how beneficial their soup is for maintaining a healthy metabolism and supporting your body. 

"I set about creating recipes that are full of flavour that complement the broccoli soup as well as being type 2 diabetes friendly. I’m now excited to launch a special Veganuary dish which is delicious and healthy and I’m pleased to be working with such a talented team at SmarterNaturally who are dedicated to increasing the quality of life of so many people!”

SmarterNaturally’s super-strength broccoli (called ‘GRextra’) has created a ‘SuperSoup’ designed to support people suffering from diabetes (as well as high cholesterol and other health conditions).

The collaboration with Theo was designed to use both science and nutrition to help people with diabetes eat better and gain control of their blood sugar levels. The recipes are free to watch on SmarterNaturally’s website (www.SmarterNaturally.com/recipes) and show how the special broccoli soup can be used to create different flavoursome dishes -all of which contain a week’s worth of glucoraphanin (the health-boosting molecule which makes SmarterNaturally Soup so special).

Most people eat SmarterNaturally’s SuperSoup once a week by simply adding boiling water. But for those who prefer the culinary over convenience, Theo Michaels has given the soup a makeover to show just how easy it is to use as an ingredient in more exciting dishes instead.

Recipes in the series include Smoked Haddock with Cheddar Broccoli Sauce, Thai Green Curry and an Indonesian Laksa – all of which have been certified by nutritionists as diabetic friendly and can be made either vegetarian or vegan with just a few tweaks. In the coming weeks and months, Theo is planning to add more delicious meals to the list - all inspired by and incorporating the SuperSoup.

SmarterNaturally brand is owned by The Smarter Food Company, a spin-out from one of the UK’s leading food and health research organisations, the Quadram Institute.

 Laura Knight, CEO, SmarterNaturally said “Our SuperSoup is a science-backed functional food designed to support people with high blood sugar, and it’s really convenient.  Our long-term customers started to use the soup as an ingredient in all kinds of ways to keep things interesting.  

"That’s way we’re excited about our partnership with Theo; he’s using his creativity and skills in the kitchen to turn our SuperSoup into culinary delights that people can easily make and enjoy at home, safe in the knowledge that the recipe protects the bioactivity of the soup and analysed by a dietician as being suitable diabetics. It’s an important step forward for us in our goal of supporting prediabetics and diabetics on their journey towards a healthier future.”

For more information check out www.smarternaturally.com

THE VEGANUARY RECIPE:

Sun Blushed Tomato and Walnut Pesto Rigatoni

Serves 1

(with pesto for 2 dinners)

Delicious and easy diabetic friendly recipe with homemade sunblushed tomato and walnut pesto woven through a Smarter Naturally soup for a hearty and healthy vegan meal.

Ingredients

1 x40g sachet Smarter Naturally Soup

35g wholemeal rigatoni pasta

100g courgette, halved lengthways and sliced

Pesto:

90g sunblushed tomatoes in olive oil

30g walnuts

2 cloves garlic, medium size

Few sprigs fresh coriander + extra for garnish

20g vegan parmesan cheese + extra for garnish

Drizzle olive oil for garnish (optional)

½ tsp sea salt

Method:

Place pasta in boiling water and cook to packet instructions; about 8 minutes for al dente. Two minutes before the pasta finishes cooking; drop in the courgette to blanche.

While the pasta is cooking, add the sun blushed tomatoes (including any oil), walnuts, coriander (including the stalks), garlic, vegan parmesan to a food processor and pulse, adding a little water if it’s too thick, until you have a smooth thick paste. Decant into a sterialised jar and keep in the fridge for up to a week.

Add one sachet of SmarterNaturally soup to a bowl and pour in about 250ml of the pasta cooking water and mix together. Then add two heaped tablespoons (about 40ml) of the homemade pesto to the soup.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain, return the pasta and courgette back to the saucepan and pour in the prepared soup mixture and fold together, do not reheat. Serve in a bowl, garnishing with a pinch of additional vegan parmesan, drizzle of olive oil and some chopped coriander.

Theo’s top tips:

A pinch of chilli flakes go well as garnish just before serving.

Go gluten free by changing the pasta to GF.

Traditional Parmesan isn't vegetarian/vegan so you'd need to check out a vegetarian version. In fact, here are links to some home made artificial Parmesan cheese that you could try yourself or check out the non-dairy cheese substitute fridges at your favourite shop.

https://cookieandkate.com/easy-vegan-parmesan-cheese-recipe

https://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-vegan-parmesan-cheese

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Herb Gardening in the UK: Essential Culinary and Medicinal Herbs to Grow

Herb gardening is a timeless practice that transcends mere horticulture; it is a culinary and medicinal journey that connects us with nature's bounty. 

Here in the United Kingdom, where gardening is a cherished tradition, cultivating herbs offers a delightful and rewarding experience. Whether you have a sprawling garden or a small balcony, growing your own herbs not only adds freshness to your meals but also provides access to an array of medicinal benefits.

Culinary Herbs:

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis):

Flavorful and aromatic, rosemary is a staple in British kitchens. Its versatile nature makes it suitable for a variety of dishes, from roasted meats to baked goods. Known for its antioxidant properties, rosemary also supports digestion.

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris):

With a fragrant aroma and earthy taste, thyme is an indispensable herb in British cuisine. It pairs well with roasted vegetables, stews, and soups. Thyme is renowned for its antimicrobial properties and can be used medicinally.

Basil (Ocimum basilicum):

A favorite in Italian dishes, basil adds a sweet and aromatic touch to salads, pastas, and sauces. Rich in vitamins and minerals, basil also has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum):

As a versatile garnish, parsley enhances the visual appeal of dishes while providing a burst of freshness. High in vitamin K and C, it also supports bone health and boosts the immune system.

Chives (Allium schoenoprasum):

Delicate in flavor, chives are excellent for adding a mild onion taste to salads, soups, and omelets. These slender green stalks contain beneficial compounds that contribute to heart health.

Medicinal Herbs:

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia):

Known for its soothing fragrance, lavender has calming properties that make it ideal for teas or infusions. It promotes relaxation, aids in sleep, and can be used topically for minor skin irritations. Some varieties of lavender are edible and can make delicious cakes or scones. 

Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla):

A classic herbal remedy, chamomile is prized for its ability to calm the nerves and promote better sleep. Its anti-inflammatory properties also make it useful for soothing digestive issues.

Mint (Mentha spp.):

The invigorating scent and flavor of mint make it a popular choice for teas, desserts, and cocktails. Mint is known for its digestive benefits, relieving indigestion and nausea.

Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea):

Boost your immune system with echinacea, a herb renowned for its ability to ward off colds and infections. It is often consumed as a tea or in supplement form.

Calendula (Calendula officinalis):

Calendula, or marigold, is a medicinal herb with anti-inflammatory and antifungal properties. It's commonly used in ointments and salves to promote skin healing.

Embarking on a herb gardening journey in the UK opens up a world of culinary delights and natural remedies. Whether you're cultivating them for their aromatic flavors or harnessing their medicinal benefits, these essential herbs can transform your garden into a haven of well-being and gastronomic delight. Embrace the rich tradition of herb gardening, and let the fragrance of rosemary, thyme, and lavender fill your kitchen, enhancing both your meals and your health. Happy gardening!

(Image courtesy of OlgaofDG from Pixabay)

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