Gourmet salts contain almost 100 per cent sodium chloride, just like average table salt, meaning that they are likely to have exactly the same effect on your blood pressure and health.

Claims that rock and sea salts are “natural” and “contain minerals” are misleading and should be ignored, according to the report, which has been published by scientists leading a campaign to reduce the amount of salt consumed in the UK, backed by Which?, the consumers’ association.

A survey of Which? members suggested that almost 50 per cent of consumers thought that it was worth paying more for gourmet salt. About 25 per cent thought gourmet salts were healthier, while 39 per cent believed they were more natural.

Sue Davies, chief policy adviser at Which?, said: “Many of us are trying to reduce the amount of salt in our diet but our research shows people are needlessly spending more money on ‘premium’ salt because they often believe it is healthier than traditional table salt.”

Gourmet salts contain almost 100 per cent sodium chloride, just like average table salt, meaning that they are likely to have exactly the same effect on your blood pressure and health. One leading campaigner said that the large crystals favoured by gourmet salt manufacturers were possibly more damaging because they took longer to dissolve, and taste less salty as a result.

“It is disgraceful that chefs still encourage people to use so much sea and rock salt,” said a spkesman at the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine.  He added  that measures had been taken to warn of the dangers of salt and health, with consumption in Britain falling by 10 per cent from 2005 to 2008. There has also been an increase in demand for LoSalt, which has 66 per cent less sodium.

Nutritionalists and healthcare professionals are  angry at claims made on packaging to encourage consumers to pay high prices. “They should not be allowed to get away with it!”

Among the offenders identified by the report was the Cornish Sea Salt Co. It claims to retain “over 60 naturally occurring trace elements and minerals essential for wellbeing”. It typically costs 75p per 100g, compared with just 8p for Saxa table salt. The most expensive salt in the study was fine Himalayan Crystal Salt, with a 1kg bag costing £13.46, or £1.35 per 100g. It claims to be “a salt that’s good for you . . . that even your doctor will like”.

Your GP is much more likely to be happier if you were to invest the money saved by not buying gourmet salt on a good quality blood pressure monitor which you can use regularly at home to keep a record on your blood pressure – one of the leading causes of heart disease and stroke.

A nutritionist specialising in studying the effects of salt and health said: “Most of the salt we eat, about 75 per cent, is hidden in food we buy.”

Cornish Sea Salt Co declined to issue a statement but pointed to articles that highlighted the health benefits of unrefined sea salt over table salt.

As with a traditional superhero, it helped that Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall had such a straightforward moral message; one that he kicked off six months ago in his first Fish Fight. “Things are not just bad, they’re mad,” he said with comic-book simplicity as he reminded us of practices such as “discards”, whereby fish caught that exceed quotas, are too young or too unpopular are simply chucked, dead, back in the sea. To the obscenely wasteful tune of more than a million tonnes per year.

It also helped enormously that, unlike a traditional superhero, Hugh created a gimmick-free zone, a dressed-down approach to revolutionary change with weapons no more controversial than an iPhone app, showing viewers how to cook gurnard instead of cod. Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall neither resorted to dressing up as a mackerel nor weeping salty tears as he pushed for progress (the brief presence of Jamie Oliver reminded us that, in other hands, both would have been viable campaigning methods).

Instead he had started a Mexican wave through the good, old-fashioned means of getting people to write to their MP; one that, backed with camera-power, had led to the funding of a government study and an emergency debate on discards. How gracefully, understatedly Hugh knew how to use the telly. The last large tuna supplier on his hit list converted to friendlier fishing methods not after any guerrilla action but after a one-line e-mail sent to the head honcho. Hugh’s simple PS: “I am being filmed sending this to you so an early reply would be good.”

Of course, the camera wasn’t exclusively a force for good. How daft did the MP Zac Goldsmith look — he who had catalysed the emergency debate — when he almost missed it. Instead of moving to the chamber he was still busy in the lobby, flirting with HF-W’s lens. And note Hugh’s careful phrasing as he took the fight to the EU: “Every MEP in Brussels wants to be seen to be supporting the Fish Fight”. “Seen to” indeed: a comedy rota of MEPs scrabbled to be in-shot with HF-W, some choreographing photo opportunities so explicitly that they even told the chef how to position his hands. As we left Hugh and his remarkable leaps forward, he noted that he would have to keep an eye on this seat of power, to make sure the EU reforms he had pushed for “actually happen”. Implicit in these parting words seemed to be: of all the species we had met on Fish Fight, the slipperiest perhaps is the politician.

Margaret wrote:

Well this has certainly made interesting reading. I have laughed so much at some of the stories but think it may be nervous laughter as I have two buckets of the stuff sitting in my garage! I have never attempted to make my own wine, beer or indeed anything like this before so don’t quite know what to expect. I will be bottling it tomorrow into plastic screw top bottles which previously had fizzy water in them, compliments of Tesco. I am wondering what to expect from the bottles having read some of the hilarious comments on here. Should I prepare for the worst? dress in combat gear, goggles, hard hat and wear asbestos gloves? Perhaps I could hire a suit of armour from somewhere, better to be safe than sorry! I will keep it in the garage I think, safely covered in a duvet and a tarpaulin. Only hope I like the stuff after all of this!

Hedgerows are festooned with elderflower in full bloom right now so once again I urge you to go pick a few heads (ideally on a warm still sunny day) and make your own delightful drinks – just remember to leave some flowers to mature into elderberries for the wine makers and of course our feathered friends.

Cheers

Twitter this #dontbenastyhaveapasty

The cornish pasty has been awarded protected food status by the good thinking people of the European Union.

From mid-March only pasties actually made in Cornwall can be called Cornish

The Cornish pasty, once the daily fare of tin miners, is going back to its origins thanks to this  protected food status granted by the European Commission.

From March 2011 only savoury pasties actually made in Cornwall can be called Cornish. The Protected Geographical Indication status also lays down the recipe and exact appearance of an official Cornish pasty.

The cornish pasty  joins over forty other British food products, including whitstable oysters, Dorest Blue cheese and West Country Farmhouse Cheddar Cheese (what a mouthful), whose origins are protected by law.

The decision follows almost a decade of campaigning by cornish pasty producers who have been increasingly concerned about competitors from outside the region being able to legally pass off their products as Cornish when they aren’t “proper jobs”

The essential ingredients of a Cornish pasty are:

• “chunky filling” of uncooked beef (skirt preferably)
• swede NOT carrot
• potato
• onion
• light seasoning
• no additives or preservatives

The ingredients are cooked together in a classic D shaped pastry case  glazed with milk or egg to ensure it is golden brown in colour, with a crimped crust running along one side.

Alan Adler, chairman of the Cornish Pasty Association, which represents about 40 makers and first applied for protected status in 2002, said that authentic Cornish pasties could still be baked elsewhere in Britain but need to be prepared in Cornwall. He said: “By guaranteeing the quality of the Cornish pasty, we are helping to protect our British food legacy.

“We lag far behind other European countries like France and Italy that have hundreds of food products protected, and it’s important that we value our foods just as much.”

David Rodda of the Cornwall Development Company, and spokesman for the association, said that the new status would protect Cornwall’s economy.

The association’s members produce 87 million pasties a year, worth a total of £60 million.

“Receiving protected status for the Cornish pasty is good news for consumers but also for the rural economy. By protecting our regional food heritage, we are protecting local jobs,” he said.

“Thousands of people in Cornwall are involved in the pasty industry and it’s important that the product’s quality is protected for future generations.”

The earliest known recipe for a Cornish pasty is dated 1746 and is held by the Cornwall Record Office in Truro. Legend has it that the pasty started life as lunch for miners who carried it by the crimped “handle”.

A spokesperson from Nosh Blog Amateur Gastronomy remarked “I thought that Devonshire pasties were the original pasty of the land….am I mistaken?”

They peel them with their metal knives……then they smash them up to bits!

Cadbury, make of Smash was initially sceptical of the campaign, saying it trivialised the product. Agency Boase Massimi Pollitt insisted it would be a success and the ads ran for 10 years, turning Smash into one of our most famous brands.

The Martians were the brainchild of creative ad man John Webster, aslo responsible for Sugar Puff’s Honye monster, the Hofmeister bear and for matchin gGary Linkeker with Walker’s crisps.

The Martian voices were provided by Peter hawkins, whose othe performances included a daleck in Doctor Who, Captain Pugwash and both Bill and Ben, the Flower Pot Men.

Composer Cliff Adams said that the jingle to accompany ‘for Mash get Smash’ took just one second  to compose!

viddler

Always pleased to support South West tourism we are delighted to publish this guest article written by Isaac Bullen who writes for a number of Cornish business including Campers in Cornwall.

Editors note – it was somewhat disappointing not to see any mention of a decent pasty being served at any of these establishments…..future guest posters take note!

My idea of bliss is to spend a lazy day on the beach interspersed with the occasional ‘body boarding session’ and indulge on burnt BBQ food smothered in ketchup.  Admittedly, my day does not feel 100% complete unless the sunset is watched with a glass of wine or  nursing a well-brewed pint of Cornish Ale.

Cornwall is not famous for its functional public transport.  We have found that the very best of the sunset spots are those that are remote, thus requiring someone to be the dreaded designated driver.  The above partly contributed to why we purchased a van. We can now travel the county (and country) at ease, visiting the most beautiful of places at our leisure. It is something you simply must do.

There are some fantastic pubs to visit in Cornwall each sporting a superb range of ales, good grub and occupying stunning locations with plenty of outdoor activities for all. If this sounds like ‘your thing’ then read the North Coast Ale Trail Guide below. It will take you on a journey to ten different public houses, each with different and unique offerings.

The Old Wanehouse

Starting at the top of Cornwall take a trip to The Old Wanehouse. Situated in Bude this pub is located close to the South West Coast Path – a perfect opportunity to stretch the legs and build up a healthy appetite. Treat yourself to their mouth watering 21-day matured steak.

Further down the coast in Tintagel we have a quaint and quintessentially English café – Wyldes Café. Gorge on a traditional cream tea. Try not to over indulge as this part of the coast is famous for being King Arthur’s legendary home and is well worth exploring.

The Rising Sun – Altarnun

Slightly inland, located on the edge of Bodmin moor near the very pretty village of Altarnun is The Rising Sun.  Chef and owner, Andy Mason, uses only the finest, locally sourced ingredients to create his mouth-watering and varied menu.  A full range of wines and spirits is available, and the pub is home to Penpont Brewery, a micro-brewery located less than 2 miles away in the Inny Valley.  Real Ales produced by Penpont Brewery are available on draught, or in bottles, in the pub, and include the very popular St Nonna’s, Rough Tor and Cornish Arvor.   A warm welcome, fabulous food, and brilliant beer await you at the Rising Sun!

The Journeyman

If your taste buds are hankering after something international then head to The Journeyman. Nestled in-between Padstow and Wadebridge (1/2 mile from St Issey) this pub offers something for everyone with over 50 dishes selected from the worlds finest cuisines.

For a decent lunch, drive down the coast to Newquay.  Sitting discreetly within the cliffs of South Fistral Beach you will find Bodhi’s. Enjoy an epic Bodhi burger overlooking stunning views from the balcony of the World Famous surfing mecca that is Fistral Beach.

A good sundown spot is Seiner’s in Perranporth.  They have daily bbq’s (weather permitting) on the decking that overlooks a beautiful five-mile stretch of golden sand.

Blue Bar at Porthtowan is also a good place to soak up the very last few daily offerings of Cornish sunshine. This original beach bar brasserie is well known for its seasonal, local and freshly prepared food. The live music at the weekends is a popular haunt of locals.

Another haunt of locals, fisherman and artists is the Sloop Inn at St Ives.  This is to believed to date from about 1312 A.D. Being situated right on the harbor front at St Ives with only a cobbled forecourt and road separating it from the sea, it is a perfect place to watch the world go by. All of the beaches, shops and art galleries, including the Tate Gallery, are within easy walking distance.

Last but not least take the time to explore one of the most remote parts of Cornwall: Zennor.  This area is one of the country’s most dramatic coastlines, one that has inspired artists and walkers for centuries.  Enjoy lunch or dinner at the Tinners Arms. The Tinners is a refuge from the modern pace of life where you will not find a TV, jukebox or fruit machine.  Your mobile phone will not receive signal. All this leaves you to do is to relax in front of the fire with a quiet pint of real ale and some Cornish cheese or a locally reared steak. The perfect way to end your North Coast ale trail.  Enjoy!

This guest article was written by Isaac Bullen who writes for a number of Cornish business including Campers in Cornwall a business who provide VW Campervan Hire in Cornwall, for your next holiday why not look at Campervan Hire in Cornwall?

Last week the purple potato went on sale in the UK. Are there any nutritional  benefits to eating brightly-coloured vegetables?

Purple Majesty potato

This spud gets its deep, disconcerting colour from pigments known as anthocyanins. These pigments have antioxidant properties and may help to prevent the oxidation of bad cholesterol and lessen the risk of platelets clumping, thus thinning the blood and preventing blood clots.

Purple sprouting broccoli

When you choose to eat purple broccoli as well as the vitamins in ordinary broccoli, such as C and E, you are adding also some extra purple-coloured antioxidants as well as potassium, that helps to control blood pressure

Beetroot

The rich colour is due mainly to a group of pigments known as betacyanins. It has been shown that a 250ml glass of beetroot juice a day relaxes blood vessels and lowers blood pressure. Beetroot also contains betaine, that helps to lower homocysteine in blood, which in high levels can clog arteries.

Sloes

Sloes are a variety of wild damson that grow on blacktorn bushes.  Not necessarily associated with medicinal or health benefit many people derive great pleasure in sipping home made sloe gin – not the weak expensive branded version but fortified and sweetened to taste.

Lollo Rosso lettuce

Most lettuce has the yellow pigment lutein that helps to protect eyes from sun damage and beta-carotene thought to be helpful for heart and lung health and to help protect skin from the sun’s damaging ultraviolet rays. Lollo Rosso also has quercetin, a supernutrient thought to help fight viruses.

Aubergine

The deeply pigmented purple is only found in the skin, so to reap the benefits, make sure that you eat the skin, as you will in dishes such as ratatouille, roasted aubergine and moussaka. Aubergines also give us the supernutrients known as saponins which help to lower cholesterol.

His company sells more than 80 varieties of tea direct to customers, online and to hotels, shops and restaurants, and will turn over £3m this year.

Edward Eisler travels to Asia to find teas for customers such as the private bank Coutts.

As a penniless student in Paris, Edward Eisler decided he couldn’t change his life for all the tea in China — but he could for some of its finest brews. “I had a light-bulb moment and felt I had to do something. I came back to London and started putting my heart and soul into tea,” said Eisler.

His company, Jing Tea, sells more than 80 varieties direct to customers online and to hotels, shops and restaurants, and will turn over £3m this year.

You have to deal with people and all kinds of outside pressures, and unless you are really interested in what you are doing and there is something about it that inspires you, you won’t make the effort needed to make the business work

The youngest of five children, Eisler was born and brought up in the hamlet of Yavington, near Winchester. His father was a director of Vickers, the engineering company, and spent a lot of time abroad negotiating deals to build oil refineries in Iran and China.

Eisler first showed an interest in tea at the age of eight when he mixed blends of Ceylon and Assam in his parents’ kitchen. At 15, while travelling round Europe with friends, his interest developed into a passion.

“I went to an amazing teahouse in Prague where they had lots of Chinese teas,” he said. “The atmosphere, the taste and the different way it looked really interested me.”

He was educated at Winchester College and travelled to China in his gap year, where he was surprised to discover the vast number of tea varieties. “In one region alone, there are hundreds of different varieties and tastes. The way it’s made and the way people drink it in China is amazing to see.”

Eisler also became interested in Chinese medicine after a doctor cured him of heatstroke by placing suction cups all over his body.

His roaring temperature dropped and his racing pulse slowed after five minutes. He studied Chinese at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London for a year, before embarking on a degree in Chinese medicine at the University of Westminster.

It was while attending a conference in Paris during his final year in 2003 that he suddenly got the idea to start a company selling tea.

He wrote a business plan and raised the finance by using the remains of his student loan, borrowing £5,000 on credit cards and getting a £10,000 loan from his father. Much of the next year was spent doing research and travelling to meet potential suppliers in China, Taiwan, India and Sri Lanka.

Eisler found there was a demand for quality tea in Britain because the big suppliers had narrowed the range of teas on the market. “I wanted to put tea on the table that would make people say, this is something really different.”

With his wife Louise, whom he met while travelling in Nepal, he came up with the name, Jing, which means “essence” in Mandarin Chinese. Among the varieties he sells are Dragon Well, one of China’s most famous green teas.

Another is Jasmine Pearls, a hand-rolled green tea that is picked in April, kept in storage until mid-summer, then scented with fresh jasmine flowers when they come into season.

One of Jing’s first clients was Coutts, the private bank. Then came Harrods. The Knightsbridge store agreed to sell Eisler’s Iron Buddha oolong tea which, at £1,700 a kilogram, made headlines as one of the most expensive teas outside Asia. It sold out in two weeks.

By the end of 2005, Eisler was supplying the Fat Duck, Heston Blumenthal’s award-winning restaurant, and turning over £100,000. In 2006 turnover rose to £350,000. In that year Eisler launched a website to sell teas online.

It was a disaster. The press reviews on the weekend of the launch were glowing but the server went down and customers couldn’t buy anything. “It was one of the most frustrating experiences of my life,” said Eisler.

It taught him not to cut corners. “Had we gone for a higher-specification server and spent a bit more money, we could have done better,” he said. “If customers can’t buy your product, you are not going to make any money.”

The website, which sells teapots and other accessories as well as tea, now accounts for almost 20% of total revenue and online sales are growing fast.

Last year Jing, which supplies Starwood Hotels and Resorts in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, signed a deal to supply its Asia-Pacific hotels as well.

The business has plans to expand further into Asia. It has offices in London and Hong Kong, with 15 staff, and owns five warehouses round the world.

Being an entrepreneur is a big challenge, said Eisler, 31, who has two children. He owns 65% of the company and the rest is owned by his parents.

His advice to others hoping to set up a business is to choose something that will hold your interest.

“You have to deal with people and all kinds of outside pressures, and unless you are really interested in what you are doing and there is something about it that inspires you, you won’t make the effort needed to make the business work,” he said.

By attaching its name to the ultimate in overdoing it, Pepto, which is owned by Procter & Gamble, may have found a receptive audience. “[Competitive] eaters have been using it for years,” said George Shea, chairman of Major League Eating, the event organizer…. Sauce

It is a sad commentary on our society. That they have a “major league eating” that can actually exist as an organization is even a sadder commentary .

However I believe in a free market, and defend the right of people to engage in any commerce they desire. The most important market is that of ideas. To be “frank” , hot dog eating contests are among the “wurst” entertainments in the culture, though they seem to be “on a roll.” I do not “relish” such events, have never “mustard” any interest, and hope the participants “ketchup” with better alternatives.

A funny NY Post headline from many years ago: “blokey (can’t remember the name) wins by a nose.” The winner stuffed his mouth so much that bits of hot dog were coming out through his nostrils!

A guest article by Sarah PJ White author of “The Little Book of Elder”

Elder is a familiar site in the UK, Europe and North America.  It is one of those plants you probably see everywhere but never realise what it is, or indeed how useful it can be.  The flowers and berries can be used to make drinks – see how to make Elderflower Champagne, edible delights, medicinally and cosmetically.

The masses of flat-topped, creamy-white flowers start to appear from Mid May if weather is good, filling your senses with their heady, honey aroma.  They can easily be picked for using fresh in recipes like Elderflower Cordial – delicious mixed with spring water, or used as a base for other recipes.  If you are short on time, you can lay them out to dry for storage or later use in various guises – tea being one of the more popular recipes, as it can help alleviate hay fever, colds and flu, and period pain to name a few.

Image – judyofthewoods http://www.flickr.com/photos/68888883@N00/3647949351/
Elderberries start to appear from the end of September.  The glossy black berries hang heavy on red stalks, ripe for use.  Again, they can be used fresh in wines or dried for later use in pies, jams and as a cold or flu syrup.

For all those gardeners out there, you can also use the leaves to make an effective pesticide.  This can combat Carrot Fly and Cucumber Beatle.

I often make an Elderflower Infusion ready for use, as it comes in handy – especially if you have children – a quick dab will help heal cuts and grazes, sun burn, spots, bites and stings!  It truly is an under-used, hidden treasure that thoroughly deserves the title ‘Queen of Herbs’.

For more information on the use of Elder, take a look at Sarah’s latest ebook entitled “The Little Book of Elder” by visiting the website at http://www.theelderbook.com