German authorities have reported that a mix of sprouted seeds, which are used in salads and includes lentils, alfalfa seeds, fenugreek and adzuki beans, could be the cause of the E.coli outbreak.*

The potentially affected products have been distributed locally within Germany and there is no evidence that they have entered the UK. As a precaution, the German authorities have withdrawn the potentially affected produce from the market.

The sprouted seed mix has been identified as a possible cause of the outbreak because of a link between food businesses that have used the sprouted seeds and people becoming ill from E.coli. Samples of the seeds are being tested for the presence of E.coli and initial results are expected later today. We are anticipating further updates as the German authorities continue their investigations.

The Agency is reminding consumers of the importance of basic food hygiene practices when preparing food.

It is a good idea to wash fruit and vegetables before you eat them to ensure that they are clean, and to help remove germs that might be on the outside. Peeling or cooking fruit and vegetables can also remove these germs.

*Initial reports are that the 23 samples tested so far have been found negative for the strain of E.coli implicated in the outbreak. Other samples are being tested and we await further information from the German authorities.

This article is brought by Eating Britain

In addition, some foods made using cereals that have been specially processed to remove most of the gluten, but which contain less than 100 parts in a million, will be able to make the claim ‘very low gluten’. These include substitutes of certain staple foods such as bread.

Read the rest of New rules for gluten free foods

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You are not just what you eat. You are what you can digest and absorb. The fundamental design of the human body is a tube – like a doughnut with a hole in the middle. We, like other animals, spend our physical lives processing organic matter for waste. How good you are at this determines your energy level, longevity and state of body and mind, as well as your digestion.

Over a lifetime, no less than 100 tons of food passes along the digestive tract and 300,000 litres of digestive juices are produced by the body to break it down. Our ‘inside skin’ – a thirty foot long tract with a surface area the size of a small football pitch – is only the thickness of a quarter of a sheet of paper. Amazingly, most of the billions of cells that make up this barrier between us and the inside world are renewed every four days. It’s also where we make many key brain neurotransmitters and hormones that change how you feel.

Read the rest of Tune up your digestion

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Mixologist and cocktail expert Ben Reed is giving top advice on preparing the perfect tipple, in this live webchat. Wondering which liqueurs go well with a mince pie or what cocktails are best to serve during winter? Well this is your chance to have your questions answered live by the master.

Forget Grandma’s old sherry, spice up your winter warmer with a cocktail list to make even Tom Cruise jealous. Log on and find out how to make your guests’ taste bud tingle make your yuletide bash a night to remember!

Mixologist Ben Reed will be live online, on Thursday 4th December for tips on making the perfect cocktails for the Christmas period.

Click here to submit questions before the chat

For more information visit www.firstdrinks.co.uk

This article is brought by Eating Britain

As a fully fledged foodie I spend a lot of time eating out, but whether it’s at a Deli, the local greasy spoon or a smart restaurant I suffer from a very British affliction. You’ll recognise the scenario, the meal isn’t up to scratch and you spend 5 minutes complaining to your dinner companion and the waiter comes over to enquire ‘Is everything OK?’ and your response is ‘Fine thanks, lovely’ and then you kick yourself and spend the rest of the meal moaning but will probably leave a tip – it’s impolite not to!

How often do we put up with poorly cooked meals and substandard ingredients but are far too polite to complain? In other countries it doesn’t happen, the French would be up in arms, Americans would rather complain than not, Italians just wouldn’t put up with it. But us Brits don’t like to make a fuss, claiming we’ll vote with our feet instead but essentially we cop out. This is the case for a lot of transactions but especially when we’re eating out, we put up, make do and bow out.

On Saturday my husband and I were served an overpriced, poorly prepared lunch at a nearby Hotel, we did complain and, in fairness, they were very apologetic and did all they could to remedy our complaints. The situation did, however, spark off the conversation that maybe our reluctance to complain means Chefs will just carry on regardless, without our feedback they may think that everything is fine. And, if we don’t make our feelings known we aren’t giving them the opportunity to make amends. Given our foodie status we’re actually very well placed to give constructive feedback but whilst we eat out a couple of times a week rarely do we give an honest and specific response. If the foods good we’ll often throw in a cursory ‘lovely’ or ‘very nice’ but not much more.

So we’ve made a pact, for the next 3 months, when asked, we’ll give detailed and candid feedback both positive and negative, and I throw down the gauntlet to you too. There are two critical elements to remember though. Firstly to be really specific and constructive stating what you liked and why you liked it and the same for what you didn’t like. Secondly, if you’ve had more than 3 glasses of wine, let it lie! So join us in taking the waiter by the horns and seeing if we can make a difference. If we don’t change the face of British eateries, we’ll at least make ourselves feel a bit better!

Are you honest when it comes to telling the waiter what you really think? Do you keep schtum and just think, well, I won’t be coming here again? We’d love to hear about your experiences and any feedback you’ve received.

This article is brought by Eating Britain

Teaching children to cook both encourages them to eat well and equips them with one of the key skills they’ll need when they grow up. Seeing the fruits of their labours emerging from the oven gives kids a real sense of achievement, and it hardly needs saying that that the messier the ingredients that go into their culinary masterpieces are, the more they like it. Baking is especially good fun, and that’s why Annabel’s chosen to share scrumptious baking recipes with you that are a piece of cake for kids to make. She’ll also be telling you about The Kellogg’s Big Bake, a new campaign that aims to get children cooking up a storm all over the country with the ultimate prize of appearing in a Kellogg’s TV advert in May.  Log on to the chat and get ready to join in the yumminess with your young ‘uns.

Annabel Karmel joins will be live online, on Wednesday 3rd December from 3pm to 3.30pm to discuss how to get your kids baking.

Click here to submit questions before the chat

For more information visit www.thebigbake.co.uk

This article is brought by Eating Britain

Having to cook for just yourself has a way of sapping the inspiration from mealtimes. For most singletons, no matter how well-intentioned at first, it usually winds down to a choice between beans on toast or a microwave dinner in front of the telly. But now food companies and supermarkets have responded by developing ranges of dinners for one. Major manufacturers are also introducing scaled-down versions of their products specifically with singletons in mind.

And just because no one is coming to dinner doesn’t mean you can’t treat yourself. That’s the rationale behind a new cookbook devised by celebrity chef Alan Coxon – The Singles Cookbook, “With so many single households, I thought it was essential to have a cookbook that delivers dishes to please one person,” he says.

Alan’s also enthused about the appearance on the shelves of single-person sized versions of food products. He singles out new 50g sized ‘Mini Blocks’ of Lurpak Butter as an example of how such bijou products are helpful not just to one-person menus, but to the environment. “They ensure people cut down on food waste whilst retaining product freshness,” he says, “they also cater to singletons who love to cook and eat well but don’t need to cater to an entire household. It’s perfect.”

For more information visit  www.lovelurpak.co.uk

This article is brought by Eating Britain

Product details

The affected products are:

* Country Life Spreadable
* Pack sizes: 250g and 500g
* Batch codes: 8285 and 8286
* Use by: 20 December 2008 and 21 December 2008

Dairy Crest has recalled the affected products. Product recall notices will appear in the national press today, Thursday, 13 November 2008 and point-of-sale notices will be displayed in shops where the products are sold. These notices will explain why the products have been recalled. Anyone who has bought them should not eat them and should contact the customer care team. The contact details for the customer care team are:

telephone: 0800 328 5344
email: clsrecall@dairycrest.co.uk

Write to:
Consumer Care Manager
Freepost Country Life Spreadable
Dairy Crest
SY1108
Telford
TF6 6ZA

No other Country Life products or other products made by Dairy Crest are affected.

Source

Food Standards Agency

This article is brought by Eating Britain

Product details

The recalled products are:

Infused Olive Oil (in the following types of flavour):

* Rosemary
* Thyme
* Basil
* Garlic
* Lime
* Lemon
* Chilli

Best before: all date codes up to and including March 2009

Size: 250ml and oil from cask

The company has recalled the affected products. Product recall notices will be displayed in shops that sell the products, explaining why they have been recalled. Anyone who has bought any of the olive oil listed above can return it for a full refund.

Source:

Food Standards Agency

This article is brought by Eating Britain

All the tempting Divine products are made using only the finest cocoa beans from smallholder farmers in Ghana.  45,000 farmers supply all Divine’s high quality cocoa and because the entire Divine range is Fairtrade certified, they are guaranteed a fairer deal.  As the farmers also own a 45% stake in the Divine business this means they contribute to the running of the company and share in the profits. Buying Divine for your loved ones will make everyone’s Christmas merrier!

So to enter the competition to win this gorgeous, guilt-free (well almost!) Advent calendar, just answer the question below and send your details to us via our Contact Page. The competition is open only to UK residents and closes on Friday 28th November 2008.

How old is Divine this year?

Good luck!

To buy Divine advent calendars click here.

To buy Divine gifts click here.

This article is brought by Eating Britain