1. Survey Reveals Lack of Vegetable Origin Knowledge

    Did you know that 20 per cent of adults think parsnips grow on trees? A recent survey by the Potato Council showed a very worrying lack of knowledge about how some of our most basic fruit & vegetables are grown.  But apparently only one in 20 adults asked felt embarrassed by this.  Read on to discover the other blunders the survey revealed.

    10 per cent of the 2,000 adults surveyed thought that tomatoes had to be dug up.  A fifth had never heard of a King Edward or a Maris Piper.  5% thought that a Granny Smith was a variety of potato.  These figures may surprise many, but with the vast array of pre-prepared & convenience foods available in supermarkets, perhaps it’s not such a surprise.

    Caroline Evans, from Potato Council, said: “Our research shows that some grown-ups still really need to brush up on their foodie knowledge.

    “It is worrying to think that there are people out there who believe types of apples to be potatoes and that well known varieties of British grown spuds are unheard of.

    “There is plenty of information available, such as our new potato classification guide, so they can brush up on their facts.

    “It’s especially important if children are inquisitive enough to ask where food comes from.”

    The research also revealed a basic inability to cook potatoes well. This wasn’t just for more complicated dishes like Potato Dauphinoise

    Half of people complained that their roast potatoes are not fluffy enough,  34 per cent said that they couldn’t get boiled potatoes to hold their shape.  A further 28 per cent were unhappy about the smoothness of their mash potato.

    The results came out for Potato Week as the Potato Council have launched a simple potato classification to try to avoid confusion over potato types - Fluffy, Salad and Smooth.

    Caroline Evans concluded: “Varieties of potato are a good guide but, as the survey shows, not everyone is aware of them.

    “Our classification system makes it easier for everybody to pick the potato that’s right for each dish, every time.” 

    What do you think of the survey results?  What can be done to improve people’s knowledge of where vegetables come from?  Do you think people should be encouraged to cook more fresh vegetable rather than relying on pre-prepared vegetables such as packs of mashed potato or frozen roast potatoes? Let us know your thoughts over on Great British Chefs Facebook page.

  2. Young people think bacon comes from cows

    A new study has shown that young people need more education about food & farming.  At Great British Chefs we were shocked to hear that a third of 16-23 year olds surveyed didn’t know that bacon came from pigs, with 3% believing cows produced it. 

    Photo by David Griffen from Great British Chefs Bacon Recipe Collection

    Food certification body, Linking Environment & Farming (LEAF) also found that  less than half of 16 to 23-year-olds knew where butter came from.

    The organisation showed a range of pictures of crops and animals – including one of a dairy cow – to 2,000 young adults and asked them to identify which produced butter. A quarter said they could not even guess, while 8% believed butter came from beef cattle and 7% from wheat.

    Air dried ham, egg & parmesan by Dominic Chapman

    Even with items such as eggs the youngsters were scratching their heads.  A third could not identify that eggs come from hens, with ten per cent thinking they come from wheat or maize, while 12% believed that steak came from wheat or maize.

    They were also fairly clueless on the the time that crops took to grow.  One in 10 young people thought that potatoes, wheat and oats took less than a month to grow.

    Photo by David Griffen 

    Caroline Drummond chief executive of LEAF said young adults were becoming increasingly removed from where their food comes from.

    “We often hear reports that our food knowledge may be declining but this new research shows how bad the situation is,” she said. “Three in 10 adults born in the 1990s haven’t visited a farm in more than 10 years, if at all, which is a real shame as our farmers not only play an important role in food production but are passionate about engaging and reconnecting consumers too.”

    LEAF is holding Open Farm Sunday on the 17th June 2012, which encourages the general public to engage with farmers and food production.  For more information on the survey visit this link

    What do you think of the survey results? Do you think that young people should visit farms to get an appreciation of where food comes from?  Should the food industry do more to teach them about the importance of farming?  Let us know your thoughts over on Great British Chefs Facebook page. 

  3. Are Dinner Parties Too Costly? Survey says yes

    At Great British Chefs we were surprised to hear about a new survey, conducted by YouGov, which found that people aren’t hosting dinner parties very often because of the high cost of food and the effort required to cook.  Only a third of all British adults actually enjoy hosting dinner parties.  Discover more about the survey and let us know your thoughts here …

    Good Oil Dinner Party

    Photo by Chris Osburn

    Blog post by Mecca Ibrahim of Great British Chefs

    The poll of over 2,000 adults (on behalf of the Very Lazy cooking ingredients brand) found that only a third of all British adults actually enjoy hosting dinner parties.  Additionally a quarter of people asked said they avoid having dinner parties because of the stress levels involved in entertaining other people.

    Apparently the cost of the average dinner party in the UK is around £60 and most households host around six dinner parties a year.  This means an annual bill of £360.

    Photo by Chris Osburn

    Rob Cottam, Very Lazy’s head development chef, said: “Financially, times are tough, and our lives are so busy that choosing your menu, buying a long list of ingredients, preparing the dishes from scratch and being an attentive host can sometimes seem like more hassle and expense than it’s worth.

    “It’s a real shame as dinner parties are a brilliant way to concentrate on the three best things in life – friends, family and food.”

    Raspberry Meringue Puddings by Paul Ainsworth

    However it appears the results really depend upon where you live in the UK.

    Infographic by VeryLazy

    London is clearly the dinner party capital of the UK, where a fifth of all people “love” hosting events.

    Three in ten people in the West Midlands felt “very confident” in their cooking ability. Also people in Northern Ireland & Wales were found to be the most hardworking in the kitchen, with 43 per cent of them cooking every day of the week.

    Profiteroles by Geoffrey Smeddle

    Congratulations to Scotland the most adventurous of those surveyed, with half of all Scots experimenting with new dishes.

    Not such good news in the North East, where less than one in five people cook seven days a week.

    Infographic by VeryLazy

    The survey also found that couples with three or more children were most keen to host dinner parties, because it is cheaper for them to entertain at home than hire a babysitter for the night.

    If you are looking for dinner party ideas check out our Celebration party recipe collection 

    What do you think of the results?  How often do you host dinner parties?  Do you find it expensive to host a dinner party?  How stressful do you find them?  Let us know your thoughts over on Great British Chefs Facebook Page.  

  4. Lunchbox makes a comeback - Home made sandwiches on the rise

    Hoorah for the home made sandwich.  At Great British Chefs we were delighted to hear that a new survey has shown that sales of lunch boxes and food bags have risen by 40 per cent as more people opt for home-made sandwiches.

    According to a survey for Vouchercodes.co.uk people realised they can pay as much for takeaway food in a day as it would cost to make their own for a week.  Vouchercodes told The Daily Express  “The continuing financial downturn has forced people to tighten their belts.” 

    The sandwich industry is worth £5 billion a year with 2.7billion bought from stores and corner shops.  Our favourite sandwich is a ham sandwich, followed by cheese, chicken salad, egg and cress then the BLT.

    More than half of those 2,000 people asked spend less than £10 on lunch for a week, nine per cent get by on office biscuits and apparently 15 per cent of women skip lunch altogether!

    We’d love to hear your thoughts on all of this? What do you normally have for lunch?  How often do you make sandwiches?  What are some of your favourite sandwich fillings?  We’re discussing this over on Great British Chefs Facebook Page