Bacon is at the top of Britain’s favorite 100 foods

Bacon is ahead of chicken, chocolate and even duck and lobster.

This report, by Food Network UK, also tells us that the banana is now Britain’s favourite fruit, coming in at number 8 on the list, ahead of apples.

Asparagus is the favorite vegetable, at number 14, and artichokes coming in at number 19.

Ice cream may be the top dessert, but it ranked at 27th.

Salmon was voted the top fish, in 15th.

Chilli is the favorite spice, 22nd.

English spread Marmite was voted 35th favorite food.

BRITAIN'S TOP 100 FAVORITE FOODS

1. Bacon

2. Chicken

3. Chocolate

4. Steak

5. Beef

6. Lamb

7. Bread

8. Banana

9. Baked beans

10. Apples

11. Strawberries

12. Avocado

13. Pasta

14. Asparagus

15. Salmon

16. Duck

17. Prawns

18. Apricots

19. Artichokes

20. Blue Cheese

21. Sausage

22. Chilli

23. Eggs

24. Anchovies

25. Cashew nuts

26. Cherries

27. Ice Cream

28. Lobster

29. Scallops

30. Almonds

31. Aubergine

32. Mushrooms

33. Blueberries

34. Garlic

35. Marmite

36. Black pudding

37. Pork

38. Tuna

39. Chorizo

40. Cod

41. Haddock

42. Mango

43. Raspberries

44. Tomatoes

45. Turkey

46. Yoghurt

47. Cereal

48. Rice

49. Venison

50. Broccoli

51. Grapes

52. Beetroot

53. Mussels

54. Pineapple

55. Coconut

56. Mackerel

57. Sea Bass

58. Sushi

59. Corned beef

60. Crumpets

61. Hummus

62. Peach

63. Porridge

64. Rhubarb

65. Trout

66. Blackcurrants

67. Custard

68. Halibut

69. Oranges

70. Sweets

71. Brussels sprouts

72. Butternut squash

73. Carrots

74. Golden Syrup

75. Noodles

76. Sweet potato

77. Watermelon

78. Cauliflower

79. Cucumber

80. Gravy

81. Kippers

82. Lentils

83. Mayonnaise

84. Melon

85. Onions

86. Pate

87. Peanuts

88. Pesto

89. Pomegranate

90. Popcorn

91. Sole

92. Spam

93. Cabbage

94. Carrot

95. Cous cous

96. Cranberries

97. Ginger

98. Goose

99. Ham

100. Honey

British couple catch 12-foot Sturgeon in North America

 

A couple from England just may have caught the biggest fish ever caught in North America, a 12-foot white sturgeon weighing 1,100 pounds.

Michael Snell, 65, and his wife, Margaret from England, caught the gigantic fish during a trip to Chilliwack, British Columbia in Canada.

Margaret held on to her husband during the hour-and-a-half hour long war to bring the fish to shore.

Michael Snell and his wife, Margaret, both of Salisbury, England, reeled in a 12-foot were in the Fraser River area, that's where they caught a five-foot long sturgeon in 2009. 

He tried to reel in the fish, but that battle took 45 minutes before he could even see the top of the fish.

His wife held on to his harness so he wouldn't be pulled into the water during the struggle.

Eventually they managed to get the fish to shore with the help of their guide, Dean Werk.

The fish, a white sturgeon 12 feet, four inches in length and a girth measured at 53 inches.

Michael said, 'It all happened so quickly. When we picked her head up out of the water, it was almost three feet wide. I never knew a fish could be that large.'

'A dinosaur', Dean Werk (left side of the photo) the couple's guide called the fish.

He said it was unlike anything he's seen, saying, 'I've been a professional fishing guide on the Fraser for 25 years and I've never seen a sturgeon this big.'

Bangers Banned: because of 'religious reasons'

  

Roast pork and sausages have always been a favorite when it comes to British eating.

And may we add, it's also one of our favorites here in the Voodoo Kitchen.

But now hundreds of school children will be denied pork and those delicious sausages for school lunches because of 'religious reasons'.

Pork  has been banned by councils across the country because the wants of staff and pupils who are not allowed contact with it.

So, school kids who may enjoy pork will be denied pork because of the religious beliefs of others.

The decision has been criticised by MPs who have said the ban will cause unnecessary resentment among pupils and religious leaders who said they never asked for a ban in the first place.

Muslim leaders have only ever asked that halal and non-halal meat be handled separately in an effort to avoid any cross contamination and for clear labelling when serving school dinners.

'Children at mainstream school who are bothered would probably have packed lunches,' he said to the Sunday Telegraph. 

'Children who are comfortable with using the same cutlery and crockery as everyone else would choose their dishes from the options available. It is live and let live - we are certainly not calling for this.'

Even though schools offer a vegetarian option, many feel this is a campaign for political correctness.

There is a lot of people saying that pupils should be able to choose not to have pork or not, but it's unfair to deny those with no objection to the meat.

Decisions like these may cause resentment among students with the feeling that the majority has to adjust to the minority. 

We suppose the question becomes, where do you stop? 

We've always thought it was best to let the individual decide what to eat, and not be forced because of political or religious reasons.

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee

We congratulate the Queen and her 60 years of reign.

Enjoy the Diamond Jubilee, and Eat, Drink and be Merry!

Celebrity Masterchef winner Phil Vickery

MasterChef winner Phil Vickery says cooking scared him more than rugby.

Celebrity MasterChef winner Phil Vickery said that cooking on the show was scarier than anything he faced on the rugby pitch.

MasterChef judges Gregg Wallace (L) and John Torode (R)


The 19 stone,(there are 14 pounds to a stone, so, he is 266 pounds) 6ft 3in, former England rugby captain, who won the title of Celebrity Masterchef said the show’s judges Gregg Wallace and John Torode reduced him to a trembling, nervous wreck.

“Being in the MasterChef kitchen was alien to me and bloody stressful,” said Phil, 35, who was nicknamed the Raging Bull during his playing days. “It was scarier than being on a rugby pitch."

“The most terrifying exper- ience was opening those kitchen doors on the first day and seeing the serious, po-faces of John and Gregg. It was terrifying."

“They showed no emotion and told us we had just 10 minutes to get started with a random recipe. The nerves got to me and I was shaking. John had to tell me to calm down and breathe.”

How did he win? It was with a three-course menu of scallops with black pudding, crispy Parma ham and apple puree, a main of fillet of lamb with baby carrots, asparagus wrapped in mint and Parma ham and fondant potatoes, and a dessert of orange and chocolate bread and butter pudding with clotted cream.

“The pressure in a kitchen is the same as in a rugby game,” said Phil. “It’s like the fog of war. There might be chaos all around you, but you’ve got to stay focused. There’s an incredible adrenaline rush and you get into a zone.”
On winning the 2011 celebrity MasterChef title, Vickery said: "I'm absolutely gobsmacked, I can't believe it. I dreamed of winning MasterChef but literally it was just a dream."

Phil is our kind of guy, saying his favorite dish is still roast beef, veg and loads of gravy followed by a good old- fashioned trifle.
Sounds good to us...

What are Pringles anyway?

We always thought Pringles were some kind of a tasty potato chip?
That's what the can reads anyway.
Who were we to argue?

But lawyers for Pringles claim that the crispy chips don’t have enough actual potato – just 42% potato flour, to be labled “potato crisps, potato sticks or potato puffs.”
Instead, they say, let us call Pringles, “savory snacks.”

The reason for all this is because Proctor and Gamble wants to avoid paying U.K.’s value-added tax on potato snacks.
In a 2008 ruling by Britain’s High Court Pringles were regarded more like a cake or bread,which allowed P&G to escape the potato tax

But an appeals court in 2009 said that Pringles are definitively potato chips, and are subject to the U.K.’s tax.
Procter and Gamble was ordered liable for £100 million of past taxes and £20 million in annual taxes going forward.

In a news release which announced a merger of Pringles into Diamond Foods, Pringles is now being called “potato crisp, defined as an extruded snack.

So, pay no attention to the words on the can, just enjoy your extruded snack.

Burger King boss Bernardo Hees insults British women and food

Burger king's chief executive, Bernardo Hees, (photo below, not above) insulted British women and it's food.

The Burger King has had to apologize after he told a group of American students that British women were unattractive and that English food was "terrible".

King Bernardo recalled his younger days at the University of Warwick, saying that there were few distractions to put him off his studies. "The food is terrible and the women are not very attractive." At that poit he decided to put on real charm by telling his audience in Chicago. "Here in Chicago, the food is good and you are known for your good-looking women."

Hees's remark,  has pissed off both female students and British chefs.

"If he views women as potential distractions in academia, I wonder how he views them in the workplace?" asked Charli Fritzner, women's campaigns officer at Warwick University's student union. "It doesn't make Burger King an attractive employer for women."

Michelin-starred English chef Marcus Wareing, said criticism of Britain's food was rich coming from the man responsible for serving up flame-grilled Whoppers and bacon double cheeseburgers. "It's an insult to British gastronomy," said Wareing.

Burger King said its chief executive regretted his remarks on Britain: "Mr Hees apologizes if his comment has offended anyone. It... was intended as a humorous anecdote to connect with his audience."

It's Almost Here - Shrove Tuesday - Pancake Day

While many of us are getting ready for Fat Tuesday here in New Orleans, there is another day you might not know about.

It's Pancake Day, also known as Shrove Tuesday in Britain (and other countries too) and it's celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent.

Shrove Tuesday comes from the old English word 'shrive', meaning "confess all sins". 

It is called Pancake Day because traditionally, on this day it was all about eating pancakes.

Pancakes were eaten because the pancake recipe was the best way to use up all the milk, butter and eggs, which were forbidden during Lent.

A few years back two thirds of people surveyed admitted they just ignore the Pancake Day.

It seems that through the 90s most households would flip a few pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. But now it seems the tradition has lost some traction.

Regardless, we will be enjoying the best of both worlds: flipping a few pancakes in the morning, for breakfast, chowing down jambalaya and Gumbo for lunch,  and a shrimp boil and cornbread for dinner.

Chimpanzee meat for sale in the UK

Chimpanzee meat is for sale in restaurants and in market stalls in the UK.

Monkey meat, which can cost more than £20 (around $40) a kilogram, is part of the black market trade, known as ‘rife’ in Europe.

Last year over 270 tonnes passed through the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris.

The chimpanzee meat was discovered following raids by trading standards in the Midlands.

A Government whistle-blower said: ‘It is well known this practice is underway in the region but I was shocked to discover the meat that was tested was once a chimpanzee.

‘Dubious meat is often tested, and has turned out to be things like rats and vermin in the past – but chimpanzee is unbelievable.’

No one is really sure how the monkey meat arrived in the Midlands, but experts believe it was probably flown into the country from Africa,maybe hidden in luggage.

Dr Marcus Rowcliffe, a researcher at the Zoological Society of London and an expert on the trade, said at least five tonnes of bushmeat arrives in Europe every week to be distributed across the continent.

He said: ‘I’m not at all surprised that bushmeat is on sale in the Midlands because we know the trade is going on in the UK and that there is a regular flow of smuggled meat into the country.

‘However, it is not often that chimpanzee is found as that is rare even in the markets of Africa, so I am surprised by that.

Some is bushmeat, brought in disguised as other meat products such as beef or lamb.

Once in Britain, more than half the illegal meat is distributed through wholesalers or sold at local street markets.

The trade in bushmeat has become big business and even though some hunters go after gorillas, chimpanzees and other primate species, great apes constitute less than one per cent of bushmeat from all species sold on the market.

Officials are warning that imported meat could be carrying infectious diseases such as foot-and-mouth, anthrax, the Ebola virus, TB or cholera.

British women want bigger bottoms - taking pills designed to fatten chickens.

There are a lot of British women who have become so desperate for bigger bottoms that they are taking pills designed to make chickens fatter.

The poultry tablets are full with hormones that have been linked to breast cancer and liver problems in humans.

The pills were originally used by farmers to fatten up chickens, but somewhere along the way  it was discovered that when taken by women they enhance the size of thighs, hips and bottom.

many websites are selling "herbal" versions of the tablets with names like Star Curves, Big Beautiful Butt Formula, and Brand New Booty pills.

You can find these pills on sites including Amazon, eBay and Facebook and are also advertised on reality TV star Kim Kardashian's blog.

Makers of the herbal pills claim the capsules only contain exotic plant extracts which mimic the effect of fat-building hormones.

But  many of the pills are  not regulated and those who take them cannot be sure what they contain, as a result they are basically risking their lives.

The trend for taking the tablets began in Jamaica in the 1990s.

The island's government subsequently banned them but many stores still sell them illegally.

Pubs in England to stay open later because of the Royal wedding

Pubs in England and Wales will be allowed to stay open later because of the Royal wedding.

That means that pubs can extend their opening hours to 1am on April 29 and 30.

Crime Prevention Minister James Brokenshire said the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton was "an occasion for national celebration" and "licensing hours should be relaxed in all licensed premises in England and Wales".

And if that wasn't enough, live and recorded music in pubs  will also be permitted, along with plays, films and dancing.

Mr. Brokenshire also said, "These are the days when people are most likely to want to celebrate.

"However, we are mindful that late-night drinking can lead to crime and disorder and public nuisance.

"On this basis, we are proposing a modest relaxation of licensing hours until 1am and intend to restrict the order to the sale of alcohol in pubs, clubs and anywhere else where alcohol is consumed on the premises and to regulated entertainment such as live and recorded music, dancing, plays and films."

"We are also limiting the order to Friday 29th - the day of the wedding - and Saturday 30th as these are the days when people are most likely to want to celebrate."

The British Beer and Pub Association seemed happy about this decision, probably wish they could operate 24 hours a day, oh well.

Brigid Simmons, its chief executive, said: "This is great news, and it is really good to see the Government recognising that this is a brilliant opportunity for us all to get together in the pub, to celebrate a great national event."

"With state-of-the art TV, great food and hospitality, pubs will be right at the heart of the Royal wedding celebrations, and are the perfect place to enjoy the day.

So, as the Royal couple gets closer to April 29,  when they tie the knot at Westminster Abbey,  a designated official public holiday, the country is gearing up for a lot of celebrating.

Now we have more than 40,000 crabs dead, on England beaches

We really are losing track of all this...

First, we have birds falling from the sky, then thousands upon thousands of dead fish washing up on shore.

Now we have more than 40,000 Velvet swimming crabs dead on England beaches.

The shoreline is trashed with the dead crabs, dead starfish, lobsters, sponges and anemones.

The possible reason this sudden outbreak of death? Hypothermia is a possibility.
The crabs enjoy warm seas, but when a winter like this one blankets the beaches, they just can’t handle the freezing temperatures.

Similar crab deaths happened in the same place two years and five years ago.

This started with the snow that blasted Europe shortly before Christmas.

Some of the local experts are researching the dead crabs, but nothing can be done to prevent the massive number of deaths.

On Wednesday, 50 jackdaw birds were found dead on a street in Stockholm, Sweden.

A veterinarian investigating the incident said the cause of death is unknown but it may have been the fireworks that went off that night causing their demise.

So, maybe it was the shock from the fireworks and perhaps the cold weather and difficulty finding food as possible reasons for the deaths.

These recent animal deaths join the thousands of others in the last week in the United States.

On Tuesday, 450 birds plummeted to their deaths in Louisiana for apparently no reason.

On New Year’s Eve, more than 3,000 red-winged blackbirds inexplicably fell from the skies in Arkansas.

Wildlife experts just west of where the blackbirds were found are still trying to figure out why 100,000 drum fish washed up on the shores of the Arkansas River.

A pollutant would have affected all fish, not just the one species, so investigators suspect the fish were stricken by an illness.

Here's a map to guide you: DEATH MAP

While we're at it, did you hear about  Victoria's Goldstream Provincial Park and the Goldstream River turning bright green late Wednesday afternoon.

The fluorescent green appeared on the Victoria side of the entrance to the park where salmon runs, eagles fly and other wildlife live.

After an hour, the river was back to its normal self.

Ministry of Environment teams were immediately sent to the area to investigate and members of Langford Fire Department collected samples for analysis.

At least this time no dead fish or animals have been discovered.

Earlier in the day a fountain beside Veterans Memorial Parkway in Langford also turned bright green.

Security tags on turkeys to stop shoplifters

Supermarkets are putting electronic tags on their turkeys, trying to stop thefts this Christmas.

The stores had no choice due to a rise in shoplifting of food

In years past, stores would place these tags on high ticket items in electronics, but the electronic tags are being put on turkeys this year.

You know how this works, the tags will set off an alarm if a shoplifter tries to make it out the door with a turkey under their arm without it being removed or scanned through check-out.

A survey by the security company G4S reports the stores should worry.

They found that over half a million Britons would steal a turkey given the opportunity.

One in seven adults admitted being tempted to break the law at Christmas time because they didn't have enough money.

G4S said better CCTV and other security methods helps stop the shoplifters. But its marketing director, Douglas Greenwell, said: ‘The harsh economic realities facing many families may lead normally law abiding people to consider shoplifting as a way to save money this Christmas.

Dead Mouse Found In Loaf of Bread

Stephen Forse was making sandwiches for his children when he noticed a dark-coloured object embedded in some of the  slices.
A moment later he understood, there was a dead mouse in the loaf of bread he was slicing.
"As I looked closer, I saw that the object had fur on it,"Stephen Forse said.
As a result,  the maker of this Hovis loaf has been fined because of the dead mouse found in the aforementioned sandwich bread.

For whatever it's worth, Mr Forse bought the bread from Tesco Online.

To make matters worse, the mouse was without a tail.
Mr Forse felt ill when he realozed no one knew where the tail was. (anyone want to guess?)
He said,"Had it fallen off prior to the bread being wrapped or had any of my family eaten it with another slice of bread on a previous day?"

The manufacturer is Premier Foods and they have been fined £5,500 and ordered to pay an additional £11,109.47 in costs at Oxford Crown Court for failing to maintain  standards at their site in Mitcham, south London.
A spokesman for Premier Foods said: "We apologize profusely for the distress caused as a result of this isolated incident."

Isolated?
That remains to be seen or perhaps eaten.

Your Favorite Smells

Toast is UK's favorite smell, bringing back comforting memories of childhood.

What is your favorite aroma?
Is it the smell of popcorn, coffee, bacon, perhaps a roasting turkey in the oven?

A study, by scientists at Cardiff University discovered 99% of Britons admitted to loving the smell of toast.

For many, the smell of toast brings back comforting childhood times, not just toast memories, but happy memories, the warm, feel-good emotions.

What are your favorite smells?

Two Tone - The Giant Carp is Dead

Anglers are quite dismayed over the death of a giant carp found floating on a lake in Kent.

Known as Two Tone, weighed in at 67lb 14oz, becoming Britain's biggest native freshwater fish in 2001 when he tipped the scales at 59lbs and 12ozs.

The mirror carp, named Two Tone because of the skin colour, was at least 40-years-old and probably died from old age.

Chris Logsdon, manager of Mid Kent Fisheries, which runs Conningbrook Lake at Ashford, said: "A week last Thursday it was seen looking distressed. We searched the lake for it, then this Saturday it was found floating on the surface.

"I think the hard winter and the cold spring."

He said Two Tone was "the pinnacle of the angling world" because he was cunning and difficult to catch.

"Any carp angler worth their salt wanted to to catch him and a lot tried and failed. It's part of fishing history," he added.

Two Tone is going to have a proper burial,  next to the lake he swam in all these years,  with a plaque marking his grave.

"I think there may be 20 or 30 people there," Mr Logsdon said.

"Some of these guys have spent every minute of their time at this lake trying to catch this beast, a lot of friendships have been made by people on the banks - it's been an extraordinary, exceptional beast."

Two Tone - RIP

UK to investigate claim that milk from cloned cow sold to public

British food safety officials are looking into a claim that milk from the offspring of a cloned cow was on sale for public consumption.

This has generated much concern among the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and many farmers.

But Britain's dairy industry keeps insisting that there is absolutely no danger. (they always say that)

A British dairyman, speaking anonymously, said that he was using milk from a cow bred from a clone as part of his daily production.

The farmer did not want his name to be disclosed because he feared Britons saw cloning as "distasteful" so buyers would stop taking his milk if they knew who he was.

(what does he think the public will do now?)

The FSA said, "The agency has not received any applications relating to cloning and no authorizations have been made."

They go on to say,"The agency will, of course, investigate any reports of unauthorized novel foods entering the food chain."

Peter Stevenson, from campaigners Compassion in World Farming, said he was "extremely concerned" at the report and called for an outright ban on the sale of food from cloned animals and their offspring.

But Dairy UK, which represents the industry in Britain, keeps insisting there was no danger.

"Milk and meat from the offspring of clones does not present any food safety risk," it said in a statement.

Here's an interesting commercial from CyClone Dairy:

Many Britons turn to alcohol when stressed

The number of people in Briton who drink alcohol when they feel stressed has risen over the past several years.
The report says as many as five million people in the country are completely stressed out and a third of the work force is so stressed out by their job that their sleep is affected.
As a result, many find resolve in drinking so they can relax.
Sadly, the UK is one of the most stressed nations in all of Europe.
Money, family pressures, and long hours at work are all part of the problem as to why half of the British population say that they feel more stress than they did 5 years ago.
A survey of over 3,000 employees discovered that many feel so stressed before they even start work and six percent say they feel stressed all the time.
A third claimed to have called in sick because they were feeling stressed and 12 percent said they had quit a job altogether.
57 percent also said they had the need for a beer or a glass of wine when they got home to relax and get over their day.
A spokesperson for Medicash, which commissioned the study, said: "Worryingly, a third of Britons admitted in the survey to having deliberately drunk too much in a bid to relax and escape work stress."

Celery - The Most Hated Vegetables in the UK

Celery has become Britain's most hated vegetable, according to a new poll.
The poll also reports that cabbage too isn't well liked either.
Parsnips and mushrooms were also on the hit list of Britain's most-hated veggies, with cauliflower and cucumber following closely behind.

TOP 10 MOST-HATED VEGETABLES IN BRITAIN:

1. Celery
2. Cabbage
3. Parsnip
4. Mushrooms
5. Cauliflower
6. Cucumber
7. Tomatoes
8. Onions
9. Peas
10. Carrots

British eating fewer vegetables despite the campaign

In spite of all the noise about eating vegetables and the millions spent on a 5-a-day campaign Britons are eating fewer vegetables.
Figures from the fresh produce organization Freshfel show UK consumers ate 1 per cent more fruit in 2008 compared with the previous five-year average, but vegetable consumption plummeted by 11 per cent.
These numbers come after several years of government promoted healthy eating campaigns including 5-a-day and the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme.
This comes right on the heels of doubt on the cancer-preventing benefits of eating vegetables.
Jamie Oliver must be pulling his hair out.