What is healthy eating?

An interesting discussion took place in the pub earlier this week all about healthy eating.  As most women in the group are trying with varying degrees of success to loose weight the pros and cons of vegetarian, low fat, low carb and calorie counting diets ensued.

Having decided that, provided you don't go to extremes either reducing fat or reducing carbohydrates will work for most people, and both are easier than trying to calculate calories. The general agreement was not to follow the high fat 'Dr Atkins' versions, but simply to cut down on bread, potatoes, pastry, cakes, pasta and rice leaving the healthy fish, low fat meats and fresh vegetables.  Partial concord then between the low fat and low carb camps - both agreeing that meals based on fish, chicken, turkey and fresh vegetables would give plenty of variety and vitamins and not too much fat or carbohydrate to upset anyone.  We almost got around to agreeing a menu for a BBQ.

That, of course is where the Veggies took exception, and where the rest of us just don't understand the logic.  Instead of looking at the wide variety of vegetables and fruit now available, the exponents of the 'no meat under any circumstances' and the 'Oh I couldn't eat anything with a face' militia began to extol the virtues of some stuff called Quorn.  Having upset the Veggies en masse by asking why they wanted something to taste of meat if they were so against eating it and beating a rapid retreat back home, I decided to find out more about this substance.

The main ingredient is a chemical called mycoprotein which is basically a fungus grown and produced in giant fermenters.  A further cocktail of chemicals has to be added to give a texture and flavour which is acceptable to the human palate.  How can this possibly be considered to be a healthy lifestyle - especially when the food developed from this process is fried or cased in pastry!!


Sorry Veggies - all meals should start life in a field, develop naturally and bring their own flavours and textures to the plate.  The only ingredient to taste of meat is meat and unless we eat it there will be no cows, sheep, pigs, chickens and so on grazing the fields of this green and pleasant land.

Everyone can tow a caravan - its easy

Every time I tow the caravan onto a site, I find people staring as if a woman should not be driving with her husband in the passenger seat.  Why not - I sit on the left when he is driving.

First of all, the breakdown services are there for genuine breakdowns, not a get you home service.  I know of more than one occasion when the breakdown truck was called because the regular driver was unwell and the 'other half' would not tow.  That is selfish and puts up everyone else's cost of breakdown cover.

Members of the Caravan Club and the Camping and Caravan Club will be able to find details of towing courses through their club.  I thoroughly enjoyed learning to reverse properly - even though I had been towing for nearly ten years by the time I went along!!!  These courses do not lead to the new test but will reduce your insurance premium.

If you passed your car driving test after 1997 you need to take an additional driving test with your caravan.  The test is explained on http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/DriverLicensing/CaravansTrailersCommercialVehicles/DG_4022521.Tests are generally carried out at the HGV test centre where there is room to manouvre the outfit away from the traffic.  Most HGV driver training centres also offer caravan/trailer training to meet the requirements of the new test.

With two drivers it is much easier to take the caravan on longer trips.  The sensible way of working is to think in terms of "tacho hours" http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/layer?r.l1=1081597476&r.l2=1082103262&r.l3=1084756056&r.s=tl&topicId=1082144445.  Keeping it really simple, each driver drives for a maximum of two hours, then stop for a comfort break, change drivers and carry on again.  It is much safer than leaving one driver to do all the work, and get far too tired to be safe on the road.

Remember that towing a caravan behind your car needs more concentration, and whether you are towing alone or with a "co-pilot" breaks are essential to avoid becoming over-tired and causing accidents.

Enjoy your caravanning holiday - wherever it takes you - and stay safe on the roads through sensible planning and the right training.

Thank you Leeds

Wow - what a wonderful weekend Leeds Loves Food proved to be.  Wall to wall sunshine, and food from all corners of the world to sample and enjoy.  The smells of paella, tacos, venison burgers mingled and wafted across the square - delicious.

We met so many people who share our passion for fresh local food, simply cooked to maintain its special flavour and high quality.  Thank you everyone who suggested places to shop for good quality food - all over the UK.  We had recommendations from as far afield as Bristol and Northumbria, with plenty from West Yorkshire.  Its going to take me another few days to get all of them onto the website.  Thank you again.  Together we can help to keep the small businesses on the high street.  Now we have found them, we all need to use them.

The next newsletter is due to go out at the end of this week, but I think it might have to be delayed until early next due to the Bank Holiday and another show to attend; this time in Mansfield.  I have added all the new requests for the newsletter from Leeds.  If you would like a copy, just go to the home page and sign up.  There is no charge.

Let me have some of those recipes you talked about at the weekend, and I will publish them on the website for you.  Keep things simple so that the most novice cook can produce the meal.

Don't forget to keep those recommendations flooding in - we can only get these directories to work with your help.

See you in Mansfield, Tuesday 5 June.

Look for this problem

Check your tyres - caravan and car - for damage at the bottom of the tread

In the photo the dangerous cracking can be seen in the left hand side of the tread very clearly.

The cracks will open as the tyre flexes in use, causing a blow out.

If you find this problem - CHANGE YOUR TYRES.

Are your tyres an accident waiting to happen.

My caravan will be two at the end of the month.  The annual service was carried out on Monday, and the engineer called me to say that one of the tyres was 'cracking'.

My immediate response was 'impossible', after all the caravan is used throughout the year, so the tyres do not bear weight in one position.  We use the caravan at least once a month, even in the depths of winter, and make regular visual checks of the tyres before moving off.  Add to that they are only two years old, and have plenty of tread depth.  

Tyre pressures are checked from time to time, usually when we fill up the car.  Bailey's have very kindly put the tyre pressure on a plaque beside the door, in both psi and bar, so the job is really very easy to do.  We also keep an eye on the tyres when we are loaded and ready to go - after all, even radial tyres are not supposed to look squadgy or bulgy, or just plain flat.

Because the caravan is kept in secure storage, we use a mobile engineer for servicing (Bailey and NCC approved so no warranty issues) and he was quite adamant that the offside tyre was not safe.  So, we promptly went over to the caravan, phoned the poor engineer, yet again, and asked him where to find the damage.  Eventually we saw what we thought could be cracks, and asked advice on replacement tyres.  Thankfully there is a national, mobile tyre fitting service - etyres - who came recommended by the mobile service engineer.

I was asked to attend the fitting of the new tyre, and met Mike from etyres just before midday.  He removed the off-side wheel and showed me the problem.  At the very bottom of the tread was the evidence of cracking. Both inner and outer walls were in perfect condition. The depth of tread suggested that there should have been plenty of life still in the tyre, but Mike explained that these cracks along the bottom of the tread pattern could prove lethal if left alone.  This type of damage can soon lead to the tyre bursting, potentially with catestrophic results to the caravan.  The tyre was, of course, replaced on the spot.

This type of damage is not unusual, but it is not always checked.  I can only thank eagle-eyed Jamie from Charnwood Caravan Services and Mike from etyres for their technical expertise which may well have prevented a nasty accident. Thank you both. 

All I can ask everyone else to do is check along the bottom of the tread pattern of your tyres and make sure they are not cracking too.  The tyres in question were Trailermaxx, made in China, and fitted at the factory.

Fire and Fumes

At the risk of appearing to jump onto the band wagon, I want to remind everyone to check that their gas and electricity systems are safe.

Too many accidents have happened in the past few days, see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-17980441 and http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-shropshire-17981586, and it is vital that we prevent recurrences.  How safe are you?

Do you have a working smoke alarm in your caravan?  OK it is a nuisance when it does not recognise toast or crisping bacon, but it is very simple to press the 'silence' button when you are cooking, and it might save your life at other times.

Do you have a carbon monoxide (gas) sniffer in your caravan?  They are not yet fitted as standard, and perhaps the caravanning community should start to petition the manufacturers.  CO is colourless and odourless and kills.  It can be detected and you can be warned before its too late.

How about preventing disaster?  Simple precautions:-

1. Unwind your electric cable before connecting up to the EHU.  Always connect the caravan/tent end first and EHU post end last - the cable is live as soon as it is connected to the EHU.
2. Don't travel with the gas switched on - it goes without saying, but . . . 
3. Have your caravan serviced regularly.  A service will include a full gas check.
4. Keep the BBQ outside.  No matter how cold the night, never be tempted to use any form of BBQ inside the tent, awning or caravan.
5. Don't be tempted to turn on the gas rings/grill to provide heat.  Only used heaters as fitted by the manufacturers within the caravan.
6. Check the colour of the flame whenever you use any gas appliance.

Think safety at all times - and enjoy your meals from the BBQ.  Cook outside and eat inside if its chilly.

Genetics - or food faddies

The Daily Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/9241088/Vegetarians-may-be-genetically-disposed-to-avoid-meat.html suggests that people who 'don't like the smell of meat' may be genetically programmed that way.  Fine, wonderful, but they should not be allowed to insist that everyone should become vegetarian, or imply that a vegetarian diet is in some way superior for the health of the nation.

Personally, I am allergic to nickel.  Nickel is found in a huge range of vegetables, and so if I and many other people with a similar problem were to eat those foods, the result is an extremely unpleasant and persistent eczema.  How healthy is that?

Why do we never see any articles about the negative effects of a vegan diet, or the need, especially for small children to have a good intake of first class protein - animal rather than vegetable?

The human food processing system is designed for a little of everything, a mixed diet containing meat, vegetables, fruit and dairy products.  Start with the teeth - we have teeth designed for stripping meat from the bone, and teeth designed for grinding.  We only have one stomach, so cannot digest vegetables in the way that true herbivores do.  However, we need roughage found in abundance in the vegetable world to keep our intestines working efficiently and healthily.

The countryside needs meat eaters.  If we all rejected the wholesome and tasty meat from our local producers, there would be no cows, sheep, pigs or game animals in the fields.  Is this what we really want to see?  As for the laboratory produced meat - NO THANK YOU.  How can anyone talk about a "healthy" diet when they are including bacteria and other chemicals by choice?  If you need artificial meat to make a meal, try replacing it with the real thing.

Perhaps our grannies were right when they used the old cliches - "One man's meat is another man's poison" and "a little of what you fancy does you good."

For me, every meal should start life in a field.  Think about it - naturally produced meat, fresh caught fish with fresh local vegetables and fruit.  Delicious.