What’s Cooking in 2012

According to some the big issue in 2012 will be food - it's cost and availability. The signs were there last year. Unfortunately I missed Blog Action Day on 16th October but I did make some notes at the time.

Government publish Healthy Lives, Healthy people – a call to action on obesity in England.

But the Children’s Food Campaign slam it thus "This is a deeply disappointing and utterly inadequate response which represents a squandered opportunity to address the UK’s obesity crisis.”

David Cameron stated that a "FAT tax" to reduce levels of obesity could be introduced.

Public 'need to be more honest about eating habits' - BBC

Meanwhile in the US, more than 30 million tons of food was dumped in landfills in 2009, making food by far the most abundant material there by weight. And we are just as bad per head of population.

But don’t worry, there is a plan behind all this. The global production and distribution of food is heavily reliant on fuel and, as I am sure you are aware from your visits to the petrol pump, there has been a dramatic increase in cost, which is being passed on to consumers. This, plus the government’s austerity programme is driving many people to be much more thrifty in their purchases and what they throw away. On the other side of the coin, exercise, the increases in public transport fares are obviously designed specifically to get us using bicycles or shanks’s pony. We can’t afford to fill the car’s petrol tank too often these days and that’s good for the Mayor’s little problem on air quality which you might say is a hefty bonus, at least for someone, somewhere in charge of that department?

So you see, there is a method in the madness and the Government really do have our best interests at heart.

Here’s some of My Secret Kitchen’s predictions:

1. Price Increases on food – At the back end of last year the manufacturers supplying the retailers realised that they needed to force the raw material increases through the chain if they were going to survive and understandably so. Anything grown in the ground has increased, especially the basics so expect people to think even more carefully about what they put in their shopping basket.

2. Granny’s cooking – Retro was big in 2011 and the desire for security and safety in an uncertain environment will steer cooking towards old family recipes. People still have egos and pride and what better way to show off than by resurrecting that old recipe that was handed down through the generations? – Could there be a rise in dumplings, suet puddings and the like?

3. More of the Grain – Home baking and cooking is a hot trend and people want to know more about what they are eating but without spending a huge amount. Whole grains are great value for money and the likes of Quinoa, oats and cornmeal could see a surge in 2012.

4. Forage, forage, forage – we predicted hedgerow flavours for 2011 and this will continue but expand into the general wild. Expect to see a rise in types of mushrooms, herbs and berries in people’s diets. Wild garlic anyone?

10. Back to the Dinner Table – As family values become ever more important, there will be a push to get more social interaction into the family dinner table which has declined over recent years. More family get togethers and more group meals will mean recipes involving more members of the family. What better way of bring a family closer together than cooking.. unless it goes pear shaped…