In recent weeks the PHE (Public Health England) have released a report called ‘Eatwell Guide’. What a bizarre document, amongst other recommendations it suggests that the Great British Public should reduce its consumption of Dairy Produce, by close to something in the order of 50%! At the same time the Dairy All Party Parliamentary Group this month released a report, ‘Putting Dairy Back On the Daily Menu’, a call to put dairy firmly on the agenda in terms of 3 a day, similar to the 5 a day with fruit and veg. Exactly where is the joined up thinking in Government, just what are all these guys thinking, what planet do they live on? Fortunately the PHE recommendation, is so totally off the wall that few will pay any heed to the recommendation. Such is the importance of dairy to all our diets, for all manner of reasons, young and old, will carry on as before. But you do have to give PHE some credit for coming up with some alternatives, bless them. You can replace a glass of milk with 5 figs, if you wish, or may be 3 heaped teaspoons of sesame seed, or may be a plate of spinach, these will give the equivalent levels calcium. For those wanting a few tips on fig growing, Monty Don has all the answers, and if 70 million Britons were to eat 5 figs a day, the numbers don’t bear thinking about. I have a counter proposal for the PHE, perhaps we should make roughly 50% of them redundant, and for those that need a new job, they can learn how to grow figs, in Spain or Greece!
More cheese please Gromit! Preferably Lyburn.