Processed food is destroying our taste buds
Despite the excited and locavore-pleasing news that each region of the UK has its own flavour – ‘as distinct as regional accents’ – there are concerns that processed foods are killing our appreciation of fresh produce. Apparently we want food that tastes the same all year round, destroying the subtle nuances of seasonal, local flavours.

We ate all the pies
The recession has seen a leap in the amount we’re spending on pies. Along with roasting joints and baking goods, it seems we’re turning to pies – good old comfort food – as a frugal and reassuring means of making up for lighter wallets. Last year we spent nearly a billion quid on the lardy things. What’s your favourite pie? Appletons in Ripon do the best pork pie in England, no contest.

Cloned food in our shops in two years
“How’s your lamb?” “Well it’s identical to yours, darling” is the sort of thing we might be hearing rather sooner than first thought, if the Daily Mail is at all accurate. Apparently the trade in cloned animal semen and embryos is already so widespread that the monitoring of such things will be nigh-on impossible before long.

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Other food news this week:
* Boxed whine – Jim Rosenthal felled by Heston Blumenthal.
* A new chilli to knock yer bollocks off.
* 50% of restaurant dishcloths ‘could make you ill’.
* Gaga’s beefkini causes a stir.

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Pie(ce) of the week:
* Henry Dimbleby talks amusingly about pies.

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Recipe of the week
* A lovely paean to the pea, from the even more lovely Rose Cottage.

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Video of the week
I’m really shocked to hear that R.E.M. have done a song to promote whale meat. Shame on them.