

My friend’s onto a Diet Winner
A friend of mine regaled me with an amazing story of angst-free weight loss the other day. She was signed off work, having had a bad back for some time. She’s been on a diet for around eleven weeks now and has lost an amazing two and a half stone. Actually, she claims her diet is more of an eating plan and that’s she’s never done anything quite so amazing in her life. [Read More...]

Greenhouse for home and family
If you’re serious about growing, you need a greenhouse. And, like all houses, an efficient greenhouse will be double-glazed to give you the controlled and consistent environment your growing plants need. Double glazing will give you a year-round greenhouse to beat the vagaries of the British seasons, one that you can bring up to temperature and keep there, at the right humidity, using little energy and without waiting costly fuel. Not all greenhouses can be linked to mains services, so you may be heating using other means; the more efficient you can be, the better all round, and the more you derive benefit from the plants you’ll be able to nurture. Double glazing will also make the most of solar gain, so any sunny day in even the coldest winter will add to the total of warmth in your greenhouse – it will get in, but it can’t so easily get out. [Read More...]
Food For Families
Cooking With The Kids
As parents, feeding our families healthy food that they enjoy is of course of prime concern. What’s more, time and cost are important factors, so sometimes trying to tick off all of these boxes can be pretty tricky. Help is at hand though! A great way of getting the kids to eat nutritious food that [...]
How to be a good chef
What’s the secret to becoming a good chef? The first and most important ingredient is of course, a passion for food! If you enjoy tasting new foods, trying new recipes and tantalising your taste buds then you have won half the battle already! Of course, there is a little bit more to becoming a [...]
Growing Your Own

Greenhouse for home and family
If you’re serious about growing, you need a greenhouse. And, like all houses, an efficient greenhouse will be double-glazed to give you the controlled and consistent environment your growing plants need. Double glazing will give you a year-round greenhouse to beat the vagaries of the British seasons, one that you can bring up to temperature [...]

Grow Your Own Tomatoes
No summer salad is complete without a luscious home-grown tomato picked fresh from the vine. These health-promoting fruits are comparatively straightforward to grow if you get your planting time right and feed in the right way. Expect to choose your first ripe fruits from the end of July thru till October. Soil and position – [...]
Food and Drink
Fosters ads – a perfect mix of comedy and advice
The latest series of Fosters beer ads starring Brad & Dan are winning over the beer drinking British public with their blend of out and out comedy and down to earth advice. If you’ve not seen them yet, check them out when you’re next in front of the box or you can find them on [...]
How to be a good chef
What’s the secret to becoming a good chef? The first and most important ingredient is of course, a passion for food! If you enjoy tasting new foods, trying new recipes and tantalising your taste buds then you have won half the battle already! Of course, there is a little bit more to becoming a [...]
Health Issues
Get Free Of Excess Mucus
People rarely consider mucus to be something positive. More often than not, we associate with feeling bunged up and having a cold. But mucus is a fluid produced by the body for a number of different functions. In the digestive system, it makes it easier to swallow food, it coats the stomach lining to prevent [...]
Nourish your skin from within
One of the best make up tips ever must be to drink plenty of water. By doing so, you keep your skin hydrated from the inside. Of course, there are plenty of other things you can do to keep a glowing, healthy complexion. You’ve probably been following the ‘cleanse, exfoliate and moisturise’ skin care routine [...]
Healthy Eating
Strategies To Resist Temptation
We all face many temptations that compel us to eat more than we actually need, but there are a number of strategies you can adopt to overcome this and cut calories as a result.
The first step is to clear out all tempting foods. If you don’t have it in your house, you can’t eat it. So go through your kitchen cupboards, fridge and freezer and throw out all the high-fat, calorie-laden foods that would ruin your diet. If you feel bad about wasting food, give it to friends, neighbours or relatives that can make good use of it. However you get rid of it, putting unhealthy food in the bin is almost certainly going to be better for you than putting it in your mouth. If you want to keep treats like cookies or cakes in reserve for visitors or other family members, pick a special hiding-place which is awkward to access, and summon up all your will-power. An alternative is to make your own cakes healthier by adding wheat germ when baking by using it instead of a small amount of flour and try using wholemeal flour instead if your regular flour.
Next, tackle your snack attacks by buying smaller packs. This may not make good sense financially (as small packs cost more than large ones, per gram) but it can help you to lose weight. Studies have shown that people will eat less of something if it comes in a small pack. This is what is so risky about jumbo sized bags of crisps. Smaller packs give you more stopping points for you to decide whether you want to carry on eating. Plus, if you know your small snack costs more, you might be persuaded to be a bit more frugal with your snacks. Between meals, opt for fruit instead. If you pick a pear, apple, or a handful of strawberries, you’ll be getting 1.5g of fibre. Getting even that 1.5g of extra fibre a day (although a higher amount is better) is sufficient to reduce your risk of becoming overweight. One of the great things about fibre is that is fills you up without making you fat, because its calories are not absorbed by the body. In addition, fibre boosts the release of hormones into the bloodstream that send an “I’m full, enough already!” message to your brain.
At the very least, find lower-calorie alternatives to the foods you crave. This will help you lose pounds without feeling deprived and miserable, and happiness is the key to sticking to a healthy diet.
How to be a good chef
What’s the secret to becoming a good chef? The first and most important ingredient is of course, a passion for food! If you enjoy tasting new foods, trying new recipes and tantalising your taste buds then you have won half the battle already!
Of course, there is a little bit more to becoming a chef than just having a love of food. You will need to get lots of hands on experience in the kitchen, for starters, and restaurant kitchens can be a much busier and more stressful environment than the kitchen at home, so can take some getting used to.
Many chefs undertake catering courses at college which involve practical experience in the kitchen, whereas others start in the kitchen and then gain their official qualifications on day release to college.
If you are already working in a kitchen, your employers may well pay for you to do your official chef qualifications, such as NVQs and other practical certificates, so it is well worth speaking to them about this as it will only enable you to do an even better job for them.
As well as chef qualifications that can be carried out at college, there are food hygiene courses that you will need to complete in order to become a chef. It may be that you have to pay to do a food hygiene course, or that your employer will pay for you to do one, as it is another important part of your job.
Once you have fully qualified as a chef you can consider where you would eventually like to work, whether you want to move restaurants, become head chef eventually or even own your own chain of restaurants in the future. All of these options will be open to you as a good chef with all the right experience and training.
Top Store Products
Healthy Eating for Lower Cholesterol
Dan Green, Catherine Collins
The Natural Way
A guide to healthy living with eating plans, food lists, and numerous exercise plans specific to your goals. This title includes chapters on flexibility, motivation, nutrition, exercise, and training for teens. It is illustrated with more than 100…
Shape Up At Home
Written by expert personal trainer Caroline Sandry , this brand new guide brought to you by Health & Fitness magazine reveals the easy, effective and fun ways women hoping to shape up can develop the toned, lean body they crave. Looking for the Health & Fitness Summer Special? Click here Click here to see inside [...]
Gordon Ramsay’s Healthy Appetite
Includes recipes of over 100 dishes that are in tune with the way we want to eat – with fresh, vital ingredients cooked in the most healthy way to achieve maximum…
Weight Watchers Cook Smart Entertaining
A delicious collection of indulgent but healthy recipes for entertaining. Cooking for parties or special occasions can be difficult when trying to eat healthily. Cook Smart Entertaining provides almost 100 specially selected recipes that are tasty…