17th April 2022

I see that displaying the number of calories on restaurant and cafe menu items has now become law here.   I know what the French would say: c’est un catastrophe! And they’d be right.  Food to them isn’t just a commodity, it’s the foundation of life. The finer the ingredients, the better your health.  Putting poor quality food into your mouth is like asking Rolls Royce owners to fill up the tank with gas-oil used for heating.  French markets only sell vegetables and fruits in season, unlike shops here which sell foods like mushrooms and strawberries all year round. French restaurants provide the best ingredients, irrespective of calorie content, because flavour and quality are everything. The important thing is that, compared with the UK and the US, the plates are smaller! The new calorie policy here does no favours either to those with eating disorders because the focus becomes all about numbers. Calories don’t teach good nutrition, nor what’s in a balanced diet.  What’s needed is a healthy relationship with food. So, taste that butter, cream and cheese, and use olive oil in your cooking - but ditch those giant plates. A little bit of exquisite flavour from the finest, seasonal, natural ingredients, cooked on the hob, is far better than a mountain of tasteless, microwaved, processed food.