We, as a couple, applaud food and drink writers who compose article after article about healthy eating, ecology and food, vitamins, slimming, 5-a-day, local sourcing etc. That's not to say that I've changed any of my habits, but I think my husband, in his sunset years, has begun to take things on board a bit. Is there a phrase 'seasonal eating'?听Is that right?听I can't remember the writers' names but I think they were saying that if it's grown in this country and it's time to cut it or pick it or dig it, then that's the time for us to eat it. The ecology lobby at times seems to go hand-in-hand with these food writers. Seasonal eating is good by them and UK eating even better - no aeroplanes, nor long-haul shipping for a start they're not keen on forced growing, they check the mileage a lorry makes from 'the farm' to 'the supermarket' and questions whether it made any detours and why, and they ask if we drive our 4 x 4s to Tesco's to buy the food within the sell-by date. But, back to my husband.听It's quite clear he's been taking these global concerns to heart. Let's start with seasonal eating.听He buys and eats (very eco-friendly:听no wastage there) mince pies from October 1st to December 31st.听To help the supermarket get through them before sell-by dates loom, he buys as many boxes as he possible can, eats the pies, composts the boxes and recycles the plastic mince-pie-holding-trays. Quick as a flash January arrives, heralding the next phase in his seasonal eating programme.听The hot cross buns arrive too.听He walks to the local Co-op and buys their own brand of bun and eats them for the next three months - well, usually until Good Friday.听The walking is good:听no emissions. (Actually he hasn't got an option here.听The choice has been made for him.听He hasn't got a 4x4 and he can't drive anyway.)听My man glows with ecological prowess and his tummy glows too. He only ever eats that organically grown chocolate that costs an arm and a leg but has got a very superior wrapper.听Well, he buys peppermint cream bars and the diary milk but they don't involve any transportation - just a stroll down to the newsagent. He's quite a fan of fresh fruit too, now I come to think about it.听Raspberries are his favourite, but sadly the season for them in our garden lasts about one mouthful - only really half a portion of the 5-a-day that healthy eating apparently requires - and only on one day a year.听So he does indulge in the odd, occasional Perspex box from Spain with the bubble wrap at the bottom.听(I have recently checked the label to give you a well-researched and balanced view, and it says they were packed in the UK for the Co-op, so that's OK then.) I haven't mentioned drink yet.听Drink isn't too much a problem for my husband.听He buys it, then he drinks it and then he slings the bottles and cans in the recycling box - the blue one.听The beer and whisky are all born and bred in the UK.听Spain features quite a lot in the wine and, well, France in the brandy so there's a bit of shipping involved there, but he doesn't want to seem faddy or ecology crazy.听It doesn't do to go overboard. There are some foody things that he will not desert however, however often we watch health and heart programmes on the television.听You can see him gritting his teeth while the advisors are wielding lumps of cow's liver across the screen or tossing a light salad. He leaves the room sometimes. I leave the room sometimes too.听I leave the kitchen when the black smoke from the smouldering frying pan makes me cry and when I see flames licking the grill pan.听 He's a happy bunny though:听a modest breakfast of sausages, bacon (both grilled), two fried eggs (fried), three sliced roast potatoes (fried, or char-fried more often than not), all scorching in olive oil - he never touches the unhealthy version - and two pieces of toast and brown sauce. I go back in, open the back door, wave my arms about a bit to encourage the smog to exit, and don't worry much about the ozone layer. | 
