River Cottage again

Just saw the 2nd episode of the River Cottage Treatment. It is one of the best food shows I've ever seen - even though it contains no recipes or how-tos. This week's bunch of ready-meal addicts get not only to learn to cook but to see how a couple of sheep they have helped look after are slaughtered on a visit to an abattoir.

This is very interesting stuff. Not only has the show identified the problem that people are distanced from their food and need to understand where it comes from, how it lived and died as well as how to prepare it. I especially like the way in which they go into supermarkets and disparage the crap supermarkets sell. The show also points out how the same dishes can be made from organic produce for the same or less money than the additive-ridden slop that appears in microwave ready meals.

In this week's episode those taking part actually and I think genuinely understood that cooking was a joy not a chore and that cheap pre-prepared meals are nasty and harmful for everybody concerned (except perhaps the manufacturers). What was especially good to see was one person - a month after appearing on the show - having resolved to avoid eating meat now that she knew how it was reared and killed.