THE Mediterranean diet, long renowned for its health benefits, could actually add three years to your life. According to researchers the diet – high in fruits, vegetables, fish and wholegrain cereals – provides a rich source of anti-oxidants that prevent cancer, heart disease and can even slow the ageing process. Indeed scientists from Sweden’s University [...]

AN Andalucian cheese has been recognised at the International Cheese Awards, held in the UK. The Pedro Ximenez Pure Goat Cheese was awarded the bronze medal in the Specialised Cheese Section for 100 per cent goat’s milk cheese. The product is made by Malaga cooperative Agasur S.C.A. and was among more than 3,700 cheeses from [...]

EDDIE Hartley and his girlfriend Nicole Brouwers were such fans of growing their own that they decided to make the The Good Life their way of life. Their allotment in Nerja has 15 plots in use, with space for a further 60 would-be gardeners. People grow the full range of fruit and veg, including beans, [...]

A PIONEERING chef has devised an organic menu del dia to attract healthy eating fans to his Orgiva restaurant. The boss of Baraka has set aside a special production line in the kitchen for his healthy fare – a stipulation by the organic certification body CAAE before they would grant him a licence. Owner Qasim [...]

Most expats agree, fruit and veg simply taste better here. But, to really maximise benefits, eating organic (or even growing your own) is the way forward IF you are interested in getting your hands dirty, first you need to know what thrives best where. There are several factors, the obvious one being climate, but there [...]

How a series of hardy winemakers – the majority expatriates – are making a go of organic winemaking near Ronda By Jon Clarke WHEN architect Martin Kieninger decided to plant a vineyard at his stunning smallholding near Ronda, it could only ever have been an organic one. Having spent the best part of two decades [...]

HE’S travelled all over the world championing the best ingredients and producers, but now English celebrity chef Rick Stein has turned his attention to Spain. The restauranteur has just launched a new book Rick Stein’s Spain, along with accompanying television series, highlighting some of the best authentic food and places to eat. The culinary guide [...]

By Wendy Williams THE Spanish government is in deep water for keeping a study of contaminated seafood secret for seven years. It has emerged that it hushed up an in depth study in 2003 which concluded that mercury levels were higher than permitted for many popular species fished in the Atlantic and Indian oceans. Now, [...]

TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has won his campaign to abolish an EU law forcing fishermen to throw dead fish back into the sea. European Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki has announced that the practice which sees four million tonnes of edible fish being thrown back a year because of quota rules – would be phased out. [...]

YOUNGSTERS allowed to choose their own vegetables are more likely to eat their greens, Spanish researchers claim. According to a research study by the University of Granada youngsters who pick their own veg eat up to a staggering 80 per cent more. Although researchers noted kids will still often avoid calcium-rich vegetables like spinach, broccoli [...]

SPAIN has finally agreed to ban battery hens. The government has confirmed that all battery farmers will have to switch to so-called ‘enriched’ cages or a free range system by January 2012. The EU-wide change comes after mounting pressure from the European Network for Farm Animal Protection (Enfap). The group sent more than 16,000 emails [...]

A CONSUMER organisation has come under fire after advising shoppers to avoid 10 well known brands of milk. The Consumers and Users Organisation (OCU) has been slammed by the government after releasing a study of 47 different makes of UHT milk that showed an ‘abysmal’ difference in quality. The OCU even insisted that some Spanish [...]