There are so many conflicting pulls on our emotions and sensibilities at this time of year, aren’t there? It seems to me 2019 was the year the world woke up to the need to do things differently – and 2020 is the year to do something about it. It’s unusual to meet anyone who isn’t thinking hard about how they can live a planet-friendlier life. The challenge is to find the sweet spot where we’re making wiser choices, yet still enjoying the food we cook and eat, and delicious.aims to help you do that. For starters, writer Katy Salter took on the challenge of banishing plastic from her kitchen, and discovered it’s way harder than she imagined. You can read about her experiences on p46 and pick up some tips along the way.
Apart from that, the beginning of the year, after the Christmas feasting, brings a sense of clearing the decks, tidying stuff away and eating pared-back food. Yet the weather is cold and the thought of a brisk walk followed by bowl of cheesy mash and a beautiful slow braise is more appealing than a 6am gym visit followed by a fridge-cold salad.
It’s the start of a new decade, too, which generates a stronger-thanusual prompt to consider what we’re doing and think about exciting skills to learn, places to visit and good things to eat. I’m not in favour of hair-shirt resolutions as cold, dank weather is the worst time of year to make them, but I do love that sense of new beginnings and thinking about creative projects to embark on, in the kitchen and beyond.