Rather than focusing on the negative, why not eat what makes us feel good?

Rather than concentrate on the negative and depriving ourselves of everything, would it not make more sense to embrace food that makes us feel good?

I’ve included my top food resolutions for 2025

1. Eat more greens. It goes against the grain but there’s no disputing the benefits of eating them. Eating chard, kale and broccoli for example will provide you with food with the highest content of antioxidants, essential minerals and vitamins. Research has shown that diet inclusive of dark leafy greens can defend the body against cellular damage associated with health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers. Eat them in a salad, with your roasts or tossed into a stir fry. They’ll keep you young and healthy if you eat them on a regular basis.
2. Try to eat seasonally. Have you noticed how tomatoes, cucumbers and other salad vegetables perish much quicker at this time of year? They’ve probably been sitting in a lorry for a while and by the time we get them they’ll be off very soon. Who wants to eat insipid tomatoes and tasteless cucumber anyway? Local grown leeks are in full swing at the moment as well as cauliflower, all manner of roots and cabbage. If you want a salad, roast a cauliflower and dress it with a spicy dressing. Grate raw beetroot and whizz into a slaw with apples, red cabbage and onions. Go direct to the source for food – farmer’s markets, farm shops, greengrocers and delis. Supermarkets have their place but if you can support a small local business why wouldn’t you?
3. Farmed fish has had a bad press in recent times and for many good reasons (which I’m not going into now!). Fish, like fruit and vegetables, are seasonal too. We are blessed with wild fish from our waters and also with a limited number of fishmongers who’ll be happy to supply you. Rather than cook salmon that has been intensively farmed and fed an unnatural diet, why not try monkfish, hake, whiting or coley? They’re from here and are completely natural. This is my timely reminder that it is illegal to fish seabass commercially in our local waters. If you see “Local Seabass” on a menu here, with the insinuation it’s from Northern Ireland, it is not possible and will most likely have been farmed in Turkey or Asia – all that travel when you can enjoy something from a nearby coast. I know what I feel like when I’ve flown four hours so imagine what it would be like for a fish slurping around in a big tank for days … Go to your nearest fishmonger or fish van and try something different that’s from here.
4. Be aware of food waste. We throw out 6.6 million tonnes of food in the UK annually and 4.5 million of that is edible. The amount of edible food wasted in the UK could fill Wembley stadium eight times. Supermarkets are strategically designed to get you to buy as much as possible – whether you need it or not. In the past we planned meals and made shopping lists accordingly. It doesn’t encourage spontaneous meals but it does make sense. Plus it takes away that “what am I going to make for the tea tonight” torment. Also back up your fridge with cans of vegetables like chickpeas, cannellini beans and tomatoes alongside dried pulses. Always have the wherewithal to make a meal from store cupboard essentials as a back up.
5. Meat is another contentious issue but we are seriously blessed in this part of the world with great produce. There are many butchers around the country who rear their own animals and farmers who have farm shops stocking meat that were farmed in nearby fields. We shun lamb, a perfectly natural product, in favour of supermarket chicken that comes from far flung places. Another note – when it says “product of Northern Ireland” that could refer to the packaging process only. Go to a good butcher and they should be able to tell you where everything has come from.
6. If you’re eating pudding do it properly and have it as a treat. I would rather have a good buttery crumble with custard and ice-cream once a fortnight than a daily dose of low fat, zero joy, 80 calories in a pot, fake stuff. Just savour a good pudding, go for a big bracing walk after and leave it for a while…
7. If you don’t do it on a regular basis, get round the table with family and friends to eat and enjoy food. It doesn’t matter what’s on the table foodwise, it’s who’s around it that matters. And don’t put all the pressure on one person to do the cooking. Even if you just peel a few spuds or scrub some carrots it will be appreciated to lighten the load. The best meals I had last year weren’t in fancy restaurants but in people’s homes. You don’t need to serve elaborate tasting menus with matching wines – make a big casserole, boil a few spuds (toss them in butter to show your love) and open a bottle of wine or local apple juice. If someone offers to bring dessert or a cheese board, accept their kind gesture. Leave the dishes stacked in the sink, have a laugh and leave the worry for another day.