Swedes build a bridge over North-South divide
Apetito, the frozen meals supplier to the healthcare sector, has identified a North-South food divide. The number-one choice for hospital patients in the North is traditional cottage pie, while Southerners prefer roast chicken. Apetito found the classic English pudding, Bakewell tart, was a firm favourite in the North, but Southern patients were likely to opt for something more contemporary such as hot banana cake. However, when it comes to vegetables, the North and South are united in their tastes. So which vegetable do hospital patients universally love across England? Yep, you guessed it - mashed swede.
They'll have to give a xxxx for something else
Australian pub-goers are facing their worst nightmare: a beer drought that's threatening to bite at the start of the thirsty summer season. The country's third-biggest brewer is restricted to producing limited quantities after a New Year's Day fire threatened energy supplies to two states. Coopers Brewery in Adelaide had to suspend a dozen brews last week and could face restrictions until March.
The idea of having to get through the summer without beer inspired the song that in 1958 became Australia's first gold record. A Pub with No Beer, recorded by Slim Dusty, laments: "There's-a nothin' so lonesome, morbid or drear than to stand in the bar of a pub with no beer."
We'll never give up our combo platters
You wouldn't think people would fight to protect a Little Chef but, apparently, steady opposition is mounting against plans to demolish one on the A1 at Markham Moor in Nottinghamshire. The reason? The restaurant has a bizarre sweeping, double-pointed roof designed by architect Sam Scorer, many of whose flamboyant concrete designs from the 1950s and 1960s have been given listed status. For a moment we thought the all-day breakfast had become a national treasure.
Pile on the protein with a new low-carb burger
Pub chain Yates's has jumped on the Atkins diet bandwagon by launching a low-carbohydrate menu, which includes the new Yates's burger - a chargrilled chicken breast covered in melted cheese, sandwiched between two 6oz beef patties instead of a bun. The traditional English breakfast also makes an appearance but with toast, fried bread and beans sacrificed for an extra-large portion of bacon and sausages. The pub chain claimed it was responding to increasing concerns about obesity.
American BSE is the best in the world
US burger joints and steakhouses may actually be poised to benefit from the mad cow disease scare sweeping the country, as beef prices continue to drop. Restaurants say that beef sales have been holding up following news on 23 December of the first US case of BSE, found in a single dairy cow in Washington State. In an ironic twist, industry analysts have suggested that the expected oversupply of beef due to bans on US exports will actually help restaurateurs. The price of beef has dropped by 10%, while consumer demand has remained steady.