Who needs French brie? Britain's best soft cheese to buy now
Stocks of them might be running low as a result; Patricia Michelson, the owner of London's La Fromagerie which specialises in fine continental cheeses, has admitted that 'at the moment, we can't supply all the lovely, soft cow's milk cheeses like Camembert and brie,' and she fears that a misunderstanding of raw-milk cheese will ultimately damage British artisan cheesemakers as well as their French counterparts.
Thankfully, this country produces a whole host of wonderful options for fans of unpasteurised cheese who argue that raw-milk options boast more complex and nuanced flavours, and better display their terroir – many of which are directly inspired by French and Italian cheeses, so you can still get your fix of gooey innards and ripe rinds. Here are some of the best to try.
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Daily Mail
22 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
I've been a personal trainer for 25 years - I avoid this 'healthy' food because it makes you look old
Demand for plant-based meat alternatives, gluten-free snacks and other 'healthy' options has undeniably taken the world by storm. Fuelled by a deluge of alarming reports into the dangers of eating too much processed meat, gluten and refined carbohydrates, supermarket shelves are now packed with 'plant based meat' and grain and nut-packed granolas. But, Tracy Campoli, a certified holistic health coach, warned these so-called "healthy" products could be ageing the body from the inside out, causing chronic inflammation and visible signs of ageing. According to Ms Campoli, some of the most popular plant-based meat-alternatives are seriously lacking in vital nutrients like protein, and are instead packed full of additives, seed oils and salt. In a video posted to YouTube, the fitness coach analysed five different "healthy foods" that are by their very nature highly processed, and concluded that fake meat is one of the worst offenders when it comes to health. 'Just because it's plant-based, it doesn't mean it's healthy—you've got to read your labels,' she warned her 347,000 subscribers. Around 12 per cent of people in the UK eat a meat-free diet, with many choosing to give up red meat in particular because of its supposed link with heart disease and even cancer. But, Ms Campoli warned: 'Some of these so-called "good for you" choices may secretly be sabotaging your skin and even speeding up visible signs of ageing like wrinkles. 'But more plant-based alternatives might actually be causing some fine wrinkles on your face. Ms Campoli continued: 'So many of those mass-marketed plant-based meat alternatives—such as Beyond Meat and Impossible Burger—all use inflammatory oils which can speed up your cellular ageing.' Seed oils such a canola oil, sunflower and rapeseed oils are high in polyunsaturated fats which, it has long been claimed, are a 'heart healthy' substitute for traditional animal fats. But in recent years, they've also found themselves at the centre of a raging health debate. Detractors refer to seed oils as 'The Hateful Eight' – which also include corn, soybean, cottonseed, grapeseed, safflower and rice bran oil. Critics say these oils—which today make up more than 25 per cent of the calories in our diets—are causing obesity and leading to a host of health problems from type 2 diabetes to depression and even migraines. It's a claim that goes against medical advice of the past few decades: butter, dripping and lard are high in 'bad' saturated fats which raise cholesterol and heart disease risk, while seed oils contain unsaturated fats that can decrease cholesterol levels and protect the heart. But according to Ms Campoli seed oils aren't always the healthier option. 'They may sound healthy, but they are actually really not great for our body, causing more oxidative stress,' she warned in the clip. The main concern us that they are high in omega-6 fatty acids, she explained. 'When we have an excess of omega-6 in our body it creates more oxidative stress, damages your skin cells and it can cause wrinkles.' She added that these alternative products are often packed with higher levels of salt than their animal-derived counterparts, as manufacturers try to mimic the taste and texture of real meat. This, she says, can cause people to bloat and make the skin look more puffy. Eating too much salt can also lead to high blood pressure, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. 'It's also not good for your skin because sodium can also lead to dehydration,' Ms Campoli added. 'But it's hydration from the inside out gives us that glowy more youthful-looking skin. 'If you're eating a lot of excess salt, you're going to look dry and dehydrated. She concluded: 'All of these ingredients together can cause inflammation in the body. 'Inflammation is the root cause of so many diseases and health problems so we want to do our best to keep inflammation at bay. 'You're better off eating more whole foods than looking for substitutes.' Wholegrain breads that are full of hidden sugars and emulsifiers, granola, rice cakes and gluten-free snack products also made her blacklist. 'Many of these products breads contain hidden sugars which contribute to glycation—meaning it stiffens and weakens your collagen, making your skin saggy and contributing to the visible signs of ageing.' It comes as new research suggests consuming a diet low in ultra-processed foods could help supercharge weight loss. Additive-laden foods have been vilified for decades over their supposed health risks, with dozens of studies linking them to type 2 diabetes, heart disease and even cancer. Now, British scientists who tracked dozens of adults have discovered those who ate a diet rich in minimally processed foods and avoided UPFs, lost twice as much weight as those who often consumed UPFs. Sticking to meals cooked from scratch could also help curb food cravings, they also found. However, diets high in UPFs had little impact on blood pressure, heart rate, liver function and cholesterol. Researchers argued their findings echoed calls to limit certain types of UPFs but cautioned it also showed that not all UPFs are 'inherently unhealthy'.
Telegraph
34 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Come to Britain illegally: get free kidney dialysis
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is quite right to reject criticism for picking up illegal immigrants in distress in the Channel. The charity's task for all its 200 years has been to rescue what the hymn calls 'those in peril on the sea', not to ask them where they come from. Nevertheless, it is an indictment of government policy that the RNLI is saddled with so much of this work. Through no fault of its own, the RNLI helps the people-smugglers maintain a thriving trade, since the traffickers' customers believe, usually correctly, that they will be saved. Repeated failure by either main party to stop the trade has placed an unfair burden on others. Something similar applies to the National Health Service. The way the law interprets its 'duty of care' means that the illegality of immigrants does not compromise their right to free treatment. Indeed, they can sometimes jump the queues in which British citizens wait. Except in the case of emergency, this seems wrong. It lengthens those queues for ordinary taxpayers and legal immigrants who pay their dues. It also creates an incentive for more illegals to arrive. I recently came across a striking example of this. Inevitably, this is a subject about which no one in the NHS wants to go on the record, so what follows is anecdotal rather than proved. I can only say that I trust my well-informed sources. The story is that there have been several recent cases in southern England of illegal immigrants arriving from Middle-Eastern countries and immediately demanding kidney dialysis. The doctor at each migrant centre must refer them to specialist units. The duty of care means that they must be treated at once, regardless of any effect on queues. Free personal translation services are also provided for those who do not speak English. Obviously, the sick arrivals are not faking it. Almost equally obviously, they knew they would need the dialysis before they set out on their dangerous journey. Theirs is an extreme example of health tourism. The very fact that they could get here so quickly after dialysis in their home countries (treatment normally requires at least two sessions a week) is evidence that the traffickers have reliable systems worked out and a very high chance of outwitting the British authorities and getting people through fast. No doubt they are extra well-paid for this. The annual cost of dialysis in Britain is more than £30,000 per patient. Each session lasts three to five hours; bloods also need monitoring, and there are quite frequent complications, so a huge amount of limited clinician and equipment time is consumed by each new patient. There is no doubt about the good intentions behind the rules, but it does not seem extreme to suggest that they help pave the way to the hell of overcrowding which is the modern NHS. For the BBC, does a cat have higher moral status than a Jew? In its morning news yesterday, the BBC revealed what it called 'an international network that shares online videos of cats and kittens being tortured'. This network included British members, it reported. It rightly invited its audience to consider this disgusting. In the same bulletin, the BBC also reported another torture video. It was of an Israeli man, Evyatar David, held hostage by Hamas. Emaciated and weak, he was filmed in a tunnel, digging what he described as his own grave. He was pleading for his life. The BBC acknowledged that this film might be distressing for the hostage's family but said nothing about the torturer. Indeed, its news report referred to 'the publication of two videos', without even naming Hamas as the perpetrator. Instead, it brought on Jeremy Bowen, its international editor. He was clear. Over a year ago, he said, Hamas had offered Israel a deal which said: 'End the war, leave Gaza, don't come back in and you'll get all the hostages back.' He made not the faintest suggestion that we might be disgusted by Hamas's bargaining over kidnap victims or by the video. Instead, he strongly implied that Benjamin Netanyahu had been wrong to refuse the Hamas offer. The lesson I learnt from these contrasting reports is that, on the BBC, a cat has a higher moral status than a Jew. We already have a wealth tax: IHT There is talk that Labour wants to introduce a wealth tax in the next Budget to help rescue itself from its own profligacy. In the heated discussion about this, it tends to be forgotten that Britain already has a punishing wealth tax, otherwise known as inheritance tax (IHT), which is charged at 40 per cent. Even less noticed is the fact that IHT is moving from being a tax solely on the pretty well-off to one that hits the middling sort. This is because the threshold at which it kicks in has been held at £325,000 since 2009 and will now continue at that level until at least 2030. If the threshold had increased with inflation, it would be nearly £520,000 today. Not coincidentally, the number of estates (in effect, the heirs of dead people) paying IHT went up 13 per cent last year. Receipts rose to £2.2bn in the first quarter of this year. As so often in recent times, what looks like a socialist measure lasted throughout the 14 years of Conservative government which ended last year. As the Tories seem to be in repentant mode at last, should they not catch up with Reform on this issue before it tightens its hold on the rising generation of grandparents?
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Experts reveal potential unintended side effect of Ozempic – and whether we should worry
The use of weight-loss jabs in the UK has skyrocketed, with an estimated 1.5 million people using them. Yet drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy don't just help people lose fat, but potentially muscle too, new research has suggested. A study that tested weight loss jabs on mice found that although muscle mass changes less than expected, muscles still get weaker and tissues like the liver also shrink. Weight-loss injections, also known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, work by mimicking the natural hormone which regulates blood sugar, appetite and digestion. The medications, known as semaglutides, predominantly treat diabetes but are also available on the NHS or via private providers to help adults with a high body mass index (BMI). For example, although Ozempic is used for type 2 diabetes, it is sometimes prescribed off-label as a weight-loss drug. The results of the study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, revealed Ozempic -induced weight loss decreased muscle mass by about 10 per cent. Most of this lost weight wasn't from skeletal muscles, which surround bones and joints, but instead from other tissues like the liver, which shrank by nearly half. However, because the Ozempic was tested on mice, researchers emphasise that more research is needed to determine whether similar changes to organ size occur in humans and whether those changes come with any risks. 'Loss of mass in metabolically active organs, such as the liver, is expected as part of healthy weight loss,' said Dr Ran Hee Choi, research instructor in nutrition and integrative physiology at the University of Utah college of health, and co-first author on the study. In both mice and humans, weight gain and loss can affect the size of organs like the liver without affecting their function. 'It's unlikely that the observed lean mass loss represents a serious adverse effect,' added Dr Takuya Karasawa, another co-first author on the study. Researchers found some skeletal muscles did shrink by about 6 per cent as the mice lost weight, but not enough to explain the overall muscle loss. However, when someone gains fat, they also tend to gain skeletal muscle. Study authors explain this is because the body needs to work harder to move around. As a result, losing extra fat can lead to a loss of muscle, which will not affect the person's overall quality of life. Researchers also tested the amount of force the mice's muscles exerted and found that some muscle strength decreased as the mice lost weight, even when the size of the muscle stayed roughly the same. This potential loss of strength when taking Ozempic could be a particular concern for adults over the age of 60 who are at a higher risk of muscle loss and reduced mobility. 'The loss of physical function is a strong predictor of not just quality of life but longevity,' added Dr Katsu Funai, professor of nutrition at the University of Utah and the senior author on the study. Dr Funai concluded that further clinical trials of weight loss jabs should check for changes in muscle strength. A spokesperson for Novo Nordisk, which makes Ozempic, said: 'In clinical trial for Wegovy or Ozempic we did not specifically study the medicine's impact on muscle mass. In a sub-study of 140 patients with a BMI of 40 or less, analysis suggested that treatment with Wegovy was accompanied by reductions in both fat and lean body mass, with a greater reduction in fat mass than lean body mass. 'We recommend that any patients experiencing side effects while taking Wegovy or Ozempic contact their healthcare provider.'
