Like a chicken?

Schnitzel and Cacciatore - (coop from Rentachook)

It took me a while to settle on a term that described my food philosophy accurately enough to encapsulate what my blog is about. And then, gazing out at my chickens foraging in the garden, it came to me.

After all, free ranging for chickens is all about freedom. A chicken should never be made to eat only factory pellets, it should have the opportunity to scratch and forage and try lots of different things. Mine happen to love watermelon. But enough of that, what has that got to do with me?

I don’t want to ingest, or feed my loved ones with loads of factory-processed, flavourless “food” packed with preservatives, and it makes me sad when other people choose this path. I want to eat food that has been mindfully prepared and I want to serve this kind of food to other people.

Some people in the food industry would seek to mislead us with buzzwords and jargon about what makes good food. Words like “farm fresh” and “all natural” have been heavily abused in our supermarkets to the detriment of consumers and their families. Misconceptions about wholesome food lead some people to think that only hairy hippie types eat such food, and that lifestyle couldn’t be simple or chic.

A chicken that leads a real free range life, produces the most flavourful and vibrantly yellow-yolked eggs you will ever see, far brighter than anything from a supermarket shelf. I believe that good food has the same effect on people, they are happier, friendlier and produce great beauty in all areas of their lives.