A website to watch

Lynda Brown - 20 July 2011

I'm not the biggest fan of websites - I skim them when I need to, get infuriated when I can't click on instantly to the only bit I want, can't bear banal chit chat, and actually much prefer thoughtful, joined up writing that gives me interesting information written in an engaging but focused way. My pet hate are food websites with no real content, written in simpering prose, padded out with snippets gleaned from press releases or gushing recommendations from some press trip or other, not to mention all those "delicious", "simple " fake recipes full of ingredients you haven't got and you're never going to make. Moi, cynical? You bet.

Every now and then, though, I need to eat my words. One laudable exception is Joanna Blythman's new website: www.joannablythmanwriting.com. Joanna Blythman needs no introduction - she's been one of the UK's foremost investigative food journalists for some years now, as well as an early supporter of the organic movment. What sets her apart is that she walks the talk, someone who writes authoritatively (ie she knows what she's talking about), and with great wit (ie she's a good read), but is also a working mum who loves her food and who shops and cooks for real. My turn to sound gushing, but I mean it. Her website is a paired down showcase for her work : a rare example of one that engages you instantly, informs you, sets out the issues , offers food for thought, and whets your appetite. It's like the best kind of food primer. The icing on the cake ? It's crystal clear, with great pics, and dead easy to use. This week's blog is about GM potatoes, and the anti- GM spud rally this Saturday at 12noon at The Forum in Norwich (see www.stopgm.org). A timely update, and only a click away....

Lynda is an award-winning food writer and broadcaster, and keen advocate for organic living. She is author of several food books over the last twenty years including Planet Organic: Organic Living, The Cook's Garden, and The Modern Cook's Handbook, as well as writing The Preserving Book that was published in 2010 in association with the Soil Association. Lynda is an expert on food and nutrition and a seasoned broadcaster, regularly speaking on food and farming both on the radio and television.

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