‘Keep it simple and cook with love’
With two new programmes out this year (Hook It Cook It and Valentine Warner's Wild Table), there's no denying that Valentine Warner has been incredible busy.
And now, having long been an advocate of sustainability when it comes to our food, he has teamed up with Philadelphia. Having just been awarded a Good Dairy Commendation in recognition of their ongoing commitment to sustainability and animal welfare it's no wonder the chef has become involved with the brand.
'I think it's great that big multinational companies raise the bar,' he tells me.
He continues, 'everyone needs to kind of be involved in better quality living conditions for animals.'
'Although unproven, it makes sense that the better conditions that things live in the better the taste is going to be.'
Clearly big multinationals are starting to take note of animal welfare and sustainability. How can we get all food producers to step up?
'You need to accept that you can't do everything at once. As soon as you've got big companies like Philadelphia getting a commendation like this, something is being done.'
'That pushes more people to think about it. It's important because we take a lot from this world and we've got to respect what we're taking it from.'
How can we, as buyers in the local supermarket, start to make a difference too?
'We need to have information so we know what we're buying, but I also think that it's about simply knowing more about food.'
'I think we've kind of separated ourselves from nature. We don't know what our options are with food, and so many of us don't cook as much as we should.'
'How can you save yourself money in the kitchen, cook something really nourishing and delicious out of something incredibly cheap, when we've lost a lot of that information. The more you know about your food, the more options you have.'
'We don't inherit a lot of our grandmothers recipes anymore because we don't need to, someone else is cooking our food for us or we're getting a takeaway, so it's really about education.'
When it comes to home comforts, for Warner, some of his favourite dishes are those that have been born out of hard times.
'There are so many parts of an animal which can be eaten which have fallen out of fashion, if you're living in a recession those are the very things you should be eating.'
'So many of the things that I enjoy, so many great dishes, of any country, came out of poverty. They were dishes that were invented to make the cheap things taste good or to stretch them further, and that's what we don't know anymore. Certainly the food that I prefer eating quite often are those dishes that initially came out of hardship.'
With that in mind I wonder if the recession we are experiencing could put us back in touch with simple food?
'It's not that simple; I think the information is still not there.'
Food wastage is ever increasing, how can we keep it down?
Really look at what's in your fridge because most of us don't. We say oh, there's nothing left, I need to go to the shops. 9 times out of 10 you've got loads of meals left.
'If that carrot's a bit wrinkly, it's gonna be sweeter, so just take the skin off it. We throw so much food away, if it's a bit brown just cut it off, and cook with it, it's fine!'
Ultimately, Warner tells me the key to great, waste free, cooking is keeping it simple.
'Keep it simple, and try to plan. The more you plan the tighter you can keep your budget.'
'Just keep it simple, and cook with love: if you're cross it's going to be hate on a plate.'
To try some of Valentine Warner's Philadelphia recipes click here.
Philadelphia has teamed up with chef and sustainability champion, Valentine Warner to create a range of wholesome serving suggestions to celebrate being awarded The Good Dairy Commendation. Visit www.philadelphia.co.uk to find out more.
And now, having long been an advocate of sustainability when it comes to our food, he has teamed up with Philadelphia. Having just been awarded a Good Dairy Commendation in recognition of their ongoing commitment to sustainability and animal welfare it's no wonder the chef has become involved with the brand.
'I think it's great that big multinational companies raise the bar,' he tells me.
He continues, 'everyone needs to kind of be involved in better quality living conditions for animals.'
'Although unproven, it makes sense that the better conditions that things live in the better the taste is going to be.'
Clearly big multinationals are starting to take note of animal welfare and sustainability. How can we get all food producers to step up?
'You need to accept that you can't do everything at once. As soon as you've got big companies like Philadelphia getting a commendation like this, something is being done.'
'That pushes more people to think about it. It's important because we take a lot from this world and we've got to respect what we're taking it from.'
How can we, as buyers in the local supermarket, start to make a difference too?
'We need to have information so we know what we're buying, but I also think that it's about simply knowing more about food.'
'I think we've kind of separated ourselves from nature. We don't know what our options are with food, and so many of us don't cook as much as we should.'
'How can you save yourself money in the kitchen, cook something really nourishing and delicious out of something incredibly cheap, when we've lost a lot of that information. The more you know about your food, the more options you have.'
'We don't inherit a lot of our grandmothers recipes anymore because we don't need to, someone else is cooking our food for us or we're getting a takeaway, so it's really about education.'
When it comes to home comforts, for Warner, some of his favourite dishes are those that have been born out of hard times.
'There are so many parts of an animal which can be eaten which have fallen out of fashion, if you're living in a recession those are the very things you should be eating.'
'So many of the things that I enjoy, so many great dishes, of any country, came out of poverty. They were dishes that were invented to make the cheap things taste good or to stretch them further, and that's what we don't know anymore. Certainly the food that I prefer eating quite often are those dishes that initially came out of hardship.'
With that in mind I wonder if the recession we are experiencing could put us back in touch with simple food?
'It's not that simple; I think the information is still not there.'
Food wastage is ever increasing, how can we keep it down?
Really look at what's in your fridge because most of us don't. We say oh, there's nothing left, I need to go to the shops. 9 times out of 10 you've got loads of meals left.
'If that carrot's a bit wrinkly, it's gonna be sweeter, so just take the skin off it. We throw so much food away, if it's a bit brown just cut it off, and cook with it, it's fine!'
Ultimately, Warner tells me the key to great, waste free, cooking is keeping it simple.
'Keep it simple, and try to plan. The more you plan the tighter you can keep your budget.'
'Just keep it simple, and cook with love: if you're cross it's going to be hate on a plate.'
To try some of Valentine Warner's Philadelphia recipes click here.
Philadelphia has teamed up with chef and sustainability champion, Valentine Warner to create a range of wholesome serving suggestions to celebrate being awarded The Good Dairy Commendation. Visit www.philadelphia.co.uk to find out more.