Banana bread recipes are on the move once more, taken to dizzying heights of deliciousness. The value of breakfast and bread with added protein come into question. Employers go back to the bread and butter basics. And one 105 year old woman shares her best tip for living so long. Here’s what’s happening in our world. 

Boozy bourbon banana bread

Once upon a time nobody had heard of banana bread. One pandemic later and it’s a global phenomenon. Now bright sparks are recommending we take it to the next level by adding booze. We like their style.

 It’s time to revolutionise your banana bread with bourbon, which apparently adds depth, warmth, and decadence to the classic treat. Because bourbon comes with tasty notes of smoke, vanilla, caramel, oak and nuts, it harmonises beautifully with the sweetness of the bananas. And the inherent vanilla tang means there’s no need to add vanilla food flavouring to your recipe.

Does it taste boozy? Apparently not. Most of the alcohol is burned off during the bake. If you’d like to add it back in, make a glaze, icing or infused butter with added bourbon. Yum.

Protein bread science is a bit wonky

Jamie Oliver’s healthy protein bread, billed as a mighty fine ‘portable breakfast’, is totally gorgeous. But there are two issues with the science: one, that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and two, that we need protein-infused foods in the first place.

The idea of a healthy breakfast came about in the early 1900s thanks to John Harvey Kellogg, who used the idea to promote and market his new breakfast cereal. In fact breakfast isn’t that important, as revealed by the eggheads at New Scientist magazine. You can miss it without putting on weight, losing weight or somehow toppling off the moral high ground.

Then there’s added protein. Everyone and his dog is adding protein to food at the moment. But the eggheads say there’s no need to put extra protein in our food. Instead we should simply eat a balanced, healthy diet in the first place. As the Dietician Gaynor Bussell points out in The Guardian, so far there is absolutely no evidence that people are lacking protein. In her words, “Dietary surveys always reveal we get more than enough.”

‘Bread and butter benefits’ are the thing for 2024

It looks like 2024 will be the era of ‘bread and butter benefits’. Apparently the UK’s dire economic situation means fun-focused workplace benefits like free food in the office, yoga sessions, beanbags, massages and expensive team building experiences are dead. Long live bread and butter benefits – but what are they?

It’s all about supporting employees better. With the NHS in crisis, many people waiting for treatment and others unable to get appointments, people need a different kind of support from their employers.

‘Bread and butter benefits’ are all about keeping people well: free flu jabs, subsidised gym memberships, screening for preventable diseases and early indicators of health problems, plus expert information about healthcare are the new rock ‘n’ roll in the corporate benefits world.

Want to reach the age of 105? Eat more bread and butter

Dorothy Palmer has just reached the grand old age of 105, and she has revealed her secrets to the Daily Mirror. Dorothy has spent a lifetime avoiding vegetables, adores cake, and eats mountains of bread and butter, which she says is what has kept her going for so long. We rest our case.

The officially licensed Xbox Series S toaster

Yes, you read that right! There’s actually an officially-licensed Xbox Series S toaster, and you can buy it right now. The gadget is perfect for those of us who can’t possibly contemplate toast without the addition of a toasted-in Xbox logo, which the machine carefully sears upon each slice.

Previously used in an April Fool’s Day stunt to fool Xboxers, this time the gadget has made it into the real world. It features two-slice capacity, a bagel function, a crumb tray that pops out conveniently and six different levels of browning. And it really does look a lot like the Xbox Series S console. How can you possibly resist?

Treat your end customers to the very best Kent artisan bread

These are competitive times. Quality matters. Why not give your foodservice end customers the finest artisan bread available, freshly baked and flash frozen in the Garden of England before being sent around the UK, where it is received with cries of joy and happiness?

Don’t just take our world for it. Click below to order free samples direct to your doorstep.