Have a rice week, everyone
Here in the UK, we’re in the midst of National Rice Week (19-25 September). It only takes one glance at supermarket shelves to know that rice is big business in the UK; indeed, we now eat five times more rice per person than we did 40 years ago, and consumption is still on the rise.
Despite this growth, Britain still lags behind its European and Asian counterparts in terms of consumption – for example, rice is consumed four times a week in Milan and ten times per week in south east Asia, compared to the British average of one portion a week.
As such, National Rice Week has been launched by the Rice Association to help increase consumer confidence about cooking rice at home and to educate people about the versatility of rice in recipes.
The Rice Association’s Alex Waugh says, “We want to dispel the myth that cooking rice is tricky and it’s many varieties can be easily combined into any home cook’s repertoire.
“This is an opportunity for all of us involved in the UK rice industry to showcase our best products, recipes and information to encourage more of us to enjoy this healthy delicious grain more often.”
I trust everyone will celebrate accordingly with a rice based dish this week – I’m off to get some sushi for lunch to mark the occasion.
