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real_eco

you guys all suck

this whole site is an example of pure, unadulterated hypocrisy... you talk about "an ethical approach to consumption"...? with what purpose? everyone should continue being a mindless, hoggish consumer, as long as they do it DIY-style?? consumption is the PROBLEM, morons. you talk about composting and recycling as if you actually care about sustainable living... and then i see articles about freshwater fishing and making bacon...??

there's a saying in the eco community-- "there's no such thing as a meat-eating environmentalist." meat is incredibly wasteful-- animals consume, on average, ten pounds of feed for every one pound of meat they provide (for some animals the ration is even worse-- for cows it's 16:1). this means that meat-eaters are reducing their own food supply by 90%. and that's ethical and sustainable?? and let's not forget that the practice of eating animals is responsible for more environmental degradation than any other human activity, including the burning of fossil fuels (all that urine and feces has to go somewhere). if you people are going to preach sustainability and ethics, you need to drop the disgusting hypocrisy and get rid of the pig-butchering tips. the only TRULY sustainable society will be an entirely plant-based one.

also, fooling youself into thinking you're eco-conscious just because you make your own jam is pathetic. going lo-tech and DIY is no substitute whatsoever for making the hard, unselfish choices that can truly benefit future generations. when you want a new oak desk for your study, are you going to feel good about yourself because you went out and chopped down the tree yourself, with an axe instead of a chainsaw? the tree is still gone either way, and you've got one more worthless possession that you don't need weighing you down.

the real "ethical approach" isn't to do it yourself-- it's to do without. a truly ethical and sustainable approach to life requires making choices based not on your own selfish desires, but on what's best for all life on earth. you don't get eco points for killing your own pigs and making your own bacon-- you get them for completely giving up bacon, along with all the other unhealthy garbage that you don't really NEED.

but i guess that's a little too tough for fake environmentalists like you. i think the real reason you want to be self-sufficient is because you think it might save you a few pennies. you're not motivated by ethics at all-- you're just a bunch of cheapskates.
Mr BlueSky

Good point "GUEST" but why don't you register so we can talk properly?

I agree with alot of what you say. Doing without some things is far better than finding a "self-sufficient" way of getting them. We went veggie 5+ years ago because of concerns about animal suffering. You have a good point about raising animals for eating and the associated cost of this but surely if people do want to eat meat it is far better that they pay the price of raising chickens (for example) and have free range meat than to go to Bl%dy Tesco's and pay 99p for a battery hen ready to eat???

Please register on this site so that we can discuss the matter further. I think you have some good arguments and we are all here to learn. Look forward to hearing from you.

Simon
Treacodactyl

Well "real_eco", firstly being rude does tend to say a fair bit about yourself. There is a very varied number of people here so labelling everyone the same is simply wrong. However, I have taken the time to read your post and have a few comments. Firstly most people would just skip it after the first insult so it's not a good way to get the message across.

In defence of the site helping people use less or appreciate things such as good food more should help people be far more aware of their impact on the environment and be likely to consider their impact and reduce it. Yes, I often think I'm being hypocritical with some of the things I post but I've found society not geared up with how I'd like to live so I have to fit in.

I have given up most meat and the bulk of the meat I have eaten over the last few years could be considered pests (wild deer, rabbit, pigeon etc). I would certainly agree that far too much meat is eaten but there far more waste around. If someone keeps a few hens in their garden is this not better than someone who just has a posh lawn? If someone has a few pigs in a wood to help regenerate the wood is this wrong? Is someone who catches rabbits from a field wrong?

I also feel if you try and change people entirely it will simply not work, people at work for example think I'm mad to keep hens or grow my own produce.

Finally, as I've said before the best way to reduce human impact would be to stop people breading or to cull people. Would you suggest going that far?
nettie

I have to say that, while your comments are perfectly valid, real eco, the same as anyone else's here, the way you put them across is unlikely to win you any support.

If this site, in whatever small way, moves some people to question what is the considered norm for the vast majority of the population and act on it, then it's done a fantastic job so far. Rome wasn't built in a day, and, be realistic, the world isn't going to go anywhere near the way you want it to overnight. Especially not when you behave so rudely to complete strangers without knowing anything about them. There's room for all kinds of people with very differing viewpoints but we manage to keep it civilised and respectful. I'm sure if you could do the same there will be some good discussions to come.
sean

I hope you're using a 'plant-based' computer then. And you're off grid as well I assume.
Fascinating post though 'real-eco'. Badly thought out, but interesting.
jema

I always find it amazing how people can believe they are holier than anyone else and then get a kick out of abusing people who wahtever you might think, are at least making an effort Rolling Eyes
Is that really the most constructive thing they can find to say to a community of 600+ people who are obviously thinking about the issues?
pink bouncy

Hmm, glad I'm not an environmentalist then if it makes you that grumpy. I'm a downshifter, there is a difference.
I don't want to change the world, just make my own little bit of it more like I wish it were and I'm damned if I'm going to sit here and justify myself to someone with an attitude as stinky as yours! angryfire
How far are you talking about taking things then? You obviously don't want to be without your PC. Do you do without books too, as they're made fom paper? Loo roll? Paper too. Wipe your bot with leaves?
You will get much further when you stroke people than when you poke them and personally I think you should go away and come back when you have a civil tongue in your head.
Mr BlueSky

I think that "GUEST" ... if they do have the bravado to come back here may start to get the message as to what we are about. Thanks folks for the posts. Sorry, I refuse to acknowledge a username of one which is not registered and yet is so rude so can we please refere to it as "guest" until such a time as it has the decency to enroll?
Mr BlueSky

(or she) ???
Bugs

pink bouncy wrote:
You will get much further when you stroke people than when you poke them


What a beautiful phrase, can I borrow that, Pink Bouncy? Cool
Viking_Chick

I'm a newbie here but would like to add a bit to what has already been said.

Changing lifestyles does not happen overnight. If you believe in something, great, and if you can live up to the ideals that come with that belief, even better. But we are all just human at the end of the day, none of us perfect. Not even you real_eco with your presumably partly plastic computer.

Everyone here is doing what they do for their own reasons - some may claim to be environmentalists, some are doing it for other ethical reasons - such as an abhorrance of factory farming or a desire to reduce costs or a feeling that they want to get back to an older style of living. Whatever their reasons, it is *their* reasons and the rest of the site is to support the baby steps that each individual here is making towards their own, individual, goals.

And going back to my opening statement, life changes don't and for the vast majority of people, cannot happen overnight. None of us knows everything, but we are all making our way slowly, changing what we do bit by bit to make the changes we can in our own way.

It's not good enough for you, but its good enough for us. Personally I think people should be encouraged to do what they can as they can. Trying to make people feel bad about not doing enough soon enough is far more likely to make them give up on the goals that they have rather than encourage them to do more.

I prefer the downsizer.net approach. Friendly support in a way that does make you think about doing things that you never have before.

It works for me.
sean

Well put Viking Chick. Smile
pink bouncy

Bugs wrote:
pink bouncy wrote:
You will get much further when you stroke people than when you poke them


What a beautiful phrase, can I borrow that, Pink Bouncy? Cool

Of course you can Bugs. Wink
jema

Viking_Chick wrote:
I'm a newbie here but would like to add a bit to what has already been said.

Changing lifestyles does not happen overnight. If you believe in something, great, and if you can live up to the ideals that come with that belief, even better. But we are all just human at the end of the day, none of us perfect. Not even you real_eco with your presumably partly plastic computer.

Everyone here is doing what they do for their own reasons - some may claim to be environmentalists, some are doing it for other ethical reasons - such as an abhorrance of factory farming or a desire to reduce costs or a feeling that they want to get back to an older style of living. Whatever their reasons, it is *their* reasons and the rest of the site is to support the baby steps that each individual here is making towards their own, individual, goals.

And going back to my opening statement, life changes don't and for the vast majority of people, cannot happen overnight. None of us knows everything, but we are all making our way slowly, changing what we do bit by bit to make the changes we can in our own way.

It's not good enough for you, but its good enough for us. Personally I think people should be encouraged to do what they can as they can. Trying to make people feel bad about not doing enough soon enough is far more likely to make them give up on the goals that they have rather than encourage them to do more.

I prefer the downsizer.net approach. Friendly support in a way that does make you think about doing things that you never have before.

It works for me.


And for the rest of us Smile Whilst our guest troll has been more abrasive than most, this topic has cropped up time and time again on downsizer, in one guise or another. A certain type of person has some overriding need to feel superior to the rest of us Rolling Eyes
Each time is has cropped up, we are encouraged by comments like yours that we have succeeded on the whole in one of our original objectives, of getting away from that sort of piousness, and recognise that we are all doing our best in our own ways, and people will do more with encouragement than by being confronted with a set a smug idiots who think they know it all.
nettie

Well said, Viking Chick Very Happy
cab

Re: you guys all suck

real_eco wrote:
....


I'll tell you what, real_eco. I invite you to register here that we may fully discuss your views; I agree with some of what you said, I disagree with some other things you've said. And I'm happy to tell you why, if you're happy to defend your stance.

Deal?
cab

Viking_Chick wrote:
...
It works for me.


You've got a way with words, you know.
Mr BlueSky

Viking_Chick wrote:
I'm a newbie here but would like to add a bit to what has already been said.

Changing lifestyles does not happen overnight. If you believe in something, great, and if you can live up to the ideals that come with that belief, even better. But we are all just human at the end of the day, none of us perfect. Not even you real_eco with your presumably partly plastic computer.

Everyone here is doing what they do for their own reasons - some may claim to be environmentalists, some are doing it for other ethical reasons - such as an abhorrance of factory farming or a desire to reduce costs or a feeling that they want to get back to an older style of living. Whatever their reasons, it is *their* reasons and the rest of the site is to support the baby steps that each individual here is making towards their own, individual, goals.

And going back to my opening statement, life changes don't and for the vast majority of people, cannot happen overnight. None of us knows everything, but we are all making our way slowly, changing what we do bit by bit to make the changes we can in our own way.

It's not good enough for you, but its good enough for us. Personally I think people should be encouraged to do what they can as they can. Trying to make people feel bad about not doing enough soon enough is far more likely to make them give up on the goals that they have rather than encourage them to do more.

I prefer the downsizer.net approach. Friendly support in a way that does make you think about doing things that you never have before.

It works for me.


Three cheers for Viking_chick then! It couldn't have been put any better IMO.

We are all here to help each other in our struggle towards a better life, no matter how long it may take. Those that come along and criticise this are not only not welcome but are hindering us in our process by wasting our valuable reading time.

However "GUEST" if you do return I am quite happy to discuss your comments further. PM me
Viking_Chick

Oh shucks guys Embarassed

I just hope s/he comes back to answer the points raised by everyone here.
tigerminxy

I'm always amazed when people think that by calling people 'morons' and asserting an unpalatable superiority complex they think people are going to listen to them.

Perhaps if people like real_eco didn't adopt such a confrontational pose, and explained their points of view properly (as opposed to lecturing), others might start to listen to them. As it is, all I can think of now is getting a lovely bacon sarnie for lunch. Somehow I don't think that was the intention.
judith

tigerminxy wrote:
all I can think of now is getting a lovely bacon sarnie for lunch. Somehow I don't think that was the intention.


Laughing
maggiem

Re: you guys all suck

." meat is incredibly wasteful-- animals consume, on average, ten pounds of feed for every one pound of meat they provide

We killed 2 lambs today. They came here at 3 months old from friends who had reared them with their mothers milk and grass. They ate good spring grass whilst they were here plus some older grass and in the last couple of dry weeks some of last years hay. We don't eat grass Laughing If they hadn't have eaten it, it would have dried up and gone to seed.
Wasteful??????????????
jema

Re: you guys all suck

maggiem wrote:
." meat is incredibly wasteful-- animals consume, on average, ten pounds of feed for every one pound of meat they provide

We killed 2 lambs today. They came here at 3 months old from friends who had reared them with their mothers milk and grass. They ate good spring grass whilst they were here plus some older grass and in the last couple of dry weeks some of last years hay. We don't eat grass Laughing If they hadn't have eaten it, it would have dried up and gone to seed.
Wasteful??????????????


It is silly isn't it when people take a perfectly valid point, e.g. that meat tends to be wasteful, and turn it into an unthinking mantra, ignoring what different types of land are suitable for, and for that matter the basic fact that there is no inherant food shortage in the world anyway.
Treacodactyl

Re: you guys all suck

jema wrote:
for that matter the basic fact that there is no inherant food shortage in the world anyway.


Who has stated there's no shortage? Some of the intensive meat farming can be extremerly damaging to the environment, South Amerecan beef farming for example. It is something I would like to see a balanced discussion of. Confused
jema

Re: you guys all suck

Treacodactyl wrote:
jema wrote:
for that matter the basic fact that there is no inherant food shortage in the world anyway.


Who has stated there's no shortage? Some of the intensive meat farming can be extremerly damaging to the environment, South Amerecan beef farming for example. It is something I would like to see a balanced discussion of. Confused


It would be a good discussion to have, but I am pretty convinced that food producton could easily cope with the population levels.
Joey

If eco- whatisname was a real environmentalist he wouldn't be horrified by faeces and urine and realise that it's all part of the
nitrogen and carbon cycles.
He would also realise that because of climate and land types it is not viable to grow crops other than grass and forage so meat production is the best way to produce food in these areas.
He would also realise that more than half the other feed materials used to supplement ruminant diets or to feed pigs and poultry are byproducts of the human food production eg: flour, oils, alcohol, sugar and so perform a recyling role. In fact if you consider that a lot of the cereals (the other half of their diets)that are used to feed animals are grown in areas where it is not possible to produce high quality bread making wheats or malting barley, then again this crop growing for meat production is the best use of this land for food production. You should also be aware that there is more rapeseed meal becoming available in Europe for animal feed because of the increasing demand for oil for biodiesel. There is also more maize byproducts appearing in the USA because of ethanol production. Both replace fossil fuels.
Then again we could plant woodland on all of Britain. We could all starve, but then we could all have oak desks, and oak coffins.
Yes we need to be more environmentally conscious and rainforest shold not be destroyed for beef cattle. However, if you are going to
eat food and enjoy it there has to be a middle ground if there is to be food for everyone.
Oh, and next time you are sitting in Glastonbury Festival, eating lentil stew, check the lentils haven't been shipped halfway across the world! You could be enjoying a piece of prime Somerset beef and saving food miles in the process.
nettie

Very Happy
mochyn

I see this eco-chap hasn't reappeared. I don't know, I go off for a couple of days and look what happens.
mochyn

And, thinking on, wasn't there a challenge thrown down to get people to play Devil's advocate?
Joey

Mochyn!
Diawl bach!!!
mrsnesbitt

no sign of eco-whatsisname!

am i right in thinking he's not not a happy chappy.........?????
monkey1973

He'll be waiting for the hamsters to generate enough electricity on their wheel to allow him to boot up his 'puter!
sean

No, that would be animal based so not allowed I'm afraid. Wink
Treacodactyl

sean wrote:
No, that would be animal based so not allowed I'm afraid. Wink


They have probably got a few hundred venus flytraps rigged up to a dynamo, or even those plants that shut their leaves when stroked.
Joey

Nah,
He'll be eating plenty of lentils and using the gas to power up a gas
turbine.
tahir

Joey wrote:
He'll be eating plenty of lentils and using the gas to power up a gas
turbine.


I could be doing that today, is there an easy collection method?
Joey

Yes,
Feed lentils to steer.
Cannulate steers rumen to collect methane.
Burn methane.
Cook steer
Eat beef.
tahir

Joey wrote:
Yes,
Feed lentils to steer.
Cannulate steers rumen to collect methane.
Burn methane.
Cook steer
Eat beef.


I was talking about a personal version
Joey

I know you were.
But the you wouldn't enjoy the collection method as much as you would enjoy the steak
monkey1973

Joey wrote:

Cannulate steers rumen


Shocked Shocked And I don't even understand a word of it.
nettie

I think eco-wotsit provided enough hot air in that post as it is bootyshake
tawny owl

Joey wrote:
Then again we could plant woodland on all of Britain. We could all starve, but then we could all have oak desks, and oak coffins


Er no, remember - you're not allowed to chop the trees down either.

Must be tiring being that perfect.
Mr O

I have never claimed to be an environmentalist, and if it involves eating lentils all day long and producing more methane than the argentinian beef population. Then bullocks to it!
Extremists are just that! Extreme! Guest's post is an example of the tolerance that extremists have. Next step animal liberation? and attacking innocent people? Unfortunatley in a free society these miscreants are allowed to be free. Perhaps in a more controled society they would not be allowed their freedom and their voice. I don't want him / her to register I just want him / her to urinate off!
Guest :-)

Re: you guys all suck

real_eco wrote:
this whole site is an example of pure, unadulterated hypocrisy... you talk about "an ethical approach to consumption"...? with what purpose? everyone should continue being a mindless, hoggish consumer, as long as they do it DIY-style?? consumption is the PROBLEM, morons. you talk about composting and recycling as if you actually care about sustainable living... and then i see articles about freshwater fishing and making bacon...??

there's a saying in the eco community-- "there's no such thing as a meat-eating environmentalist." meat is incredibly wasteful-- animals consume, on average, ten pounds of feed for every one pound of meat they provide (for some animals the ration is even worse-- for cows it's 16:1). this means that meat-eaters are reducing their own food supply by 90%. and that's ethical and sustainable?? and let's not forget that the practice of eating animals is responsible for more environmental degradation than any other human activity, including the burning of fossil fuels (all that urine and feces has to go somewhere). if you people are going to preach sustainability and ethics, you need to drop the disgusting hypocrisy and get rid of the pig-butchering tips. the only TRULY sustainable society will be an entirely plant-based one.

also, fooling youself into thinking you're eco-conscious just because you make your own jam is pathetic. going lo-tech and DIY is no substitute whatsoever for making the hard, unselfish choices that can truly benefit future generations. when you want a new oak desk for your study, are you going to feel good about yourself because you went out and chopped down the tree yourself, with an axe instead of a chainsaw? the tree is still gone either way, and you've got one more worthless possession that you don't need weighing you down.

the real "ethical approach" isn't to do it yourself-- it's to do without. a truly ethical and sustainable approach to life requires making choices based not on your own selfish desires, but on what's best for all life on earth. you don't get eco points for killing your own pigs and making your own bacon-- you get them for completely giving up bacon, along with all the other unhealthy garbage that you don't really NEED.

but i guess that's a little too tough for fake environmentalists like you. i think the real reason you want to be self-sufficient is because you think it might save you a few pennies. you're not motivated by ethics at all-- you're just a bunch of cheapskates.


Who'd of thought you could get rabbies off plants?
tahir

Very funny Laughing

I think we've made our position clear, if the poster is genuine and wants to engage in a sensible discussion then they should sign up and we'll have a full, frank, and hopefully fair debate on this. Until then I think we'd better stop getting worked up about it.
footprints

Re: you guys all suck

real_eco wrote:
this whole site is an example of pure, unadulterated hypocrisy... you talk about "an ethical approach to consumption"...? with what purpose? everyone should continue being a mindless, hoggish consumer, as long as they do it DIY-style?? consumption is the PROBLEM, morons. you talk about composting and recycling as if you actually care about sustainable living... and then i see articles about freshwater fishing and making bacon...??

there's a saying in the eco community-- "there's no such thing as a meat-eating environmentalist." meat is incredibly wasteful-- animals consume, on average, ten pounds of feed for every one pound of meat they provide (for some animals the ration is even worse-- for cows it's 16:1). this means that meat-eaters are reducing their own food supply by 90%. and that's ethical and sustainable?? and let's not forget that the practice of eating animals is responsible for more environmental degradation than any other human activity, including the burning of fossil fuels (all that urine and feces has to go somewhere). if you people are going to preach sustainability and ethics, you need to drop the disgusting hypocrisy and get rid of the pig-butchering tips. the only TRULY sustainable society will be an entirely plant-based one.

also, fooling youself into thinking you're eco-conscious just because you make your own jam is pathetic. going lo-tech and DIY is no substitute whatsoever for making the hard, unselfish choices that can truly benefit future generations. when you want a new oak desk for your study, are you going to feel good about yourself because you went out and chopped down the tree yourself, with an axe instead of a chainsaw? the tree is still gone either way, and you've got one more worthless possession that you don't need weighing you down.

the real "ethical approach" isn't to do it yourself-- it's to do without. a truly ethical and sustainable approach to life requires making choices based not on your own selfish desires, but on what's best for all life on earth. you don't get eco points for killing your own pigs and making your own bacon-- you get them for completely giving up bacon, along with all the other unhealthy garbage that you don't really NEED.

but i guess that's a little too tough for fake environmentalists like you. i think the real reason you want to be self-sufficient is because you think it might save you a few pennies. you're not motivated by ethics at all-- you're just a bunch of cheapskates.


Lots of truth spoken here, if your a vegan? No use for animal products at all.

Got mains power and a PC?
Nanny

you guys

only just read all this...............

perhaps spmeone should point out that if man was a true vegetarian, he would get rid of all the animals to provide enough field space to feed the population and there would be nothing crawling, walking, swimming or flying on the planet that wasn't in a zoo......

i find his attitude difficult to deal with and as you say he hasn't reappeared so clearly he hasn't the courage of his own convictions

i keep animals and i love animals...........that doesn't sto me from eating them and it doesn't stop me from being an environmental as i can in my circumstances but i wouldn' t argue the toss with someone like him who clearly only listens to his own opinions
jema

Re: you guys

Nanny wrote:
only just read all this...............

perhaps spmeone should point out that if man was a true vegetarian, he would get rid of all the animals to provide enough field space to feed the population and there would be nothing crawling, walking, swimming or flying on the planet that wasn't in a zoo......

i find his attitude difficult to deal with and as you say he hasn't reappeared so clearly he hasn't the courage of his own convictions

i keep animals and i love animals...........that doesn't sto me from eating them and it doesn't stop me from being an environmental as i can in my circumstances but i wouldn' t argue the toss with someone like him who clearly only listens to his own opinions


His? I wouldn't care to guess myself.
Guest

I hope 'guest' doesn't use aeroplanes. I hope 'guest' doesn't use cars. I hope 'guest' isn't a hypocrite.
Nanny

all you guys

not only his of course but i don't think so many people would put it so rudely

i suppose that 's what i mean
Mr BlueSky

I think that what Jema is suggesting is that "his" could be a "hers"

Correct me if I am wrong? (although to me "it" will remain an "it" for as long as "it" remains anonymous for that is all that "it" is worth)
Nanny

you guys

i was perhaps using the "royal he" Laughing

i just think whoever it is male or female is rude
Rowan

I reckon Guest is entertained by all the response. Obviously the way to get a reaction is to be rude and insulting! Anyway who cares what Guest thinks, he or she isn't the brightest button in the box. I wouldn't waste anymore time on it. Rise above the trash that is what I say!
Bernie66

Rowan wrote:
I reckon Guest is entertained by all the response. Obviously the way to get a reaction is to be rude and insulting! Anyway who cares what Guest thinks, he or she isn't the brightest button in the box. I wouldn't waste anymore time on it. Rise above the trash that is what I say!



Probably why i have not bothered posting in this thread as yet, easy to be controversial, brash etc. Much harder to defend your opinion intelligently. Anyway moving on.......................................... swiftly.....................................................
Rowan

Well said Bernie. If 'Guest' wanted an intelligent debate then he/she would have picked up on some of the responses and entered into conversation - that is what intelligent people do.
mochyn

Koey: diawl bach? Mi? (Where's the emoticon for a Muttley-type snigger?) By the way, I've just taken 3 bara brith out of the solid fuel Rayburn... and you're not having any!
Mr BlueSky

So are we all boycotting this thread now? Yes?

All new readers please start a new topic and post your comments there - this crap has now officially gone to Coventry!
Bernie66

mochyn wrote:
Koey: diawl bach? Mi? (Where's the emoticon for a Muttley-type snigger?) By the way, I've just taken 3 bara brith out of the solid fuel Rayburn... and you're not having any!



Could i trouble you for a recipe for bara brith as i love it and its obvious you're not gonna share it? Laughing
Rowan

What is bara brith? From a curious Yorkshire lass!
Guest

simon wrote:
So are we all boycotting this thread now? Yes?

All new readers please start a new topic and post your comments there - this crap has now officially gone to Coventry!


Coventry does not want it thank you very much! Very Happy
Nanny

you guys

i think you are all right

bara brith is a lovely tea bread by the way made of fruit and made black with tea

gorgeous stuff
Gertie

Yummy!! My mum (bless her!) used to make it, I wish I had got the recipe from her. It's weird when I was younger, knowing that it had tea in it used to put me off it.
uk-ken

Worried

Hello All

As a newbie I was getting worried about some of the content of the original post. I was concerned that blinkered views and disrespect for other members was common place here........then the more important matter of Bara Brith was introduced and I felt at ease again.

Bara Brith, for those not already familiar with it is literally translated 'speckled bread’. Once a week, the stove was lit for baking day, as the heat began to fade in the stove, so a handful of currants were added to the last of the bread dough and this speckled bread became a treat. The flavour, however, of this spiced, honey-glazed fruit bread is delicious when spread with salted Welsh butter, and it is no wonder that Bara Brith is still produced all over Wales.

450g (1lb) mixed dried fruit
300ml (1/2 pint) tea
2 tbsp marmalade
One egg, beaten
6 tbsp soft brown sugar
One tsp mixed spice
450g (1lb) self-raising flour
Honey to glaze

Soak the fruit overnight in the tea.
Next day, mix the marmalade, egg, sugar, spice and flour. Spoon into a greased 900g (1lb) loaf tin and bake in a warm oven (gas 3, 325ºF, 170ºC) for one and three quarter hours or until the centre is cooked through. Check from time to time that the top does not brown too much, and cover with a sheet of foil or move down a shelf in the oven if necessary.
Once cooked, leave the Bara Brith to stand for 5 minutes, and then tip out of the tin on to a cooling tray. Using a pastry brush, glaze the top with honey.
Serve sliced with salted butter and some tasty farmhouse Cheddar. Store in an airtight tin.

I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do! (No pig products are used in this recipe Wink )

Regards, Ken
jema

Re: Worried

uk-ken wrote:
Hello All

As a newbie I was getting worried about some of the content of the original post. I was concerned that blinkered views and disrespect for other members was common place here........then the more important matter of Bara Brith was introduced and I felt at ease again.



That bothers me a lot Sad as first impressions count for an awful lot.

But as I hope you are seeing, that post created the stir it did, because whilst we welcome and do have heated debates, that barrel load of abuse of a post was totally out of character for these forums.
Joey

Mochyn,
I was calling you Diawl Bach because I thought you were dropping us all a hint in your posts that you were playing Devils advocate and you were pretending to be eco_wotsit.

Can I have some Bara Brith now?
Pleeeeeeeeeese.
cab

Well. I'm disappointed that our oroginal guest whop posted such strong views clearly didn't have the courage of his/her convictions to come and defend those views. It's very easy to hold strong opinions if you're not willing to justify them.
wellington womble

How unbelievbly rude. Obviously real ecos have no manners! If they turn up again with a grown up response I'll - er - stand well back and light cab!? Very Happy

I wasn't going to post, as I generally beleive in ignorance of bad behaviour, but I did just want to say to UK ken that this type of post is pretty rare, and we're generally very nice. Honest! Have a look around!
Andy B

Well i think your'e all being really unfair. Ms Eco has decided to put the earth first and all power to her, she probably hasn't replied because she is waiting for her solar panel to warm up, or maybe she was thrown out of the internet cafe. As for Grumpy, well you'd be grumpy if you lived in a tent with no running water and minimal toilet facilities, and you wouldn't waste your time with deodorants or soap because you would be polluting Gaia's lifeblood, maybe thats why she was thrown out of the internet cafe. Then again solar panels cost a lot and they use earth resources so maybe i was wrong. I wonder how she gets to work, or gets her doal money, walks i suppose.
Anyway i digress, i think she/ he is worthy of our respect and admiration and i for one would happily spend an afternoon having a chat, as long as she stands downwind.
I tried editing out the wind up bits but there wasn't much left, so i put them back. Sorry! Wink
tawny owl

Re: you guys

Nanny wrote:
ibara brith is a lovely tea bread by the way made of fruit and made black with tea


Same as the Irish barm brack then? I found a good recipe for a breadmaker here: http://www.recipelink.com/mf/31/9001
crackapple

I just caught up with this post, just one question to "ecoguest"; if we are not supposed to eat animals, why do they taste so gooood!!!
kevsterjw

i'd say it is virtually impossible these days to live a totally green and non-impacting life. Eco guest uses electricity, therefore even doing that he impacts on the environment. What a hypocrit (sp??) Evil or Very Mad

we are all trying to get there in our own ways. Very Happy
@Calli

I know this topic has been overblown - possibly the intention? But do you think eco-guest whiter than persil white or just hitting out in general?

The first steps are both the hardest and the most important, so surely anything ventured is better than sitting back and ignoring what we don't want to see?
Oh well I know what I meant to imply.....
Callie Rolling Eyes
Lloyd

Very Happy I have to admit that when I read the first offering I thought it was Cab signing in as guest and playing devils advocate! Laughing Laughing
cab

crackapple wrote:
I just caught up with this post, just one question to "ecoguest"; if we are not supposed to eat animals, why do they taste so gooood!!!


Ahh, the old 'Homer Simpson' gambit. If God did not intend us to eat animals, then why did he make them out of meat?

Lots of things that taste good aren't good for us Sad
cab

Madman wrote:
Very Happy I have to admit that when I read the first offering I thought it was Cab signing in as guest and playing devils advocate! Laughing Laughing


Naah, if it had been me I would have used my own name. That's far more likely to stir people up than logging on as a guest Smile
boff

cab wrote:


Ahh, the old 'Homer Simpson' gambit. If God did not intend us to eat animals, then why did he make them out of meat?



wonder what a vegetarian tastes like..... Confused

sorry, just a thought....... Embarassed
sean

boff wrote:
cab wrote:


Ahh, the old 'Homer Simpson' gambit. If God did not intend us to eat animals, then why did he make them out of meat?



wonder what a vegetarian tastes like..... Confused


Chicken......
boff

sean wrote:
boff wrote:


wonder what a vegetarian tastes like..... Confused


Chicken......


Good point that.In every survival programme EVERYTHING tastes like chicken,but Ive never heard anyone eat chicken and proclaim"Oh that tastes just like peruvian swamp rat...."





(I'll get my coat..........)
sean

Of course it may all taste like supermarket £1.99 chickens, which may well taste like peruvian swamp rat for all I know.
Lloyd

Laughing Laughing Laughing
Smiler

I started off looking for info about composting and have just sat and read every single word of this thread! Initially I was fuming - like most of you, I then printed the Bara Brith recipe on my way through, and have finished smiling.
Eco whats its face is probably far too ashamed of its rantings (and embarrased because its got a computer and hadn't thought of the comments that would evoke!!) to come back.
I on the other hand I am going to register and look for more info on small scale downsizing.
I believe that whatever you do, on however small a scale has got to help.

I look forward to many happy hours on this site.
Northern_Lad

Smiler wrote:
I started off looking for info about composting and have just sat and read every single word of this thread! Initially I was fuming - like most of you, I then printed the Bara Brith recipe on my way through, and have finished smiling.
Eco whats its face is probably far too ashamed of its rantings (and embarrased because its got a computer and hadn't thought of the comments that would evoke!!) to come back.
I on the other hand I am going to register and look for more info on small scale downsizing.
I believe that whatever you do, on however small a scale has got to help.

I look forward to many happy hours on this site.


Good on ya, Smiler.
How's the Bara Brith?
Mrs Fiddlesticks

Smiler - how kind, thanx for that! Very Happy We look forward to welcoming you properly when you register
Haddock

boff wrote:
cab wrote:


Ahh, the old 'Homer Simpson' gambit. If God did not intend us to eat animals, then why did he make them out of meat?



wonder what a vegetarian tastes like..... Confused

sorry, just a thought....... Embarassed



Apparently like pork so I was once told
wellington womble

sean wrote:
Of course it may all taste like supermarket £1.99 chickens, which may well taste like peruvian swamp rat for all I know.


I expect free range peruvian swamp rat tastes a lot better than battery chicken!
boff

wellington womble wrote:
sean wrote:
Of course it may all taste like supermarket £1.99 chickens, which may well taste like peruvian swamp rat for all I know.


I expect free range peruvian swamp rat tastes a lot better than battery chicken!


Only if its organic ! Shocked
Treacodactyl

wellington womble wrote:
sean wrote:
Of course it may all taste like supermarket £1.99 chickens, which may well taste like peruvian swamp rat for all I know.


I expect free range peruvian swamp rat tastes a lot better than battery chicken!


But just think of the air miles, unless you live in Peru.
boff

Treacodactyl wrote:
wellington womble wrote:
sean wrote:
Of course it may all taste like supermarket £1.99 chickens, which may well taste like peruvian swamp rat for all I know.


I expect free range peruvian swamp rat tastes a lot better than battery chicken!


But just think of the air miles, unless you live in Peru.


But if you lived in Peru,would you know what supermarket chicken was anyway ?? Rolling Eyes
judith

They must have supermarkets or Paddington wouldn't be able to buy his marmalade. I don't remember any mention of him making it in the books.
boff

Judith wrote:
They must have supermarkets or Paddington wouldn't be able to buy his marmalade. I don't remember any mention of him making it in the books.


Good point,well made.

Perhaps he was part of a local barter scheme ??
judith

boff wrote:
Perhaps he was part of a local barter scheme ??


What do you think he gave in exchange?
boff

Judith wrote:
boff wrote:
Perhaps he was part of a local barter scheme ??


What do you think he gave in exchange?


er..... um........ er........ oh...
tahir

boff wrote:
But if you lived in Peru,would you know what supermarket chicken was anyway ?? Rolling Eyes


I've seen supermarket chicken in Chile
boff

ooer....get you with the international travel.... Wink
tahir

Grand innit?
Northern_Lad

tahir wrote:
Grand innit?


No thought for the environment though. All the way to Peru just to get your asparagus. Rolling Eyes
Bugs

Northern_Lad wrote:
All the way to Peru just to get your asparagus. Rolling Eyes


Never heard it called that before Shocked
tahir

Northern_Lad wrote:
tahir wrote:
Grand innit?


No thought for the environment though. All the way to Peru just to get your asparagus. Rolling Eyes


But the slaves on the plantation'd end up eating it all themselves if I didn't go and collect it....
boff

Bugs wrote:
Northern_Lad wrote:
All the way to Peru just to get your asparagus. Rolling Eyes


Never heard it called that before Shocked


BUGS !! Embarassed Embarassed
mochyn

Oooops: lost this post, so I'm back now with Bara brith info. I found the recipe I use on the Virtual Wales site: there are two, one with yeast and one without, so take your pick. A friend also gave me a recipe at the weekend:
1 cup SR flour
1 cup plain flour
4oz butter
2 eggs
1 cup mixed fruit
1 cup tea

Soak the fruit in the tea, mix everything together and bake it! Haven't tried that one yet, but her Bb is fantastic.

And I'm glad we've got this thread away from codswallop to real life Laughing Laughing
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