About

Why?
It started as an inspiration following Joseph Pearce's wonderful book "Small is Still Beautiful: Economics as If Families Mattered"- a commentary 30 years later on on Schumacher's original "Small is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered".


The desire to reduce food waste, not only as an evil in its own right, but as an act of both solidarity and alleviation with those who struggle to have food security grew following reading Tristram Stuart's fascinating and compelling "Waste".


Because eating together is central to human cultures- it is the sharing in the fundamental act of keeping ourselves and each other alive. It is how we celebrate, mark the seasons and often features in religious belief: Soil, Soul, Society.


Because eating locally grown produce tends to be healthier, we know how it is grown, it supports local farming, and keeps us in mindful contact with the soil that sustains us. The consequences of unsustainable farming affect water quality, water availability, biodiversity and so on...


Because our food is part of our heritage, but our food culture is constantly changing. This can be for better or for worst- as John Dickie described in his book "Delizia", Italian food as we know it is actually a relatively new idea- the fusion of old methods and recipes with the better quality ingredients and enabling technologies that were out of reach to most Italians until they either grew wealthier in the New World or economic growth improved their standard of living. We come together from across the world to share that heritage and to inspire others through this to use the resources that they do have in more creative and appetising ways- if life deals you lemons make lemonade!

Household Tips

There are so many ways that we waste things in our homes. Sometimes because we buy rubbish that is cheap and then breaks, other times because we do not look after things so that they never had a chance of lasting!

For want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost; and for want of a horse the man was lost

Our culture is so wasteful!

Also, we use so many nasty chemicals in our homes. How did previous generations manage without them?! We want to share some of the ways that we can look after our homes in ways that are not going to affect the health of our families, except in a positive way.

History

This blog originally emerged in 2009 from the Made in Munster project, which was started as a response to the recession in Munster, South West Ireland. One of our members started an Ireland-focussed recipe and household tips blog as part of Made in Munster, and upon moving to the UK, wanted to link it in to WONDER and broaden the geographical scope of the project, as well as to continue the work that she had started whilst living in Cork.