Darina Allen: A winter lamb stew that makes the most of seasonal produce
Darina Allen's Winter Lamb Stew with Bacon, Root Vegetables and Garden Herbs
World Soil Day falls on December 6 this year. For me it’s the most important day of the year — perhaps that sounds as if I’ve gone slightly dotty but it’s really good to remind ourselves that we are all totally dependent on the four or five inches of topsoil around the world for our very existence. Our health and more than 90% of our food comes from the soil. If we don’t have rich fertile soil we won’t have clean water or good food — think about it! Soil also plays a vital role in regulating the climate and supporting animal and plant biodiversity.
In the words of Lady Eve Balfour: “The health of soil, plant, animal and man is one and indivisible” and the ominous warning from Franklin D Roosevelt, 32nd President of USA that “The nation that destroys its soil, destroys itself” — how prophetic was that!
