The secret to China's Olympic success

The Chinese athletes have been victorious in the Olympics winning 100 medals 51 of which gold and winning the overall medal race.

And now I can reveal the secret of the Chinese athletes’ success – Scottish deer penis, regarded as the most virile in the world.

The stars use it to boost stamina and for its alleged anti-inflammatory, immune stimulant and injury-healing properties. The deers penis is also rich in protein, vitamins, calcium, magnesium and hormones and low in cholesterol.

Chinese traders have visited the Highlands to view the deer and have been training dealers on how to process the penises which are frozen or dried before export.

Finlay Clark, of the Association of Deer Management Groups, added: “I have never tried it, but if there are any Scottish athletes who want to give it a go I’m sure we could arrange it.”

Reducing food wastage

It has been in the press a lot recently that Britons throw away over £8 billion worth of food each year.

Using leftovers is a great way to reduce food wastage and respect the lives of the animals that have been killed for our benefit. And it’s also a good way to save money on the food budget. Consider using leftovers more, but this doesn't mean you have to sacrifice taste or variety, meats may even taste better the next day.

These tips will help you find ways to use leftover meat, reduce your food budget and expand your menu.

Make multi-meat meals for more flavour and variety, adding yesterday’s leftover sausages or turkey to a meat loaf will make for a tasty and nutritious meal. You can add just about any meat to a cheesy or creamy casserole made from potatoes or pasta and sauce.

Or how about using the remains of Sunday’s roast chicken to create a stir fry or curry as long as the chickens been kept in a fridge it should be fine. Just add a jar of your favourite sauce and some vegetables and your done.

It might take a bit of forward planning and require a bit of extra work but the results will far out way this.

More people are buyng British

Shoppers buying British produce instead of foreign alternatives have helped to reduce meat imports in the first half of this year.

The number of shoppers choosing British-reared meat over foreign competitors appears to be on the increase, with the amount of beef, lamb and pork entering the country all declining.

The news will be a welcome relief to farmers who faced a torrid 2007, as the devastating impact of the summer floods, foot and mouth disease worries, blue tongue and avian flu all contributed to one of the most depressing years for agriculture in recent memory, leading to meat imports at an all-time high.

Now, new figures from pig, beef and sheep industry groups show a significant reduction in the amount of foreign meat being imported.

Latest statistics from the British Pig Executive (Bpex) show the amount of pork entering the UK between January and May was nearly 20,000 tonnes lower than the same period last year, a reduction of nearly 10 per cent year on year.

Figures from Eblex, the industry body for beef and lamb levy-payers for the UK, revealed the amount of sheep meat being imported fell by more than 2,000 tonnes since the start of the year, nearly four per cent lower than the corresponding period in 2007. And beef imports declined by more than three per cent to 105,000 tonnes, as compared with 109,000 in 2007.