Beer can be a fishy business

QUESTION Is beer unsuitable for vegetarians?

Whether you’re a vegetarian or a vegan, there can be surprising foods and drinks that you can’t enjoy.

the ingredient that can make beer unsuitable for vegetarians is isinglass — a form of collagen scraped from the swim bladders of fish, which is used to clarify beer (and some wines).

Not all beers use it, but some of the world’s most popular brands do, including bottled Guinness. Its draught, however, became vegan-friendly in April, and it has said it will stop using isinglass in its bottles and cans by the end of this year.

It uses the ‘ fish bladder isinglass filtration process’ to get its smooth, glossy look.

For vegetarians, then, spirits are generally a safer bet.

But for what it’s worth to beer lovers, Guinness extra Stout is thought to be OK. And popular brands such as Stella Artois, Grolsch, heineken and Budweiser are vegetarian-friendly. Emilie Lamplough, Trowbridge, Wilts.

QUESTION Was former Rhodesian prime minister Ian Smith’s famous stare the result of a war injury?

Further to the earlier answer, my late cousin Alfred emigrated to rhodesia in the Sixties and became good friends with Ian Smith.

Ian hardly mentioned his glass eye — the result of a crash while piloting a hawker hurricane in Alexandria. According to Alfred, looking him straight in the face it was quite clear his eyes were not a matching pair.

Ian is fondly remembered by my cousin’s family as being intelligent, kind and positive. When off duty, he was often to be found in the company of British expats, who all socialised together.

Marilyn Tilley, Spalding, Lincs.