What the experts say
Knotweed is surprisingly nice Japanese knotweed is definitely not something any homeowner wants to find in their garden, says the foraging expert Liz Knight in The Daily Telegraph. An invasive species, it is extremely destructive, and “almost impossible to get rid of”. If you have it on your land, you should seek advice about how best to control it. But there is a silver lining: knotweed shoots are packed with nutrients, and delicious (though be sure the plant hasn’t recently been treated with herbicide). From the same family as rhubarb and sorrel, knotweed has a tart, lemony taste that means it can “swing merrily between savoury dishes and sweet”. Use the shoots in a stir-fry, or turn them into a mint saucestyle condiment by chopping them up with mint, fennel and dill, and adding a generous glug of sweetened apple cider vinegar and a pinch of salt and sugar. (This is especially good with oily fish.) Alternatively, use knotweed to make a fool. Cook 450g of young chopped knotweed stems in a pan with the zest and juice of a lemon and 3 tablespoons of sugar and cook until tender. Leave the fruit to cool before stirring through 300ml whipped cream and 100g Greek yoghurt.
The slow cooker stages a comeback With Britain “beset by economic tumult and strike action”, it seems as if “the 1970s are calling”, says Victoria Brzezinski in The Times. And so perhaps it makes sense that one of the most popular kitchen gadgets of that era – the slow cooker – is making a comeback. The “Crock-Pot” (as the most popular brand was called) first became a hit in the 1970s, at a time when growing numbers of women were entering the workplace. Its appeal was that it “offered a cheap, foolproof way” to make a hot meal if you were out all day. In the 1980s, slow cookers were “usurped by the convenience of microwaves” and ready meals. But now, “with all eyes on household expenditure”, they are returning to favour: last year, Lakeland sold nearly three times as many of its £59.99 six-litre slow cooker as in 2021. Slow cookers are associated with stews and casseroles – boeuf bourguignon is a classic – but they’re surprisingly versatile: you can use them to make dahl or porridge, and even to roast a chicken. For creative ideas, look to Nathan Anthony (@boredoflunch on Instagram), author of Bored of Lunch: The Healthy Slow Cooker Book (£18.99 Ebury).
Japan’s sushi crimewave Sushi is associated with traditions of etiquette and delicacy, says Justin McCurry in The Guardian. But in recent weeks, Japan has been hit by a troubling wave of “sushi terrorism”. On Twitter and other platforms, users have posted videos of customers at revolving sushi restaurants “interfering with food and playing pranks”. One video – viewed almost 40 million times – appears to show a “teenager licking the open top of a communal soy sauce bottle”, and then licking his finger and touching two pieces of sushi as they travel past on the conveyor belt. Others show people putting wasabi on passing pieces of sushi or licking spoons in communal containers. The videos “sparked uproar in Japan”, and sent shares in one of the country’s leading chains plummeting. In response, restaurants are implementing various measures, including installing cameras above conveyor belts.