Homemade Mayonnaise February 4, 2007
Posted by Andy Roberts in : couscous recipe, Bird Flu, UK , add a commentHomemade Mayonnaise
By the author of Couscous Recipe Blog
Homemade mayonnaise is both delicious and economical. It’s just so much better than those expensive jars in the shops which contain a percentage of water ( highest in the ‘reduced fat’ varieties) and all sorts of preservatives and sugars.
I learned to make it in a blender/liquidiser and burnt out the motor on several because you have to run the motor continuously while trickling the oil in through the hole in the lid in thin stream, and benders aren’t really built for that kind of operation.
So what does “Cooking for engineers” say?
Use a bowl and a balloon whisk, of course!
But wait…. There are two egg yolks in the recipe. They get beaten and whisked a lot but they never get heated or cooked or pasteurised in any way, they end up in the finished mayonnaise as a raw egg ingredient and are eaten as such. I like my fried eggs sunny side up, boiled eggs soft boiled and poched eggs with a dippy yolk too, so eating eggs with a proportion of rawness is normal and enjoyable, in fact I wouldn’t bother with eggs if they had to be cooked all the way through, which is exactly what the World Health Organisation is recommending to avoid the Bird Flu in Nigeria
Avian influenza - situation in Nigeria - update
When handling raw poultry or live or dead birds, it is imperative to disinfect hands and surfaces with soap and water. Consumers also need to be sure that during the cooking process, poultry reaches temperatures of at least 70°C in all parts and that eggs are fully cooked throughout.
but not yet in the UK. How much longer for homemade mayonnaise and dippy eggs?
Note: If you were looking for a couscous recipe then please visit couscous recipe blog
H5N1 bird flu confirmed at Bernard Mathews February 3, 2007
Posted by Andy Roberts in : Bird Flu, UK , 3commentsI blogged the news this morning about the bird flu in Suffolk but now the story has become altogether much more serious.
The Guardian reports that the results of further tests are out and it has been comfirmed that the potentially deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has been found among turkeys in a Bernard Matthews poultry farm in Suffolk.
Bernard Mathews is Europe’s largest turkey factory.
All 159,000 turkeys on the affected poultry farm will be slaughtered as a precaution and they are hopeful the outbreak will be contained.
The news release from DEFRA is also online now:
Tests from the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) have confirmed that the sample from the poultry found dead on a farm near Lowestoft in Suffolk did contain the H5N1 avian flu virus. Further tests are underway to determine whether the strain of the virus is similar to that found in Asia. Results are expected later today.
Fred Landeg, the Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer said:
“I urge keepers of birds to be vigilant, to take care if handling birds which appear to be unwell and to observe high levels of biosecurity. Owners that suspect disease, should act quickly consult their vet. Avian influenza is a notifiable disease and must be reported to the local Divisional Veterinary Manager in the State Veterinary Service”
There is no reason for public health concern. Avian Influenza is a disease of birds and whilst it can pass very rarely and with difficulty, to humans this requires extremely close contact with infected birds, particularly faeces
To find out more about H5N1 and avian influenza, there is the bird flu wiki and also the Avian Flu Watch group on Flickr.
For a wryly written but perceptive piece there’s also Bird flu: we’re all going to die at The Register.
Bird Flu outbreak in East Anglia, UK February 3, 2007
Posted by Andy Roberts in : Bird Flu, UK , 2comments
Bird Flu has been confirmed to have hit the enormous Norfolk Turkey industry with thousands of birds due to be slaughtered.
East Anglian Daily Times (EADT) reports:
EADT - Suffolk farm hit by bird flu outbreak
GOVERNMENT officials last night confirmed an outbreak of bird flu on a Suffolk poultry farm after hundreds of turkeys died.
So what will this mean in terms of restrictions on movement, isolation and containment policy?
Yesterday afternoon the plant was working as normal, with no exclusion zone visible from the outside, and with bus-loads of workers ferried from around Norfolk and Waveney converging on the former airfield site to start shifts.
Which strain of Bird Flu is it?
BBC Radio news reported this morning that the strain was yet to be confirmed but Newswire NZ is saying that it’s a type of H5.
Bird Flu Found At UK Turkey Farm
It is the second time in less than 12 months that a poultry farm in the East Anglia area has been hit by bird flu. More than 30,000 birds were slaughtered after chickens near Dereham in Norfolk tested positive for the H7 strain of the virus in April last year.
Microbiologist Hugh Pennington said further tests would determine how closely the H5 strain found at the farm related to the H5N1 strain that has killed more than 160 people around the world since 2003.
Farmers Weekly published an updated Avian Flu special report just a few days ago containing Essential information for farmers on Avian Flu
Watch the Farmers Weekly Interactive tag cloud to see when “birdflu” or “avian” appears.
DEFRA (the government) publishes advice for UK farmers
Defra, UK - Disease surveillance and control - Notifiable diseases - Avian Influenza
Avian influenza is a highly infectious notifiable disease affecting many species of birds, including commercial, wild and pet birds.
and releases the latest news:
Defra, UK - News releases 2007: Avian influenza test result on poultry
These preliminary results show that it is the H5 strain of the virus but further confirmatory tests are in progress to identify the strain more fully, and more will be known tomorrow. The affected premises were put under restriction on Thursday (1st February) evening and the appropriate contingency plan has been put into effect.
When the additional laboratory results are known further action will be taken and all available information will be provided.
Properly cooked poultry and poultry products, including eggs, are safe to eat.
All avian influenzas (H1 to H16) can be low pathogenic but only H5 and H7 are known to become highly pathogenic.
The particular strain which has been known to affect humans is H5N1 so we await the further tests with some urgency and in the hope that this is not it.
Map of countries with confirmed human case of H5N1 in 2006
See also the latest map from DARnet » The World is a dangerous place
Thanks for reading Andy Roberts articles about Bird Flu
on Darnet
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