Cooking lessons will be compulsory at secondary schools as part of the Government’s strategy to fight obesity.

All 11 to 14-year-old pupils must learn how to make at least one healthy meal, ministers have announced.

Schools will have to introduce packed lunch guidelines, cracking down on parents who provide crisps, fizzy drinks and chocolate.

The Government wants the public to recommend dishes that should be taught in schools, although suggestions have to be healthy, easy to prepare and palatable to teenagers.

Eating Britain has a passion for supporting local businesses and our latest local ‘hero’ - Kate’s Cakes, create delicious homemade cakes using the best ingredients around. In honour of this festive season, the lovely people at Kate’s Cakes are offering you, our wonderful readers, the chance to win a goodie box containing a week’s worth of delicious treats! But more about that later, first I must tell you why we love Kate’s Cakes so much!

Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid) is the focus for this Vitamin Rich post (the previous post on Vitamin B7 is here).

Folic acid and folate (the anion form) are forms of the water-soluble Vitamin B9. Folate is necessary for the production and maintenance of new cells. This is especially important during periods of rapid cell division and growth such as infancy and pregnancy. Folate is needed to replicate DNA. Thus folate deficiency hinders DNA synthesis and cell division, affecting most clinically the bone marrow, a site of rapid cell turnover. Because RNA and protein synthesis are not hindered, large red blood cells called megaloblasts are produced, resulting in megaloblastic anemia. Both adults and children need folate to make normal red blood cells and prevent anemia.