Welcome from the editor: fortitude

Welcome and thank you for joining me this weekend.

This week I’ve been thinking how fortitude and wellbeing are important at all times, but especially during challenging ones.

Whilst fortitude might be a wonderful quality to have, it’s not necessarily innate and it can be developed – in both cases it needs to be nurtured and developed. Just like physical and mental wellbeing, that require good nutrition and some level of exercise, fortitude needs to be fed.

It’s tempting to slump on the couch and soothe oneself with a pizza and a glass of wine after a stressful day, but it’s exactly during these times that we need to truly take care of ourselves by making positive, conscious decisions, whether it’s eating healthily, going for a walk to destress, or doing something we enjoy and lift our spirits. It’s during the most difficult times that we need to get stronger, to weather to storm and tackle life’s challenges head on.

With all the issues affecting the industry, this week’s feature Soaring prices and staff and supply chain shortages: how the food and drink sector can mitigate risks explores what can be done to stay afloat in the current climate.

If you have been taking a little bit of a break from current affairs, but still want to be informed, catch up with A week in news: the latest food and drink headlines 3-7 October.

Many of us rely on our daily cup of coffee to wake us up and get us going. Jonathan Morris, Research Professor in History at the University of Hertfordshire, and Vice-President of the Royal Historical Society explains the history and science behind it in Caffeine culture – how coffee shaped the world.

This week’s most popular reads include Improving British hospital food: why nutrition needs to be part of the cure, a fascinating look at food and healthcare system, and Traditional British cuisine: a food map of the UK, in which we delve into the delicacies – and occasionally quirky dishes – of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend,

Stef