As promised, my little chickens, here is what happened in food last week:

Biggest fall in food sales on record
It seems that ever since our ‘mini spending spree’ over the royal wedding weekend we have all been donning hair shirts and eating dried chickpeas. A slump of 3.7% followed the double whammy of Easter and the wedding of the decade, leading economic forecasters to be pessimistic about our financial recovery.

‘Authentic’ Italian pizza
I’ve always been tickled by the adverts for Dr. Oetker’s authentic Italian pizza, scoffing at the idea that anyone might think a man called Oetker could make real Italian pizza. Well, it transpires that the German-made, Lancashire-based (as in, they’re made in Lancashire – the bases are bread) are the most popular shop-bought pizzas in Italy. Who’da thunk it?

School meals under threat
The recent spike in food prices has, among other things, led to a sharp rise in the price of school meals, reports the Independent on Sunday. The average cost of a school meal is now close to £2, leading experts to fear a reverse in the ‘Jamie effect’. The government is urging schools to club together to buy food in bulk.

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Other food news this week:
* Scientists discover how to make the perfect cup of tea.
* Queen’s garden party catered by Greggs.
* Pasta is the world’s favourite food.
* Olive oil ‘helps prevent stroke’.
* McDonald’s to serve sustainable fish.

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Piece of the week:
* A really excellent, and brave piece on local shops by Xanthe Clay.

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Blog of the week:
* The avuncular Matthew Fort’s blog.

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Video of the week:
*  Saw Ryan Adams at the Barbican last night. He’s playing again tonight. Try and go. It’s just him, a guitar, and a piano. Amazing guitar playing, beautiful voice, and some of the best stage banter you’ll ever hear.