When I first moved from France to Dublin twenty years ago, I encountered a few culinary clashes at mealtimes. I noticed straight away that both countries had different approaches to fruit and vegetable consumption. I became aware that ‘meat, potatoes and two veg’ was de rigueur in Ireland, while a salad was not as commonly eaten.
However, as I came to know the country better and witnessed first-hand the post-recession food revolution, I discovered that Ireland has amazing fruit and vegetable growers, who produce fresh, local and in season produce. Collectively, Irish farm produce is recognised as the source of some of the highest quality food ingredients in the world.
Millennial Irish Fruit and Veg Consumption
Bord Bia market research estimated that Irish millennials consume an average of 3.2 portions of fruit and vegetables per day, compared to the Department of Health's recommendation of 7 portions . This means the consumption of fruit and vegetables within the millennial population needs to be doubled in order to meet the national recommended targets.
"Life is Better with Fruit & Vegetables" is a three-year EU and industry-funded campaign, launched by Bord Bia in 2022 to encourage millennials to increase their fruit and vegetable intake. The campaign promotes the dietary benefits and sustainability of fresh, local and in season fruit and vegetables. This campaign is run by Bord Bia, in Ireland, Interfel and AIB in France, and Freshfel in Belgium (The European Fresh Produce Trade Association).
This makes this campaign a truly pan-European initiative to educate European millennials on the benefits of increasing fruit and vegetables consumption in the diet.
This can only be done by educating millennials about the opportunity to eat more fruit and vegetables within the various meal occasions throughout the day. The ‘Life is Better with Fruit and Vegetables’ campaign provides much of this information, while also providing a repertoire of 48 different millennial inspired recipes which can be found either on the campaign website fruitnveg.ie or within the e-cookbook (https://fruitnveg.ie/recipes/)
The Cooking Workshop: French Summer Apéritif with Chef Mohamed Cheikh
This summer, as an invited guest, I attended an event in Paris as part of the ‘Life is Better with Fruit and Vegetables’ campaign. Hosted by Mohamed Cheikh, the celebrated winner of Top Chef France 2021, the event took place at Chefsquare Beaubourg in Paris’s 3rd district. Chef Cheikh showcased the versatility of seasonal fruit and vegetables and how they can enhance summer social gatherings for a crowd of mostly French and Belgian food influencers.
Chef Mohamed Cheikh, known for his innovative and accessible cooking style, guided the audience through a series of delectable dishes designed to make fruit and vegetables the highlight of any summer gathering. In France, the apéritif is a pre-dinner ritual involving drinks and nibbles. Chef Cheikh’s colourful dishes required minimal cooking and were perfect for a French-style summer soirée. The workshop also demonstrated how fruits can be seamlessly incorporated into savoury dishes. We had the opportunity to prepare and savour tasty nibbles such as a summer salad with strawberries, watermelon, tomatoes and pomegranate, candied cherry tomatoes with sesame seeds and spring rolls made of prawn, celeriac and grapefruit. This sparked the thought of what local summer fruit and vegetables could be used in the recreation of these delicious recipes. The easiest way to know what fruit and vegetables are in season, is to follow the monthly ‘What’s in Season’ posts on @lifeisbetter.ie.
Ireland vs. France: A Tale of Two Food Cultures
The event led me to reflect on the differences and similarities between Ireland and France regarding fruit and vegetable consumption.
The French tend to start their day with a sweet breakfast. In addition to coffee and buttered bread people sometimes eat either jam, ‘compote’ (fruit purée) or fruits for breakfast. In Ireland, I’ve been converted to porridge, a nutritious staple that can be topped with seasonal fruits for a healthy breakfast.
Salads are far more commonly eaten in France, especially at lunchtime. Many brasseries feature substantial salads on their menu, often eaten on lunch breaks. Growing up in France, a green salad was almost always served after the main lunch plate and before the cheese course. I was always told it helped with digestion! In Ireland, a vegetable soup often accompanies bread and butter, which makes up a light lunch. In both countries, vegetables are a key component of soups which can be eaten as a lunch or dinner.
In many French homes, when in season, radishes served with butter and good bread or a platter of crudités (raw vegetables) with various dressings are enjoyed as the first course of dinner. Raw vegetables are prepared as a ‘carpaccio’ (thinly sliced) or ‘tartare’(cut in small pieces) which can also feature as an elegant starter at dinner parties. Snacking isn’t too common in France, however they do have the wonderful tradition of ‘Le goûter’, a 4pm snack that is given to children (and sometimes enjoyed by adults) usually featuring a biscuit and a piece of fruit.
By contrast, mealtimes in Ireland are shorter, as French people usually take more time to eat. The French like to follow a ‘starter, main, cheese course and dessert’ structure when hosting and often spend hours making a social occasion of mealtime. Having multiple courses slows down the meal and provides more opportunities for enjoying more fruit and vegetables throughout.
When I moved to Ireland almost twenty years ago, I was delighted to discover vegetables like parsnips and turnips were commonly found in shops. In France, these veggies were considered "forgotten vegetables", seen as old fashioned with wartime associations of austerity. Over the past 15 years or so, French chefs have worked to reclaim many of these vegetables, featuring many of them on menus in even the most trendy of restaurants, further showing their potential to be celebrated in Ireland by local chefs.
Embracing Fresh Produce
Millennial campaigns such as the "Life is Better with Fruit and Vegetables" campaign, are important means of highlighting the health benefits and versatility of fruit and veg through inspirational recipes. Therefore, the campaign, ultimately seeks to encourage higher levels of fresh produce consumption and a more sustainable lifestyle.
With our high-quality fresh, local and in season produce, we can embrace a healthier, more vibrant food culture. Life truly is better with fruit and vegetables, which is a message worth sharing far and wide, regardless of country.
Visit [fruitnveg.ie] for c.50 millennial-inspired fruit and vegetables recipes, information on local growers, and more. Follow @lifeisbetter.ie on Instagram.
Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Bord Bia as part of the Life is Better with Fruit and Vegetables campaign.
