Julia Hailes MBE

Sustainability Pioneer

Happy as a pig in mud (Jul07)

The bacon tasted really good. The superior rashers accompanied seared scallops – a first course served by the Royal Oak pub in Bishopstone. I was having dinner with fellow members of the Food Ethics Council after a trip to see Helen Browning’s happy organic pigs. It was their cousins I was eating for dinner. It […]

A McDonald’s experience (Apr07)

I thought I’d do a bit of comparison on fuel efficiency between the UK and the US. Went to Heathrow in an 8-seater vehicle – it was on its way to collect a large group. But at 36mpg even that was less thirsty than the flashy black Lincoln that collected me from Chicago’s O’Hare airport […]

Supper Party (Apr07)

Eighteen people to supper last Saturday night. Arranged it ages ago because I wanted to make some introductions. It was great fun preparing the mostly home-grown feast on the day, with Alex (our marvellous au pair). The main dish was rabbit casserole with flageolet beans – the rabbits were shot by my neighbouring farmer. They […]

McDonalds responds well to Greenpeace (Mar07)

I haven’t been the greatest fan of McDonalds in the past but was impressed with their response to Greenpeace’s campaign in 2006 on soya used in chicken feed coming from newly cleared rainforest.  So I went to Naples to give a presentation to McDonalds European Management Team on sustainability issues.  This trip was covered in […]

Marks & Spencer (Mar07)

I first started working with Marks & Spencer in 2002 when I was commissioned to do a report on sustainability issues relating to the food sector.  The brief was to look at the broad drivers for change, to prioritise the key issues affecting food, identify the key organisations shaping the debate and make recommendations on […]

Report on sustainability issues in the food sector (Jan02)

  I first started working with Marks & Spencer in 2002 when I was commissioned to do a report on sustainability issues relating to the food sector.  The brief was to look at the broad drivers for change, to prioritise the key issues affecting food, identify the key organisations shaping the debate and make recommendations […]