Born in the Shetlands in 1978, he studied History and Philosophy of Law at the University of Edinburgh, winning the Lord President Cooper Memorial Prize. In an effort to make sense of the complex food system we are all part of, Louise Gray decides to track the stories of our five-a-day, from farm to fruit bowl, and discover the impact that growing fruits and vegetables has on the planet. Picked by The Times as one of its environment books of the year, journalist Louise Gray tracks the story of our food from farm to fruit bowl, asking what impact our voracious appetites have on the planet.

Through visits to farms, interviews with scientists and trying to grow her own, she digs up the dirt behind organic potatoes, greenhouse tomatoes and a glut of courgettes. For her second book Avocado Anxiety And Other Stories About Where Your Food Comes From, the author explores the role of fruit and vegetables in shaping our environment. Above all, how do we stop worrying about our food choices and start making decisions that make a difference? To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average.Have you ever wondered who picked your Fairtrade banana or how far your green beans travelled to reach your plate?

All that unblemished produce would immediately speak to them of a society that had solved the problem of how to feed itself; a society that did not require the majority of people to strain their backs coaxing calories out of the ground. If our ancestors could time-travel to one location in the present, where would modernity astound them most?When the water is coming from places suffering water shortages such as parts of Spain and South America this can cause droughts, harming local populations and wildlife. As pressure grows via social media to post pictures of food that ticks all the boxes in terms of health and the environment, these food stories from the author of the award-winning The Ethical Carnivore are also a personal story of motherhood and the realisation that nothing is ever perfect. This book avoids the doom and gloom that often comes with discussions around complex problems with our food system. Louise is passionate about environmental issues, increasingly focusing on how individuals can make a difference through the choices they make, such as the food we eat. As pressure grows to share our healthy, environmentally friendly lives on social media, Avocado Anxiety is also a personal story of motherhood and the realisation that nothing is ever perfect.

So much of the modern world would be incomprehensible to medieval peasants, but not the rows of glossy vegetables in our supermarket aisles. Very enjoyable and well narrated read/listen covering a lot of stuff we should all be trying to learn more about. Gray, a journalist who specializes in food and environmental issues, is not afraid to get her hands dirty.

As a nation we do not eat enough fruit and veg (only a third of adults eat the recommended five-a-day), we need to start filling our plates with vegetables from farmers and growers we trust. When we come back to look at the early decades of the 21 st Century, the dish that will surely sum up our age is avocado on toast? We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. As consumers we can cut food waste by eating our leftovers and embracing the wonky carrot, we can eat plant proteins like broad beans and grow our own courgettes.

This isn't pro or anti industry/meat/veggie etc, it simply gives a balanced view of the 'grey' area that most food issues come with. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. In recent years, she has written for The Sunday Times , Scottish Field , the Guardian and The Spectator , among others. The UK’s most popular fruit is so cheap because it relies on a monoculture built on cheap labour and the clearing of rainforests. As pressure grows via social media to post pictures of food that ticks all the boxes in terms of health and the environment, these food stories from the author of the award-winning The Ethical Carnivore are also a personal story of motherhood and the realisation that nothing is ever perfect.I believe that by making the consumer aware we can drive those in power to take seriously the role of food in making our population healthier and our environment more resilient. I can’t completely take away avocado anxiety – I’m not sure I want to, it is a product of living in our age. Avocado Anxiety encourages understanding the science behind one's food and demonstrates the global impact of every meal. In a quietly confident manner, Avocado Anxiety makes you think for yourself on matters that can only be described as universally urgent. She has since followed that up with The Cauldron of Life, The Sword of Light, and The Spear of Truth.