Appetiser 1/25

@Traffic Light Fruit Salad

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food,” read out Benji in awestruck tones. "Look at this, Klymene, it says here: 'Hippocrates' saying from around 400 BCE is as relevant today as it ever has been, if not more so.' "

Appetiser 2/25

@Citrus Slice

"Who was Hippocrates, then?" queried Seth Freakin'Monkey.
Benji looked wildly round on the floor and walls as if the answer would be found writ large thereon. "Well, he was one of these Greek bods, wasn't he? A Greek phil- —"
"Physician, it says here," remarked Seth Freakin'Monkey, reading from the gallery brochure.
"Yes!" cried Benji. "I mean, yes, that's what I was about to say. A physician. A Greek physician. In about 400 BCE."

Appetiser 3/25

@Ham Salad Sandwich

The matter of Hippocrates' profession and era having been pretty much thrashed out, Choose a name and Benji moved on to the next exhibit.
"It doesn't say whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, Benji," remarked Choose a name.
"Well—I would say it's a good thing. It could do with a bit of salad cream on it, though. And I hope the bread's buttered."

Appetiser 4/25

@Wholegrain Bread

"Wholemeal bread," remarked Benji. "My mum used to make her own, when we were young."
"Home-made tends to be best, doesn't it?" responded Sweety.

Appetiser 5/25

@Fresh Raspberries

"My goodness, what perfect raspberries, Meowchi!" breathed Benji.
"Mmm," agreed Meowchi. "What does it say about them?"
Benji consulted the guide. "They're very high in Vitamin C—there's a surprise!—they have Vitamin B6, mag­nesium, iron and calcium."
"A good glug of double cream would go with them beauti­fully," remarked Meowchi.
"Why not, Meowchi? There's zero carbs in cream."

Appetiser 6/25

Your pet won a great prize!

@Slice of Toast

"I'm really getting hungry now!" remarked Benji. "'What's your favourite topping?' it says here."
"Well, butter is a sine qua non," responded Hero.
"Of course. Well, my favourite topping is cheese."
"Mine's scrambled egg. Or creamed mush­rooms."
"Or baked beans! Or a poached egg."
"And that's before we get to the jam or pea­nut butter toppings. Toast is really versa­tile, isn't it?" concluded Hero.

Appetiser 7/25

@Floral Medicine

" 'Flower Power'," read out Benji. " 'Flowers and herbs can heal our ailments in a myriad ways.' "
"Sounds interesting! Perhaps they'll have a book about it in the gift­shop on the way out," responded Alphy Elf.

Appetiser 8/25

@Courgette & Fruit Salad

"You can keep the courgette," stated Benji firmly. "Yucky taste­less stuff."
Sushi pondered. "It probably wouldn't matter with the melon being there. It goes on quite a bit about the pome­granate seeds. It says they're good for Vitamin C, potassium and mag­nesium, but also anti­oxidants, which can help pro­tect the body against inflamm­ation and free radical damage."
"You can get packs of pome­granate seeds in Tesco. And Asda. And Sains­bury's," remarked Benji.
"Pretty much anywhere, I would think!" replied Sushi. "And, I don't know, I guess the experts would say you're better off buying a whole pomegranate."

Appetiser 9/25

@Cinnamon and Spice

"This is quite a Christmassy exhibit!" exclaimed Benji. "It makes me think about Christ­mas baking, and hot choco­late with cinnamon!"
"Good gracious! It says here that cinnamon has pro­perties that are anti­­oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti­­diabetic, anti­­microbial, anti­­cancer, lipid-lowering, and cardio­­vascular-disease-lowering, and also reputed­ly guards against neuro­­logical disorders!"
"Wow!" responded Benji. "That sounds amazing, Hoot!"

Appetiser 10/25

@Orange Alert!

Baby read from the brochure. "It says that oranges are anti­­oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti­­viral and anti­­microbial—they're simply delicious too, when either squeezed as juice or eaten in seg­­ments! They are of course high in Vitamin C and also in potassium and have numerous health bene­fits. It's no wonder that oranges are one of the most popular fruits around!"
"I just love a glass of fresh orange for breakfast!" replied Benji.

Appetiser 11/25

@Berries Red, Berries Blue

"Here's a superfood, Wily!" called out Benji. "It says that blue­berries are low in calories and carbs, may help lower blood pressure, prevent heart disease, improve memory and aid in exercise recovery."
"They sure pack a mighty punch for such a small berry!" marvelled Wily.

Appetiser 12/25

Your pet won a great prize!

@Life gives you lemons ...

"The brochure says that lemon can guard against anaemia," remarked Benji.
"Strange! I wouldn't have thought lemons had a lot of iron in?" Hearts asked.
"No, they don't—I mean, it says they have some, but the thing about lemon is that it aids the up­take of iron from other foods, making the total effect more bene­ficial," replied Benji.

Appetiser 13/25

@Fizzy Fruit Detox

"Wow, that looks like a delicious detox, piper!" remarked Benji.
"Well, the jury is out as to its detoxing powers but all are agreed about the benefits of lemon juice!" responded piper.

Appetiser 14/25

@Jungle Geranium

"The jungle geranium is a small shrub from India and Sri Lanka that can also bloom easily in a pot. The blooms consist of umbels with many red flowers that are naturally pollinat­ed by butter­flies. It is the national flower of Suri­name, on the north-east coast of South America, although the origin of the plant is in Asia. The species is found in open places in forests or along the forest edge. The oil extract­ed from jungle geran­ium con­tains essential nutrients, vitamins, and anti­oxidants that can be bene­ficial for hair health. It includes vitamins A, C, and E." Benji paused for breath.
"It sounds like a really use­ful plant all round!" replied Morenth.

Appetiser 15/25

@Spices of Life

"Ooh, I'm not all that keen on spicy food, snowflake!" remarked Benji.
"I think these are just cinnamon, nutmeg and pepper, though—all very mild stuff!" responded snowflake.

Appetiser 16/25

@Upmarket Ploughman's Lunch

" 'A simple meal of bread and cheese, accompanied by beer, formed the basis of the midday meal of English farm labourers for centuries. It would be con­sumed out in the fields. The 'ploughman's lunch' remains, with some variations, a very popular pub meal.' " Benji closed the brochure and examined the exhibit. "That looks like really quite posh nosh! I bet the farm workers didn't have grapes with their lunch!"
"Well, in theory, they could have done," answered Kia. "Viticulture was intro­duced to England in around 43 BCE after it was invad­ed by the Romans. But then the weather grew much colder so grapes wouldn't have been grown for a huge number of decades."

Appetiser 17/25

@Summer Strawberries

"So—what benefits do strawberries have, Unique?" asked Benji. "Apart from Vita­min C, of course! I suppose that goes without saying!"
Unique studied their gallery literature gravely. "You know, Benji, I've never seen so many poly-syllabled words in one place at once before as in this para­graph! Let's just say, straw­berries are very good for your health!"

Appetiser 18/25

Your pet won a great prize!

@Aromatic Saffron

"Saffron!" announced Mister. "I know it's very expensive. We learnt on our Turkey trip—gosh! Exactly two years ago, that was!—that it comes from crocuses. Does it have any particular benefits?"
"Not half!" responded Benji. "It's a mood-lifter. It's been found to be as effective as drugs for depress­ion. It aids learn­ing and memory function."

Appetiser 19/25

@Cayenne, Chili & Paprika

"Ooh, these definitely are too spicy for my taste!" said Benji.
Choose a name consulted the literature. "Cayenne is good for the digestion. It's high in Vita­min A. Chili may offer several long-term health benefits. Paprika is high in Vitamins C and E and promotes wound heal­ing and healthy sleep. Paprika powder is lovely on sea­food sauce, by the way."
"Hmm, well, I might try that, then," conceded Benji somewhat grudgingly.

Appetiser 20/25

@Lemon Law

Benji read from the placard in front of the exhibit. "Lemons grow on trees and are a hybrid of citron and lime. Being very tart, they are not eaten on their own but have many culinary uses, from lemon­ade to garn­ishes. They are high in Vitamin C, Vitamin B6 and potassium."
"I'll drink to that—in lemon­ade, obviously!" announced Pricilla.

Appetiser 21/25

@Ham & Tomato Sandwich

"Ooh, I'm getting really hungry now!" announced Benji. "I vote we go straight to the cafeteria!"
"What, before the gift shop?" teased Olivia.

Appetiser 22/25

@Freshly Minted

"Mint! I don't know what we'd do without it, do you, Mulrey?" announced Benji happily.
"Like in mint-chocolate ice cream?" queried Mulrey. "Let's see—it says the benefits of mint are that it's quite high in Vitamin A, iron, man­ganese and folate, a good source of anti-oxidants, it's good for the digestion and in­haling it may increase alertness."

Appetiser 23/25

@As Cool As A Cucumber

"Gosh, it says here that cucumber is a fruit! I didn't know that," remarked Benji.
"They're low in calories and high in nutrients," said Bailey Bunny. "I think I'll have a cucumber sandwich for lunch!"
"The cucumber sandwich," stated Benji, "is the greatest ever British invention."

Appetiser 24/25

@Rosemary for Remembrance

"Mmm, there's nothing like warm red onion and rose­mary focaccia, Lady Aelfgifu!" remarked Benji.
"Or rosemary infused roast potatoes! Look, it says here that in addition to its many uses in cook­ing, rose­mary has been used for thous­ands of years to treat a range of ill­nesses, including digestive problems, head­aches, insomnia, rheum­atic pain and as a tonic to improve physical, emotional and mental well-being. Rose­mary has been shown to contain over 50 different phyto­chemicals linked with various health benefits."
"Wow!" responded Benji.

Appetiser 25/25

@Cinnamon Sprinkles

"Cinnamon was once traded as currency," remarked Benji.
"I can understand that!" responded Danaë. "Look, it says it's derived from the inner bark of a small ever­green tree. The bark is peel­ed and laid in the sun to dry, where it curls into rolls known as cinna­mon sticks. Hmm, I didn't know that. It's an anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, may protect against infection, colds and the flu, may regulate blood sugar and pro­tect against Alzheimer's."
"I'll get me a cinnamon bun for after lunch!"

Benji has enjoyed trying healthy eating, but it is time to go home. Please select another pet as visitor, so it can also enjoy this event!