Appetiser 1/25

@Traffic Light Fruit Salad

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food,” read out Little Meow in awestruck tones. "Look at this, Puddles, 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 Happy.
Little Meow 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 Happy, read­ing from the gallery brochure.
"Yes!" cried Little Meow. "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, Twinkel and Little Meow moved on to the next exhibit.
"It doesn't say whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, Little Meow," remarked Twinkel.
"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 Little Meow. "My mum used to make her own, when we were young."
"Home-made tends to be best, doesn't it?" responded Mr. Freeze.

Appetiser 5/25

@Fresh Raspberries

"My goodness, what perfect raspberries, DORTHEA!" breathed Little Meow.
"Mmm," agreed DORTHEA. "What does it say about them?"
Little Meow 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 DORTHEA.
"Why not, DORTHEA? 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 Little Meow. "'What's your favourite topping?' it says here."
"Well, butter is a sine qua non," responded Bluey.
"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 Bluey.

Appetiser 7/25

@Floral Medicine

" 'Flower Power'," read out Little Meow. " '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 Oscar.

Appetiser 8/25

@Courgette & Fruit Salad

"You can keep the courgette," stated Little Meow firmly. "Yucky taste­less stuff."
Louise Frances 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 Little Meow.
"Pretty much anywhere, I would think!" replied Louise Frances. "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 Little Meow. "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 Little Meow. "That sounds amazing, Midnight!"

Appetiser 10/25

@Orange Alert!

swinger 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 Little Meow.

Appetiser 11/25

@Berries Red, Berries Blue

"Here's a superfood, Zipper!" called out Little Meow. "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 Zipper.

Appetiser 12/25

Your pet won a great prize!

@Life gives you lemons ...

"The brochure says that lemon can guard against anaemia," remarked Little Meow.
"Strange! I wouldn't have thought lemons had a lot of iron in?" Kathleen 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 Little Meow.

Appetiser 13/25

@Fizzy Fruit Detox

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

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." Little Meow paused for breath.
"It sounds like a really use­ful plant all round!" replied Shilo.

Appetiser 15/25

@Spices of Life

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

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.' " Little Meow 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 Rastus. "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, Ivory?" asked Little Meow. "Apart from Vita­min C, of course! I suppose that goes without saying!"
Ivory studied their gallery literature gravely. "You know, Little Meow, 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 Velvet. "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 Little Meow. "It's a mood-lifter. It's been found to be as effective as drugs for depress­ion. It aids learn­ing and memory function."