Sickly green

What is it with the 'in' crowd and saving the planet? And, no, I am not talking about news that Madge will be fronting London's Live Earth (the noughties answer to the eighties Live Aid) concert. Rather, I am talking about how London's metropolitan elite no longer cares about social justice. On the contrary, all their political energies have been diverted to the green agenda - and, in particular, the politics of food.

And nowhere is this more apparent than Marylebone. With local residents including Madonna and Noel Gallagher, it is one of the trendiest postcodes in town. That is, until you stroll into the local Waitrose and find the so-called 'trendies' subscribing to the dogma of fresh, local and seasonal. Why on earth should they care about how many 'food miles' a punnet of blueberries rack up when it makes little difference to global warming? As Tony Blair pointed out, if Britain reduced its carbon emissions to zero, the benefit to the environment would be wiped out by just two years of growth in China's emissions.

For a food fascist to imagine that their buying habits is making a difference is like saying they are combating poverty by donating to Oxfam. And on that note, why doesn't their obsession with provenance extend to recreational drugs as well? Certainly cocaine is as un-green as it gets, but these same trendies have no problem snorting it- organic or not.

As for the ammunition behind today's rant? The imminent opening by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall from River Cottage of London's first Natural Kitchen store in Marylebone which "will sell and serve local, regional and seasonal organic food of the highest quality, in a lively and vibrant environment that will lead the way in natural food retailing."

As if the area isn't sickly green as it is.

The Natural Kitchen
77-78 Marylebone High Street
London W1U 5JX

Opening late April.