B I T E

The Top Cat, American style metal trash cans now in British shops, are all very chic but not very practical. Will someone at Habitat, John Lewis and Ikea please take on board that this, along with the traditional kitchen pedal-bin, is redundant? The modern household requires something geared for recycling, not dumping, with a shelf for papers, a drawer for tins, another for bottles and yet another for organic matter. This organic matter - potato peels, carrot scrapings, wilted flowers - can then go into the most right-on bin going, the "wormery".

These, basically, are heavy-duty plastic bins that have been customised into composters, with a tap at the base to drain off high quality organic liquid fertiliser. The worms are tiger worms, which will munch through just about anything but prefer a mix that is not too acidic. Eventually the worms will transform the kitchen cuttings to compost. They cost £48.90 incl delivery (full size) or £29.95 ("junior") from Original Organics, Unit 4/5 Farthings Lodge Business Centre, Plymtree, Cullompton, Devon EX15 2JY (01884-277681).

Guides taking in farms and food suppliers as well as restaurants may well supplant traditional restaurant guides. Good Food in Yorkshire & Humberside, by television producer Jill Turton, includes the Michelin- starred Wintringham Fields in Humberside, the best stir-fry in Leeds and an ancient apple orchard. The book (£6.99) is available from Smith Settle Ltd, Ilkley Road, Otley, West Yorkshire LS21 3JP (01943-467958).

New-wave sushi bars springing up around London will be British in more ways than location. According to Reuter, this week the European Union has banned imports of Japanese fish due to concerns over hygiene. The ban will affect imports of around 6,000 tons of fish a year.