There are times you’d be afraid to turn on the TV because of all the bad stuff happening in the world today. Whenever I see David Attenborough, I know he is going to make me feel guilty about how we humans are capable of destroying the planet and everything that lives on it.

However, a book I have started reading has made me feel a lot less guilty because it seems us humans have been destructive little beings since the beginning of time. The book is called Sapiens - A Brief History Of Human Kind, written by Yuval Noah Harari and it’s absolutely fascinating.

For instance, I never knew that the human brain uses 25% of the body’s energy when the body is at rest. By contrast, most mammals require 8% or less. This energy need meant that Homo sapiens (meaning wise man) had to eat more food and forage for it for longer.

The taming of fire and discovery of cooking was a great step forward, as staples such as wheat, rice and potatoes were much easier to eat when cooked. Cooking also killed germs and parasites, thus preventing infection.

However, it’s the theory about gossip and how essential it was to our survival that really astounded me. Imagine yourself back in the earliest of time and you need to warn your tribe that there is a lion at the river. A monkey can call out a cry which signals “careful a lion”. The human can tell their tribe that near the bend of the river she saw a lion tracking a herd of bison. They can describe the exact location and the paths to it. As a group the humans can plot how best to track the lion, chase it away and hunt the bison themselves.

However, the most important information that needed to be conveyed was not about the bison or the lion. It was about the humans themselves. Homo sapiens are social beings and it’s this social co-operation that has been key to our survival. And this is where gossip theory comes in. Thanks to gossip you knew which humans hated each other, who was sleeping with who and who was honest or a cheat.

This much maligned ability to talk behind each other’s backs was essential for co-operation of large numbers and it was our ability to excel at this that put us at the top of the food chain. This book is a great read, mark it down for Christmas.

And speaking of reading, we have a packed issue this week, including our main feature where Maria Moynihan meets four producers from eastern Europe who are bringing fresh flavour to the Irish food scene. I am particularly inspired by the story of Tiina Laas, who started her quail farm with just 12 birds in her spare room after being made redundant and now supplies 36 SuperValu stores in 14 counties. Tiina says that when you find what you love, it will give you wings; literally in her case. You can read more on page six.

We also have a wonderful competition in association with Fisherman’s Friend where we are searching for “Ireland’s Greatest Friendship”, with €750 worth of Blue Book vouchers up for grabs.

Check out page 10 for all the details.