Thames Water must be held to account | Letters

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So creditors wishing to take over Thames Water want the company and its senior management to be granted clemency from rules on sewage spills and environmental protection (Bidders demand Thames Water granted immunity over environmental crimes, 7 June).The rights of investors, it would seem, should prevail over the rights of communities to a clean environment.It is the failure of rigorously enforced regulation that led to the mismanagement of Thames Water, with loans being used to increase shareholder dividends and bloated bonuses for incompetent managers.In many countries the law can now be used to confiscate private assets gained from immoral activities, such as drug-running and prostitution.There is no reason why those who accrue wealth through the degradation of the natural environment should be treated any differently.

Far from granting immunity from prosecution, the government should tighten the law to enable the criminal prosecution of the managers responsible and the repayment of shareholder dividends awarded by an underperforming business.Such a move would enable financial markets to promote good corporate governance and environmental sustainability.After all, financial investors and shareholders want profitable businesses that provide them with financial returns.If investors knew that they could lose their investment and dividends by investing in a company such as Thames Water, they would soon look to invest in more ethically run businesses.The government should now initiate legal proceedings to seize the assets of those managers who enriched themselves by creating a debt-laden, high-polluting water company.

The proceeds should be invested in water infrastructure and environmental clean-ups.And Thames Water should be taken into public ownership and its assets auctioned off.Only socially responsible investors need apply.David HumphreysEmeritus professor of environmental policy, Open University Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
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Benjamina Ebuehi’s recipe for cherry and honeycomb cheesecake pots | The sweet spot

Honeycomb gets lots of attention in the autumn months, but this crunchy brittle is such fun to make all year round, and adds a playful texture to all sorts of desserts such as today’s cheesecake pots. The quantities make more honeycomb than you need here, but extra snacking is inevitable. The cheesecake itself, which I’ve lightened with greek yoghurt, is super-simple to put together – just mix and chill.Prep 5 minCool 1 hr Cook 30 min Makes 6For the honeycomb200g caster sugar 200g golden syrup 2½ tsp bicarbonate of sodaFor the cherries255g pitted cherries, fresh or frozen and defrosted30g caster sugar Squeeze of lemon juiceFor the cheesecake150g digestive biscuits 50g salted butter, melted330g greek yoghurt 250g cream cheese 1 tsp vanilla bean paste 50g icing sugar 100ml double creamLine a 20cm square cake tin with greaseproof paper. Put the sugar and golden syrup in a deep saucepan and heat gently until the sugar melts

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Ken Don obituary

My colleague Ken Don, who has died aged 80, was a passionate real ale brewer who played a key role in saving Maris Otter, considered the finest variety of malting barley. He spent most of his career at the Young’s Ram Brewery in Wandsworth, south London, where the ruling Young family was committed to cask-conditioned beer.Ken was born in Alloa, in Clackmannanshire, the son of Ian Don, who worked in a local glass factory, and his wife, Margaret (nee Cook). He was educated at Alloa academy and trained as a brewer at Alloa Brewery, where the main product was Skol lager. Keen to broaden his skills, he went on the brewing and distilling course at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh

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‘The quality of Lebanese wine is absolutely incredible’

Lebanon has one of, if not the most ancient winemaking traditions in the world, so it stands to reason that we ought to drink more of it. This historic wine industry started way back with the Phoenicians, who spread viticulture throughout the Mediterranean, and then, in 1857, Jesuit monks planted vines from Algeria in the Bekaa valley, in an area that is today one of the country’s most prestigious wine-producing regions.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more

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Rachel Roddy’s salad of hazelnuts, gorgonzola and honey dressing | A kitchen in Rome

Recently, I listened to the Italian chefs Niko Romito and Salvatore Tassa in conversation about Italian food culture, and in particular the role of the trattoria. During the warm conversation, Romito, who is one of Italy’s most visionary chefs and whose Ristorante Reale in Abruzzo has three Michelin stars, spoke about the first time he ate at Tassa’s Nu’ Trattoria Italiana dal 1960 in Acuto, which is in the province of Frosinone about an hour south of Rome. Romito recalled the homely atmosphere and Tassa as an old-school host: welcoming, communicative and the conduit (which didn’t sound pretentious when he said it) between local traditions, producers and those who came to eat. But Romito also described a dish of onions, simply braised, but of such goodness that he couldn’t stop thinking about and imagining them. In fact, Romito credits those onions as being the starting point for one of his own most well-known dishes: “absolute” onion broth with parmesan-filled pasta and toasted saffron

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How to turn store cupboard grains, nuts, seeds and dried fruit into a brilliant nutritious loaf – recipe | Waste not

Today’s rich, nutritious and no-knead bread is a cornerstone of my weekly routine. Every Saturday, I make a simple rye bread dough, and gather whatever grains, nuts and seeds need using up – from forgotten millet to that last handful of brazil nuts – and soak them overnight. By Sunday lunchtime, the house will be filled with the homely aroma of fresh bread emerging from the oven.When my daughter won’t eat anything but a slice of toast, I want to know she’s still being nourished, so I’ve raised our nutrient baseline by reformulating the recipes for our everyday staples – that is, bread, pasta, porridge and even cakes – with whole grains, omega-rich seeds and nutrient-dense ingredients such as moringa powder. Of course, every family has its own tastes and comfort foods, so these changes need to be gradual

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Cheaper imported chicken and beef increasingly seen in UK supermarkets

Cheap chicken and beef from Australia, Poland and Uruguay is on the rise on UK supermarket shelves, according to the National Farmers’ Union, as supermarkets look for money-saving options.The NFU regularly monitors supermarket shelves and notes that Morrisons is now selling raw chicken from Poland in its poultry aisle. Chicken in Poland is generally produced to different standards from those in the UK, and is cheaper as a result. Morrisons requires that for its UK chicken, poultry must be kept at a maximum stocking density of 30kg/m2, giving the chickens more space to roam. In Poland, this is up to 39kg/m2