LONDON — The U.K. has been deemed The Lazy Man of Europe in a report recently released by The Soil Association.

The report, presented by the association at a recent conference in Manchester, England, made critical observations about how far the U.K. lags other European countries in growing and investing in its organic food and farming sectors.

“The global production of organic food is set to grow substantially, with the organic market frequently cited as one of the most significant growth markets in the food industry,” begins the report. “This potential is demonstrated in Austria, Denmark, France, Germany and Switzerland where sales of organic food continued to grow in 2009 despite the recession. In the U.K., sales fell, although they are not recovering.”

LONDON — Last year was a tough one for the foodservice industry, but its clear U.K. restaurateurs didn’t skimp on quality.  

According to a recent article in the UK Guardian, restaurants throughout the U.K. and Ireland — 143 in total — recently received the highest number of Michelin stars to date. Although no restos received the coveted three-star recognition, London’s The Connaught and Cornwall’s the Rock achieved two-star status, while the Chew Magna-based Pony & Trap received one star, Reuters reports. Gordon Ramsay’s namesake London restaurant held onto its previously bestowed three-star rating.