"That smells weird," says a confused family member as I add a generous dose of brown powder into my pasta dough. Unlike the usual silky, yellowy-beige mixture, this is a deep, dark brown. I have visions of Italian nonnas storming my house, waving wooden rolling pins in the air, decrying my crimes against pasta. The reason: I’m baking with cricket flour, which is currently causing a buzz (sorry) in the culinary world.

Why? Well, while UK headlines tell us about the rise of veganism and ‘meat-free Mondays’, global meat consumption is in fact soaring – and some believe insects could be a viable alternative protein.

As the world's population rises (from 7.6 billion today to an estimated 9.7 billion in 2050), and affluence increases, the amount of land and water set aside for meat production will have to grow drastically, with “major negative consequences for land and water use and environmental change,” according to a report published in the journal Science last week.

Consequently, we’re placing a huge strain on the environment, given that livestock are responsible for harmful levels of greenhouse gas emissions, and have an insatiable appetite for food and water. “Changing meat consumption habits is a challenge that requires identifying the complex social factors associated with meat eating and developing policies for effective interventions,” the report concluded.