Tag Archives: recipe
Gluten and the Gut – A Gut Health and Bread Baking Masterclass
To pay in instalments, drop me a message via the enquiries page.
Gluten isn’t always the culprit when we have problems with digestion or the gut in general. Bread isn’t the enemy! In reality, proper bread is your gut’s friend. So, how do you know whether you really do have a problem with gluten, or whether it’s something else? And how do you find a loaf that nourishes while taking action to restore balance to your dodgy digestion?
On this full day masterclass you’ll not only get the definitive good gut guide from a functional nutrition perspective, you’ll also have this info weaved seamlessly through a foundational artisan bread making experience as fine as the crumb on a loaf even Paul Hollywood would approve of!
The Bread Bit:
Sourdough is by far the healthiest way to bake and eat bread. A true sourdough uses only 3 key ingredients plus a little time and patience. Gluten itself is not water soluble and can therefore be difficult to digest. However, using higher hydration and a longer proving time we can help reduce that bloated feeling many of us now associate as a gluten intolerance. With time and preparation you can help build yourself a healthier gut.
Begin your baking by learning this:
A brief background and scientific history of sourdough and fermentation.
Make your own starters to take home and continue baking with.
Guidelines on how to feed and nurture your starter.
How to work with high hydration dough and the benefits of doing so.
Making white sourdough, 100% rye.
The Gut Bit:
Wide-ranging symptoms in the gut or problems with digestion are becoming increasingly common, but are rarely a reaction directly to gluten. Those annoying niggles, and even disruptive, painful symptoms, can have a number of other root causes, triggers and aggravators, all of which can be resolved without removing bread, or anything else, from your diet.
Understanding what gremlins could be manifesting your symptoms is a crucial part of being truly healthy. Cutting out particular foods might ease or remove symptoms, but that doesn’t mean it has addressed the root cause, and cutting out foods without replacing the nutrients properly will only create a whole other set of issues later.
Get to grips with your gut by learning about these essential factors:
The gut and digestion – significant differences in symptoms and root causes.
Gluten – friend or foe?
Where and how things can go awry.
Common issues and what to do about them.
How to recognise the difference between a symptom and a problem.
Food allergies, intolerances, and the gut.
Probiotics, enzymes, absorption, and more.
The impact of factors like hormones, pesticides, microbes, parasites, food choices, sugar, bacterial imbalance, and stress.
How to calm your gut naturally, boost digestion and let calm reign!
You’ll go home with the kind of beautiful resource pack that always accompanies an effective masterclass, packed with info, advice and recipes that will see you, your gut and bread the best of friends.
And of course you’ll go home with your baking bounty!
Booking closes on June 15th.
To pay in instalments, drop me a message via the enquiries page.
BOOK HERE!
T&Cs: bookings for cookery events are non-refundable – should you unavoidably need to reschedule up to 2 weeks before the event, we may be able to defer your place to a future class or event at our discretion. There is no guarantee that this class will run again.
Gluten – friend or foe?
Gluten isn’t always the culprit when we have problems with digestion or the gut in general. Bread isn’t the enemy! In reality, proper bread is your gut’s friend. So, how do you know whether you really do have a problem with gluten, or whether it’s something else? And how do you find a loaf that nourishes while taking action to restore balance to your dodgy digestion?
The fibre in good bread is crucial to such diverse factors as gut health, probiotic environment, toxin removal, hormonal balance, energy, reduced bowel cancer risk, and much more. On this full day masterclass you’ll not only get the definitive good gut guide from a functional nutrition perspective, you’ll also have this info weaved seamlessly through a foundational artisan bread making experience as fine as the crumb on a loaf even Paul Hollywood would approve of!
There are only 7 places left – to pay in instalments, drop me a message via the Enquiries tab. Event details are here.
Deck the tree with (healthy) cookies!
The festive season means many things, but to me, on the inevitable taste and sensory level that I seem to have as a default mode, December means spices. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, oranges, all spice, and so much more. Jewelled colours, rich aromas, and warmth to counteract the wintry chill.
There are so many ways to incorporate this – strategically placed bowls of satsumas, a pot pourri made of dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and juniper berries, and of course, spiced biscuits!
I love making these gorgeous spiced biscuits that can be used as decorations for a few days before being eaten.
Although based around a gingerbread recipe, if you don’t like gingerbread, leave the ginger out and use other spices – all cooking should be adapted and a creative therapy in itself.
This is a lovely family activity, both creatively and food skills and health-wise. Spices are wonderful for health, as are herbs. Sprinkle around liberally, and add to everything!
Christmas Spiced Tree Cookies
175g dark muscovado sugar
85g golden syrup
100g butter
3 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
350g plain flour, plus extra for rolling out
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 egg, lightly beaten
Heat the sugar, golden syrup and butter until melted. Mix the spices and flour in a large bowl. Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in 1 tsp cold water. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, add the melted mixture, the egg and the bicarbonate of soda solution. Mix well. At this stage the mix will be soft but will become firmer as it cools in the fridge.
Cover the surface of the biscuit mix with cling film and leave to cool in the fridge for about 1 hr or until it is firm enough to roll out.
Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead to make a little more pliable. At this stage the dough can be wrapped and kept in the fridge for up to a week, or frozen. Roll out to around 2-3 mm thick. Cut into your favourite seasonal shapes, then transfer to baking trays, leaving room for them to spread. If you plan to hang the biscuits up as decorations, make a small hole in the top of each one using a skewer. Repeat until all the dough is used, or freeze any leftovers for later, to keep the decs going all Christmas – they will get eaten after all!
Bake for around 12-15 mins until they colour a little. If the holes you have made have closed over while baking, remake them while the biscuits are warm and soft using a skewer or knife. Cool for a few minutes on the baking tray, then transfer to a wire rack to cool and allow them harden up completely for decorating. Decorate with icing, edible glitter, or any other decorations you fancy.
If hung up on the tree or around the house, the biscuits will be edible for about a week, but will last a lot longer as decorations. Maybe make in the few days before Christmas for decs that last through the celebrations for some new year nibbles!
Spice Up Your Life! Indian Cookery For Health and Happiness
Come and get a glimpse into how healthy Indian cookery is! Indian food has been popular for decades, though it is often overlooked as a healthy cuisine. While the idea of the takeaway has become highlighted as a naughty treat, in fact Indian food can be incredibly healthy, and an actively beneficial part of a broad diet. Bringing spices into your eating regularly is important to make the most of their nutrients and compounds. Like herbs, they have a part to play in happiness and health!
So, if you’d like to learn to make authentic Punjabi food, or just want to see what the possibilities are to use spices to add health benefits your diet, this class is for you.
You’ll learn exactly what and how to use spices, watch Punjabi food expert Purdy Giles demonstrate a selection of dishes, and you’ll cook your own Punjabi meal. You’ll even go away with the information and recipes so you can cook Punjabi food at home, and package up your cooking efforts for the healthiest takeaway you’ll ever have!
BOOK HERE!
This is a very popular class and sells out quickly, so book early to ensure a place!
There are only 12 spaces for this class.
Please note, booking closes on October 28th to allow for ingredient purchase, information production, and staffing.
T&Cs: bookings for events are non-refundable, but attendance can be transferred to another event or a later date at my discretion if I’m informed two weeks prior for a cookery class.
Also note that you will be added to an email list to be sent joining details and event information, plus any resources. Your data is kept safe and secure at all times on a dedicated email platform. Please keep an eye on your inbox for joining details or changes to the class.
You will not be sent marketing or other newsletters unless you create an account on the website or sign up via my Facebook page to receive my free resource.
How To Cook Vegan For Health – June 2018
EARLY BIRD PRICE OF £45 AVAILABLE UNTIL MARCH 31ST (subject to availability)
Vegan eating is gaining popularity and ground as a diet that’s better for our bodies and the planet. A plant-based diet can be very nutritious IF it’s done properly. Too often becoming vegan can result in simply cutting out meat, dairy, and animal products without considering what unique macro and micro nutrients need to be substituted in other ways. Removing significant sources of essential nutrition can result in health issues, defeating the object of changing our diet to be healthier!
So, if you’d like to try a vegan diet, want to ensure that your diet is giving you everything you need, or just want to see what the possibilities are and add more animal-free meals to your diet, this class is for you.
You’ll learn exactly what and how to eat for blooming, plant-based health, cook a selection of delicious vegan meals, and take away the information and recipes you need to carry on cooking at home.
BOOK HERE!
This is a very popular class and sells out quickly, so book early to ensure a place!
Early bird price of £45 applies if booked by March 31st, subject to availability. Full price of £55 after this date.
Please note, booking closes on May 26th to allow for ingredient purchase, information production, and staffing.
T&Cs: bookings for events are non-refundable, but attendance can be transferred to another event or a later date at my discretion if I’m informed a week or more prior to the event, or two weeks prior for a cookery class.
Prices will be increasing significantly for future classes to cover increased costs – to take advantage of this class at an amazing price, book one of the remaining spaces.
Also note that you will be added to an email list to be sent joining details and event information, plus any resources. Your data is kept safe and secure at all times on a dedicated email platform. You will not be sent marketing or other newsletters unless you create an account on the website or sign up via my Facebook page to receive my free resource.
Clean Florentines – the perfect Christmas cookie!
We might not be in December’s Christmas madness yet, but Bonfire Night is over, it’s nearly Thanksgiving across the pond, and I’m being booked for events with kids around healthy eating next year. What does that have to do with Christmas cookies, you might ask! Working with organisations and charities that support children and families is something that I love doing, demystifying healthy eating, and how delicious and achievable real food is. The opportunity to be introduced to them via a Christmas Cookie workshop is ideal!
So, what cookie will last well as a gift, be easy to make, and is a Christmas crowd-pleaser? Florentines are perfect, with their scope for adapting and their healthy ingredient swaps. You can make them as ‘clean’ as you please, depending on your budget and what is in your cupboard already. The jewelled nuggets of apricot, blueberry and cranberry makes the biscuits like beautiful seasonal stained-glass feasts for the eyes as well as the taste buds with the chocolate hiding on the bottom of the biscuits. Lovely!
This is the healthiest version, and what I use most often, but there are plenty of swaps you can make:
- coconut sugar can be swapped for golden caster,
- coconut oil can be swapped for butter,
- buckwheat flour can be swapped for ordinary flour,
- coconut milk can be swapped for ordinary whole milk,
- almonds can be swapped for whatever nuts or combo you prefer,
- the fruit can be whatever you choose.
Here’s the full recipe:
Makes about 20
100g almonds, roughly chopped
100g oats
40g dried apricots, chopped small
40g dried blueberries
40g dried cranberries
30g coconut oil
50g coconut sugar
1 1/2 tbsp honey
20g buckwheat flour
150 ml coconut milk
200g dark chocolate
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees, and line a baking tray with baking parchment. Mix the almonds and oats with the fruit, ensuring there are no clumps of fruit sticking together. Melt the oil with the sugar and honey gently in a saucepan until combined, then add the flour, whisking briskly for a couple of minutes until it thickens up. Quickly add the milk, whisking briskly again for a minute until you have a smooth, thick mixture.
Remove from the heat and stir in the fruit and oat mixture. Measure out spoonfuls of mixture onto the baking tray, leaving a bit of spreading room between spoonfuls. Even out and flatten slightly, then bake for around 15 minutes, turning the tray around half way through to ensure an even bake. Leave to cool, and when ready to decorate, melt the chocolate in a bain marie. Place the cookies on another sheet of baking parchment, face down, then drizzle and spread melted chocolate over the bottom of the cookies, and leave to cool and harden. You can also dip the cookies into the chocolate so that you have half and half versions. the choice is yours!
Enjoy your clean cookies with a cuppa before, during or after the seasonal madness!
Simple Suppers – Quick and Easy Evenings
Quick and easy cooking for busy people who know that no time for health and proper food means no health for enjoying your time! Learn and cook a selection of simple suppers for week night delicious healthy eating.
When we’re dealing with work, family, friends, domestic chores, and trying to fit in exercise and fun, having to shop, prepare and cook fresh can seem like a daunting task. As a busy businesswoman and mum, it’s a pressure I feel too, and it’s how I’ve developed very quick and easy meals, plus a store cupboard of staple ingredients or weekly fresh purchases that mean that I can avoid food waste, eat properly and even better, eat deliciously with meals that take little time or effort to prepare while delivering scrumptious supper satisfaction!
Let me share my knowledge and time hacks with you as well as my recipes with an afternoon of foodie learning and fun. You’ll get to take away your creations to enjoy at home, and have the shopping lists and knowledge you need to continue creating simple suppers all through the week, no matter how taxing your day.
Please note: early bird price of £45 is available until May 31st, after which the full price is £55. These classes sell out quickly, so book early to avoid disappointment – limited spaces available.
Booking CLOSES on June 3rd to allow for preparation, staffing and ingredient purchase.
Please note: bookings for events are non-refundable (unless it is cancelled by me), but attendance can be transferred to another event or a later date at my discretion if I’m informed a week or more prior to the event, or two weeks prior for a cookery class.
Cook Vegan – How to Eat Vegan for Health – May
Vegan eating is gaining popularity and ground as a diet that’s better for our bodies and the planet. A plant-based diet can be very nutritious IF it’s done properly. Too often becoming vegan can result in simply cutting out meat, dairy, and animal products without considering what unique macro and micro nutrients need to be substituted in other ways. Removing significant sources of essential nutrition can result in health issues, defeating the object of changing our diet to be healthier!
So, if you’d like to try a vegan diet, want to ensure that your diet is giving you everything you need, or just want to see what the possibilities are and add more animal-free meals to your diet, this class is for you.
You’ll learn exactly what and how to eat for blooming, plant-based health, cook a selection of delicious vegan meals, and take away the information and recipes you need to carry on cooking at home.
BOOK HERE. This is a very popular class and sells out quickly, so book early to ensure a place!
Early bird price of £45 applies if booked by April 7th, subject to availability. Full price of £55 after this date.
Please note, booking closes on April 21st to allow for ingredient purchase, information production, and staffing.
Please note: bookings for events are non-refundable, but attendance can be transferred to another event or a later date at my discretion if I’m informed a week or more prior to the event, or two weeks prior for a cookery class.
Seaweed sandwich, anyone?
If your consumption of sea vegetables thus far on your culinary journey has been limited to a bit of sushi from the supermarket, then you’re missing out. Whether it’s for flavour or health, seaweed is a fantastic food to add to your diet, and best of all, it doesn’t have to be from imported sources at the health food shop or oriental market. Our shores are teeming with varieties of seaweed that are not just edible, but absolutely delicious too.
Even more surprisingly, those of you who are currently thinking that seaweed is the last thing that you would want to eat may change your minds when you taste dulse, one of our most commonly found varieties – it tastes like bacon when it’s cooked. Maybe not as convincing as a bacon sandwich, but still, not exactly what you might expect.
So, what is it, and how do we make the most of this natural harvest right on our doorstep? Dulse is part of a large family of edible saltwater plants and algae that also include more readily known varieties like nori and kelp. Like all edible seaweed, dulse provides a wealth of nutrients, fibre and protein, rich in vitamins, trace minerals, healthy fatty acids, and antioxidants.
It’s easy to buy dried dulse, and as its nutritional value doesn’t degrade after it’s converted into powder or flakes, having some on hand to sprinkle into salads, soups and stews is convenient. Store it in a dry and dark place and it’ll last for at least two years, making it truly a go-to health booster to use in all kinds of ways.
The assumption that seaweed will taste a bit too, well, seaweedy, has doubtless put many people off trying it at all, but with the accessibility, sustainability, and variety of uses, surely it’s something that we need to consider as conscious consumers. The big bonus is in the health benefits – while all natural foods have distinct and purposeful nutrient profiles, seaweed is a truly exceptional all rounder. Just some of the health benefits of dulse include its ability to protect vision, boost the immune system, build bone health, optimise the function of the thyroid gland, increase growth and repair, support the gastrointestinal tract, lower blood pressure, strengthen the brain and nervous system, and boost circulation.
A fantastic food, and a great focus for your next beach visit! To achieve that bacon-like effect, pan-fry some dried whole-leaf dulse with oil over medium-high heat until crisp, then make up your dish or sandwich. Delicious!
Another way to use dulse, or any other seaweed that you have chosen, is to cut strips from a sheet, or take some larger flakes, and allow them to float gently in this lovely broth. Health in a bowl!
Miso Broth
miso paste (authentic paste from an oriental market)
pak choi, each leaf sliced in half lengthwise
sliced greens or cabbage
red pepper, thinly sliced
garlic, very thinly slivered
ginger, very thinly slivered
good quality bone broth or stock of your choice
seaweed strips
chicken, fish, beef or tofu pieces
Pour the required amount of bone broth or stock into a pan, bring to a gentle simmer, and add a teaspoon or two of miso paste, stirring to dissolve. Add the garlic, ginger, meat/fish/tofu, and sliced veg and simmer very gently for a few minutes until the veg is just tender and the meat is cooked through. Add the seaweed and turn off the heat, allowing the seaweed to steep for a couple of minutes. Serve up in big bowls and enjoy!
The Walnut has landed!
After a few days of strange, unusual, and if I’m honest, chaotic events (culminating in nearly running over a suicidal seagull focused only on the lollipop clamped jealously in its beak, proving how dangerous junk food is!), I was thrilled to receive the inaugural copy of Walnut magazine – I was approached to write foodie health articles for it a while ago and completely forgot about it, so this is my first view of the finished mag and my mental health nutrition article.
If you’re in the Bristol area, you’ll be lucky enough to be able to grab a copy – beautifully designed and produced, and packed with wonderful information, advice and recipes. If you don’t live in the distribution area, you can purchase a copy of this hefty quarterly gem here: Walnut Magazine
Welcome to Walnut! Great stuff, Dermot!
