Is what we eat, and the volume of our food intake controlled by genuine hunger? Not always. If it was this simple we would not be seeing such statistics as: The Health Survey for England 2021 estimates that 25.9% of adults in England are obese and a further 37.9% are overweight but not obese. The truth is that our natural ability to start and stop eating, involving a vast array of hormones, peptides, and stomach receptors, can be overridden by emotion. Often powerful cravings for highly palatable foods (those containing high fats and refined sugars) or alcohol occur when we are feeling stress ..read more

It’s a classic situation. Most of us have been there. Having spent hours, days, weeks or potentially the whole year dreaming of a wonderful Christmas day – we end up with food coma, collapsed on the sofa with a degree of discomfort.   There are some simple and easy ways to avoid this. We can enjoy the indulgences of Christmas without the agony of gastro-intestinal distress.   1.      Eat until you are 8 parts full. ‘Hara Hachi Bu’. This is a Japanese saying that literally translates to ‘eat until you are 80% full’. Children are taught this in Japan, from an ..read more

During my time at Amchara Retreat in Gozo this month I made good use of the sauna spending most evenings in a state of warm and wonderful sauna bliss. It feels so incredibly good to be warm and relaxed with intermittent trips to the cold shower. Do we need research to explain that this process is good for us? Well, feeling amazing has always been good enough for me. However, I do appreciate that others value research to back up with sound physiology what we already know – it feels great. In this systemic review of forty clinical studies (link below) involving a total of 3855 participants we c ..read more

Menopause Soiree Supper Club Would you like to join us to talk through the menopause in a light-hearted and fun group setting whilst eating a 3-course plant-based dinner? TESTIMONIAL from our last Soiree this week:  ‘Thank YOU from us to yourself, Tanya (& her lovely helpers!) for such an amazing evening!  I think we were all blown away by the delicious food - explanations of the ‘how’ were much appreciated by the keen cooks amongst us! And also thanks to your brilliant presentation (and knowledge) I am sure we all took away heaps of new information regarding our hormones and fu ..read more

Why would we make small changes towards a plant-based diet? When we are talking plant-based, it is vital to clarify this term. A plant-based diet is one based on plants, which is very different from a vegan diet which may indeed be based on plants but is sometimes rich in processed vegan alternatives. Here we are considering how to bring wholesome and health boosting nutrients into our daily food plans and why that would be a good idea. Firstly, there are benefits to our own health. A huge amount of studies indicate the positive effects of eating more plants for mood boosting, longevity and c ..read more

On a chilly day in Paris last weekend, I came across a little café serving this wonderfully green and comforting soup. Dill - with its name derived from the Old Norse word “dilla,” which means to soothe – is the perfect herb to add flavour to a dish in these early months when the weather can still be wintry and sometimes harsh. Dill is both incredibly flavoursome with its pungent taste and aroma, and of great nutritional value. The soup recipe below blends the punchy taste of dill with the creaminess of coconut milk and a complimentary spices tang. It can be served with Basmati rice or a good ..read more

Anytime is pancake time in my house but Shrove Tuesday is certainly a nudge to explore new pancake recipes. Here I have adapted one by Ottolenghi, from his book SHELF. I am certainly adding this to my monthly recipe repertoire! INGREDIENTS 600g butternut squash - peeled, deseeded and cut into rough 4 cm chunks 105 ml olive oil 1 red onion - halved and thinly sliced 6 garlic cloves - crushed 40 g fresh ginger - peeled and grated 1 green chilli - finely sliced 1 tsp garam masala powder 1 vine tomato - chopped 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp black mustard seeds 120 g Greek style yogurt to serve - dairy ..read more

I popped into my local greengrocers the other day. When passing I always take a moment to look around and get inspired by the different fruits and veggies. Once I had spotted the smoked garlic, the unwaxed lemons and the beautiful Romano peppers I felt a hummus dish was on the menu so grabbed a purple cauliflower too for dipping and a few cans of chickpeas. We are so lucky to have such shops on our doorstep here in Sussex. Let’s be sure to use small businesses so they can remain open! Serves 6-8 Ingredients ·        3 large Romano red peppers, seeds removed ..read more

This recipe is based on the wonderful tomato sauce which featured in our Hurst Festival pop up in September. The sauce was used to stuff Cannelloni which was then baked with a bechamel sauce. We were blessed to have the pasta hand-made by my colleague Tanya. If you are keen to have a go, then stay tuned as I will be posting this recipe too. However, if you are purchasing pasta instead, read on as I have included some brand tips below. The star of the show here is jackfruit, a fruit often used in plant-based cooking to substitute the meaty texture of a fibrous meat such as pork. Despite its re ..read more

Last month I ordered organic veggie boxes from Laines organic biodynamic farm in Cuckfield. The beauty of this, is that you have no control over what you will find in your box which means getting creative in the kitchen. The added health benefits of course are that whatever you create is richer in nutrients than your supermarket veggies and largely pesticide free. This tasty, brightly coloured soup is bursting in health boosting nutrients and full of flavour. Perfect for the oncoming autumn/winter months. Why are the veggies richer in nutrients than your non-organic varieties? Spraying crops ..read more