Lacto-fermented Roasted Beetroot

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I stumbled on this recipe many years ago whilst devouring the book Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. The book emphasises eating a traditional nutrient dense diet in much the same way as our fore-fathers had done, eating simple foods, as close to nature as possible and without lengthy ingredient lists. The premise is that if your grandmother doesn’t recognise the ingredients as food don’t eat it. Even so called “healthy food” can be overly processed and messed about with. This was one of the first recipes I tried and soon became a favourite. I always like having a jar of it in my fridge as it’s a quick and easy recipe that takes only three days from start to finish and with all the probiotic benefits that fermentation offers.

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The thin and the thick of it. Making your kefir thick

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From the day I met my first kefir culture I have been in love. I’ll be honest it was a mothering instinct and a strong desire to nurture that first captured my heart, but as the grains built in strength and reproduced in quantity and I introduced it into my diet I began to feel the immense benefits to my health and I have never looked back. Read More

Fire Cider and Wildfire Thomas

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Fire Cider is a powerful tonic for combating flu and cold symptoms it can also be a fantastic pick-me-up if you are feeling run down. It is a traditional herbal folk remedy invented by the renowned herbalist Rosemary Gladstar in the 1970’s this is a beautiful video of her making Fire Cider. She was a pioneer in making food and herbs into medicine that could easily be made in anyone’s kitchen.

Immune strengthening roots, vegetables, fruits and herbs are steeped in apple cider vinegar. Go here for a recipe.  You can also use kombutcha vinegar if you have it. This is a flexible recipe that you can make your own by adding other herbs and spices of your choice such as star anise, echinacea, thyme and turmeric. Read More

Homegrown Apple Cider Vinegar Recipe

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There is a very old apple tree in my garden, the last of an ancient orchard that was never replanted. When we bought the house we were told that it hadn’t produced any fruit for years but that despite this it gave a splendid show of blossom in the Spring. Our first winter arrived and with it came a freezing blizzard which blew in and settled it’s heavy icy snow crystals on all the trees. Many of them were felled that cold night by the sheer weight of the ice on their boughs. Our old apple tree lost two branches and I thought it would never recover. The next Spring true to form it flowered the most beautiful blossom, but when Autumn came around no apples appeared. As an experiment I planted two apple trees nearby hoping that when they flowered they would cross pollinate and give the tree some new life. To my amazement my plan worked and now several years later my tree is laden with juicy red apples. Read More

How to make Coconut water kefir

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At the age of 90, my grandmother emigrated to Hawaii. She lived out the rest of her days on the beautiful island of Maui. It seems an extraordinary move to make at such a ripe old age but if you knew her you would know that it was not out of character. She had a spontaneous and adventurous spirit and hated the idea of being tied down. Nothing pleased her more than to pack a bag and head off at the last minute on an adventure. She was the centre of our world, like the sun, we orbited her. It didn’t matter where she lived, we would have happily gone to the ends of the earth to get one of her hugs. Which is exactly what we did for the final 10 years of her life. Read More

Small Batch Ruby Sauerkraut

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I have just finished the last of a delicious jar of sauerkraut which I made at a fermenting workshop. It was run by Christine McFadden who has a very sucessfull cookery school in her 17th century home in  Dorset. Christine, who is also known as the Dorset Foodie, is a very experienced cook and teacher and has written several cookery books over the years. Her teaching is very clear, precise and reliable and she imparts a lot of practical information on a wide variety of cooking techniques. She lives in Littlebredy, one of the most beautiful villages in England. It is situated between Bridport and Dorchester and lies at the head of the Bride valley. As I made my way to her class I found myself driving through a maze of tiny winding roads and was very thankful to have a sat nav, it felt like I was driving back through time. This is pure Thomas Hardy countryside, an unspoilt green and golden landscape of emerald pastures dotted with yellow buttercups and ancient hedges. Read More

Ghee is Golden

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Walking with my Father in the countryside as a young child was always a complete joy, sometimes he would crouch down to my height pick a Buttercup and put it under my chin to see if I liked butter. The glow from the shiny petals would reflect a golden yellow light on my skin which would mean I did! Who doesn’t? Of course as a child, I thought this was pure magic in that wondrous way that children ‘believe’. Like when my Grandmother would make the snapdragons talk in the garden by squeezing their petals together and the many times I would gather rose petals with my sister to make potions, which only worked if you truly ‘believed’ in magic. These were wonderful rituals and traditions which I passed on to my own children when they were growing up. Read More

Wild foraging and a Sea Cabbage Salad

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It’s a bit overcast today which is almost a relief after five days of scorching early summer sun. We are heading home after a blissful half term break in Cornwall. It’s wild and untamed here, giving the children a lot of freedom. They can disappear for hours at a time scrambling over the rocks, exploring  the many grassy paths which lead down to the coves where they mess around skimming stones into the sea.

After our last swim we walk back to the house sandy and salty, foraging as we go for a few leaves of wild cabbage which we have been adding to our daily green juice. We pack up the house and empty the fridge and veg box to make one last meal. It’s is almost the best one! Boiled eggs, steamed asparagus, rye bread, Cornish Yarg cheese and a Wild Sea Cabbage salad. Read More

Making Kefir and a Blueberry Smoothie

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Spring is in the air, the English countryside in East Devon is humming with bird song, the trees are suddenly bright with with electric green leaves unfurling from their sleepy brown branches. Blossom from the apple tree is fluttering down like flowery snow covering the ground like a carpet of petals, making everything feel brand new and fresh. There is nothing which connects me more to the here and now and with such gratitude than when England throws off her winter cloak and blesses us with a sunny day. Read More

Surviving Antibiotics: The Ultimate Prebiotic Salad

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imageThere is usually a time in everyones life, however health conscious we are, and with the best will in the world, where we are presented with a compelling reason to take antibiotics. The decision to do this, can be a hard one, especially for those of us whose health is already compromised. It can be upsetting and disheartening when you have spent time and energy building up a healthy microbiome only to take antibiotics and feel like you are going back to square one. Read More