With Mothers Day and Valentines on the horizon you may be thinking of taking your loved ones somewhere special, whether it be your partner, husband, wife, parents an Afternoon tea can be the perfect option.
I find it quite hard to eat salads when it's cold and torrential rain hasn't stopped for weeks. My body instead craves hot, soul warming food that makes those cold evenings actually quite cosy. Come summer, I want salad and nothing more, but I have to work a bit harder at this time of year.
How are the resolutions going? This year I decided to absolutely not make any new year's resolutions. I've made many in my time and have found, after a good few years of research, that they are more often than not, pointless.
Since the conflict escalated in March last year, 30 civilians are made casualties of war every day in Yemen. Houses and hospitals are bombed, whole civilian areas cut-off and under siege, and people are fleeing for their lives on a daily basis. After nine months of fighting, the country is sinking into a disaster of immense proportions and deeply tragic consequences.
If you do a lot of driving on the road, remember; generally at the service station, amongst the serried rows of fizzy drinks, crisps, donuts and chocolate bars, there is very little in terms of "healthy food" on offer, which is good for you. So you might need to plan ahead, although you might just get lucky at certain service stations.
If you are looking for a new way to use up your ripe bananas, trythis Banana Peanut Butter Ice Cream cake. I always have loads of frozen banana chunks in my freezer, whether it's for a smoothie or this delicious cake. The recipe is super simple to make and no one will ever know there are only a few ingredients involved. This recipe really is magical, and healthy too!
I remember the moment I decided to stop eating meat like it was yesterday. I'd watched a PETA film about chickens being thrown against factory farm walls and felt sick to my stomach. I went to school the next day and held up the queue in the canteen trying to pick from the veggie menu - chips or jacket potato.
Hopefully the periods of "I'm on a diet" or "I'm on a 30 days cleanse in January" have faded away so we can focus on eating real food which is actually good for you. Rather restricting ourselves and not eating certain things, let's focus on finding balance. Balance between kale & chocolate.
I'm quite surprised at this statement because I love Spanish food, particularly tapas and that idea of trying a little bit of everything. I say that now because I never used to be. It used to be 'right, I've ordered that dish and that's the only dish I want to eat' (perhaps I'm appreciating the idea of sharing more in my mature years!).
I'm often asked what are my go-to items for creating recipes in a vegan kitchen, so I thought a great way to begin the year would be to share my essential ingredients for Veganuary - and beyond!
The recipe below will serve four to six people but as I was cooking for two, I had enough left over to make a big chicken and mushroom pie (like this one but with more mushrooms and no leeks). And there was lots of broth to make either a laksa or a chicken and sweetcorn soup for another day.
I've always asserted that the best thing about food and drink is its ability to offer such an honest window into the many different cultures you experience on your travels. Whenever I visit somewhere new (or familiar!), I insist on trying the local foods, beers and spirits - sometimes you end up with something questionable, but it's always fascinating and inspiring.
I have written a lot recently about the vital importance of nutrition as being an essential part of any successful exercise regime or programme. The simple truth being without the right nutrition to support your training. In real terms you are essentially just wasting your time....
Do you know how much sugar you consume each day? I suspect the answer for most of us would be no - in fact there is a surprising amount of sugar in everyday food we eat.
The problem is that anyone who obsesses over healthy or clean eating to the detriment of everything else doesn't actually have a life to go back to. They didn't go out every night over Christmas. They rarely go anywhere. I should know. I was that person for years.
Before adopting a vegetarian diet a year ago I had a number of concerns. Would I be getting the right vitamins? Would I get bored of eating the same things? Would I always be hungry? Would I be judged by others? The journey has been interesting and rewarding. Here are some of the things I have learned along the way.