Cibare Food Magazine Issue Two

8/9/2019 Cibare Food Magazine Issue Two

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Issue two, January 2015

CibareIssue Two, January 2015

www.cibare.co.uk


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REVIEW

HEALTH AND NUTRITION

Cibare Food Magazine www.cibare.co.uk2

ContentsA Successful New Years ResolutionKicking SugarRaw Food to Help You DetoxCleansing Your BodyTea

Coffee

Booze

Beer

Jam

Snacks

Kids FoodItalian Restaurants

Secret Caf

The Foodies Festival

Borough Market

Breakfast Ideas

Lunch

Soups From Us All

Dinner

Bolognese

Fakeaway

Theos Hummus

FOOD

SHOPPING LOCAL

GARDENING

FEATURES

TRAVELLING TALES

SOURCES AND CREDITS

Buying Your Food Locally

Your Local Produce

Theo Michaels - Chasing DreamsA Modern Good Life

Baby Buzz Magazine Review

A Travelling Food DiaryA Very Rustic Dinner

Little London Garden - A Special Harvest

RELAXING


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Editors Note

www.cibare.co.uk Cibare Food Magazine 3

cibare

This is our second issue and already we have ex-panded by three amazing writers. We have thelovely Richard away on his travels around Asia,sending us photos of the fabulous food he is find-ing on his adventures. We have Rebecca talking tous about her favourite cookbook and giving us herreview. And of course the wonderful Theo fromMasterchef 2014 and his tales of becoming the chefhe is today after his complete change of career andlife after the programme.

All this and of course our other excellent writ-ers sharing with us their reviews, opinions andknowledge on health, food and drink and delicioussauces and soups to get you through the winter. Icertainly hope you enjoy our food lovers magazinefull of food for thought and food for everyone.

TentazioniWonderful central London Christmas tastingmenu

Sex Life PremierThe Grosvenor Hotel in Mayfair, where I atepopcorn and drank Vodka and Elderflow-er Martinis, Unicoco coconut water, and ofcourse Green & Blacks dark chocolate icecream.

BAFTAin Piccadilly, where we watched Bird-man and drank gin and tonics.

New Years Eve, which we spent in Brightonhaving good times and drinking bad cocktails.

What I have I done since the last issue?


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Porridge with Sugar, ,Jam or Honey


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FOOD

BreakfastMini Frittata


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REVIEW

Juice or Smoothie Maker?by The Editor


Sage by Heston Blumenthal-The Nutri Juicer Plus

I have to start by saying that I love my juicer.

My parents had one years ago and we barelyused it as it was so hard to clean, but this oneis so easy I can put it into the dishwasher.

The juicer doesnt produce a lot of waste andthat which it does produce is much dryerthan you might think. The juice itself is won-derful and of course depending on the fruitthat you use its quite clear. It does producea scum-like substance on the top with the

juice underneath, but that is a natural oc-currence as far as I can see. I actually likethat part on the top as I enjoy my juice withbits, so I mix it back in. But that brings me tothe fact that its a smoothie maker too. Imonly going to say that I dont use in this way,as I dont think it works that well. As a juicerits perfect but the change of blades seems tomake it wasteful of the fruit and veg. Sorry

Sage.Available from Amazon for 178.00

Breville Blend-Active PersonalBlender

This is a specific smoothie maker and it is

great. No waste, just pure whizzed up fruitand veg. I love that I can add ice and milkor water to it without a fuss as its all in onebottle. Thats all you need to wash too, otherthan the blades. Its not quite as fast as thetraditional blender but if you give it a bit of awiggle to help it on its way, you arent reallywaiting that much longer for your smoothie.Its a great little machine that you can keepin the cupboard and whip out when you needit. It also comes with a couple of bottles sothat you can make one up to help your spe-cial someone stay healthy too. Or of course

you can make milkshakes in it as well! Adda chocolate bar to some milk and ice-creamand hey presto you have a very naugh-ty drink that you can make far too quickly.But why not, once in a while! A must buy forthe health and diet conscious brigade, and a

great price point too.Available from Amazon for 29.99


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REVIEW

Something for the kidsby The Editor

Bear Nibbles Safari Paws(Orange & Strawberry)This cute little yellow bag of sweet goodnessis just yummy. Basically the manufacturershave taken their chewy pure fruit rolls andmade them into bear paw shapes so that theyare easy to eat in the buggy or just handybecause they are in a bag. They are reallytasty, a little bit sticky on the teeth in the waythat dried fruit is, but a very healthy optionthat is a bit more fun now it is available inthese new shapes. The kids say yes! And sodo I. Bear Nibbles are based in The Deep-

est Darkest Woods in the heart of Londonand a visit to their website at www.bearn-ibbles.co.uk is definitely worthwhile. TheirPaws are available in four different flavours Safari, Jungle, Arctic and Dino all madewith pure fruit and the promise of no addednonsense.

You can buy Bear Nibbles at most supermar-kets and health / wholefood stores, as well asonline, at around 2.00 for any four packs.

Vita Coco Kids Mango and Pineapple JuiceThe kids really liked this its fruity and tome it tastes like a virgin pia colada but thekids said that it was sweet and tasted nice.The important fact for me is the addition ofthe coconut water, which of course is so fullof those essential vitamins and protein thatmake this delicious juice just that bit better

than standard versions. Also because themanufacturers have included coconut wa-ter, the juice contains less sugar than reg-ular kids drinks and healthier sweet stuff.

Not that Im too worried to be honest aboutmy kids drinking fruit juices, but the inclu-sion of less junk and more good ingredientsalways makes me happy. And yes - the greatbonus about this juice from the adult view-point is that when the kids are in bed and

youve run out of mixers, this will more thando the trick! There are three flavours in all.For more information, visit the website atwww.vitacocokids.com

You can buy Vita Coco Kids at most super-markets and food stores at around 3.00 perbox of four sachets.

Organix Raspberry and Blueberry RiceCakesThese are quite simply organic rice cakeswhich come in many different flavours allof which are naturally sweetened with fruit

juice and flavourings like cinnamon. Thesehowever are the best invention on the plan-et. I dont know of any child who wont eatthem by the packet and enjoy every last bite.

From one of their first finger foods to my 6year old eating them like popcorn or crispswhilst watching TV, they are just a muchloved snack in our house, and are availablein a total of seven flavours. For full nutri-tional details, visit their website at www.or-ganix.com.

You can buy Organics Rice Cakes at mostsupermarkets and online, including via their

own website, at around 1.00 per packet.


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SHOPPING LOCAL

The Food Assemblyby The Editor

A fantastic idea that was conceived in Franceseems to be spreading right across Europeand it has now crossed the Channel andhas arrived here too. Like our article aboutshopping locally in the last issue, The Food

Assembly is all about sourcing the food weeat from local farmers. Not only is the aimto ensure that we get the best available pro-duce but that the farmers get a better profitfrom selling it too.

There is much to be said about eating foodthat has been grown in your area. First andforemost its better for the environment and

it is actually supposed to be healthier for youin many ways as well. It has been said thatif you eat locally produced honey, it will helpto alleviate the symptoms of hay fever. Andwhy travel to the other side of the world foran apple or a potato when you can grow itup the road? And do we really need to eatstrawberries in the winter? I realise thatsa different article all on its own, but Im justthrowing it out there!

I believe that there is a lot to be said aboutbuying from local farms and helping themstay in business, as well as eating season-ally and reducing our carbon footprint. Ashuman beings we should be pretty much intune with the world so going with its flowand seasonal cycles is important for ourwellbeing. Right, thats enough of the ser-

monising!

Its no more expensive buying from the FoodAssembly than from anywhere else eitherand to be honest I bought the best sausagesIve ever eaten from their producer MarshProduce, which I couldnt even try and buyfrom a supermarket or high street shop.They were so good! With them I boughtsome amazing rainbow carrots, purple po-tatoes, heavenly cheese and bread and localhoney! All in all, the perfect meal.

It just makes me happy to be able to buywonderful food without breaking the bank.I think that many of us are under the im-

pression that we need to pay a lot more forbetter quality or taste, but its not always so.

We just need to look in the right place, whichmay well be right on our doorsteps.

The Food Assembly is also a business inwhich you can participate. It works in asimilar way to a franchise as you can set up

your own Assembly in your local area as longas you can find a certain number of farm-ers and producers within a given radius. Itssuch a lovely job too! And while it may notbe a massive money making scheme it is lotsof fun and you get to eat amazing food andcreate a fabulous hub for your community tobuy locally produced food. I think the com-munity aspect is a really important part ofthis venture. Oh and the food too!

https://thefoodassembly.com/en


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REVIEW

Time for a coffeeCoffee Beansby Dorothy Martinez


THE BEAN SHOP

Brazil Daterra Bruzzi

Sustainable coffee has been grown and harvest-

ed at the Brazillian Daterra farm since 1999. The

estate is aided in production by its unique land-

scape and weather system which means that

this Arabica is grown with plenty of rain and

plenty of sun. The farm has become known for

its high quality coffee and its one Ill be looking

out for in future. Judging by this example its

clear to see why. It also packs a hefty caffeine

hit I feel decidedly perkier having had a cup.

Aroma: Earthy, fruity, a hint of soft berries

Taste: This coffee was lovely as either a long or

a short drink, with a satisfying, mellow flavour

of soft fruits and dark chocolate apparent when

poured from the French press, intensifying inespresso form. With its rounded flavour I could

see this appealing to most coffee lovers, espe-

cially those who like an easy drinking coffee

with plenty of flavour.

Bean Shop Blend

This blend has been produced by the Bean Shop

for the past 10 years and combines dark roast

Java with medium roast beans from Brazil, Su-

matra and India.

Aroma: Creamy, buttery, tobacco

Taste: This is probably one for people who

like a bold cup of coffee. A very dark choco-

late flavour with a definite hint of grapefruit in

the aftertaste when brewed in the French press

intensifies into a flavour of pipe tobacco in the

espresso variant. The most interesting part for

me was that after a long cup, my mouth felt likea highly polished surface, which was, oddly,

most pleasant.

PALEO COFFEE COMPANY

Tanzania, AB Mondul Estate

Coffee has been produced on the Mondul estate

for over 70 years and has a reputation for beingone of the best coffees in Tanzania. The fruit is

soaked and washed from the beans using local

spring water.

Aroma: Dark chocolate, fruit flavoured Skittles

Taste: Refreshing as a long cup of coffee with

an initial bitterness of very dark chocolate, mel-

lowing to a subtle coffee aftertaste with a note


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of lemon. As an espresso, the citrus element is

intensified into the initial taste along with an

almost cranberry flavoured tartness, giving way

to a very pleasant second stage of Irish Cream.

My personal preference would be to drink this

as an espresso.

Ethiopian bean, Yirgacheffe

Grown between 5,800 and 6,600ft above sea lev-

el in the Ethiopian highlands, Yirgacheffe coffee

is considered to be one of the finest in the world.

It is generally wet processed and then fer-

mented for up to 72 hours before being washed

and dried.

Aroma: Gingerbread, sweet, typical Ethiopian,

molassed chaff

Taste: As a long drink, this has the sweet taste

of fermented grass which weve come to regard

as fairly typical for Ethiopian coffee, although

this one isnt as strong as others weve tried.

Interestingly, that sweetness morphs into very

definite citrus flavours, specifically grapefruit.As an espresso, lemon and lime come through

very powerfully, as does strawberry. In fact, if

you were blindfolded, you might mistake this

for a lemon zinger tea. Its very pleasant as both

long and short drinks, but my preference would

be for the latter.

Kenyan bean, AB Kagumo-ini

The Kagumo-ini factory serves the farms in the

Mugaga Cooperative in Nyeri where coffee is

grown in red volcanic loam soil, at around 5,250

feet above sea level. Mugaga farmers are known

for meticulously selecting the largest beans withthe most flavour.

Aroma: Cream, butter, butterscotch

Taste: In its long form a strong grapefruit and

lemon taste was apparent, giving way to a cara-

melly, butterscotch mid to aftertaste. This con-

densed into a bitter, burnt toffee flavour with a

sharpness of citrus and iron. I preferred this

brewed in the French press, which really al-

lowed its complexity and richness to emerge.


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How o Make Your New Years

Resolution A Successful Oneby Anne Iarchy


Losing weight is the top New Years resolu-tion - at least in the US and Europe.If youre one of the nearly 50% of people that

make New Years resolutions, here are somestatistics for you:

1. Only 8% will be successful in achiev-ing their resolutions.2. 24% of people never succeed and theyfail on their resolution each year!!!3. After the first week, 25% have alreadymessed up.

With this in mind, most people who dealwith goal setting will go back to the tried andtested model know as SMART.

SpecificThis is the who, what, when, where andhow of your goal. Dont just say Im goingto go to the gym each week. Instead say Iwill be going to the spinning class on Mon-

days from 7 to 8pm at the gym, to my circuittraining class on Tuesdays at 12:15 during mylunch break and so on.

MeasurableYou have to be able to measure your goal, forexample you say I am planning to lose 3stthis year, going from 17st to 14st.

Attainable

The goal needs to be something that you can

feasibly attain. For instance I am going torun the London marathon in April.

RealisticThis must be something that you are willingand able to work toward. If you hate run-ning, setting yourself a goal to run the Lon-don marathon is probably not realistic.

TimelySet a specific time to reach your goal, for ex-ample I will achieve my goal by 24 Decem-ber 2015.

However, time after time, Ive seen peopleset their own SMART goals and then notachieve them.More often than not, those who fail toachieve their resolutions blame their lack ofwillpower for that failure. Its actually one ofthe most common responses that I get whenI have a consultation with potential new

clients and ask them why they think theirprevious efforts have failed. Willpower, selfsabotage and boredom are cited every singletime.

But is that really the problem? And areSMART goals the way forward?

Waking up on New Years Day with a heavyhangover and after eating loads during themonth of December, everyone wants to feel

lighter and fitter. Especially as were still in


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the middle of the winter, at least in the UK,its dark and cold, and we just feel lethargicfrom too much over-indulgence in food anddrink.Hence, New Years weight loss resolutionsare so common! But do people really wantand consider the whole process that goeswith losing weight?

Before making any resolution, you need toask yourself the question WHY. Your bigWHY is what will make the difference be-tween being successful or unsuccessful.From being part of the 8% or the other 92%.Here is my Four Step Plan to making anyproject, including weight loss, a success and

it doesnt have to be a New Years resolution.

Step 1 Finding your big WHYTake some time to sit down and ask yourselfthe following questions:- Why do you want to lose a certain amountof weight?- What impact does the current situationhave on your life right now?- What has stopped you from achieving your

goal up until now?- What needs to change or what has alreadychanged in order to achieve your goal?- What do you think will happen if you dontaddress your weight or health problem?- How committed are you to making a changeright now?

Those are all questions that go much much

deeper than just setting a SMART goal. Andunless you have strong and valid answers tothose questions, the chances of success are

very low. This, I would say, is Step 1.

Step 2- Setting SMART goalsWork out your goals using the examplesabove as a guide. Creating vision boardsis always a good tool as well, with articles,photographs and other media that appeal to

or resonate with you.

Step 3 - Defining your positive action plan-Your action plan would be a precise andpositive to do list including items like theones below:- I will eat at least one type of vegetable withevery meal- I will drink a large glass of water beforeeach meal- I will go to my exercise session on Mon-days, Wednesdays and Fridays. I will put atimeslot into my diary and treat it as anyother meeting/appointment- I will go for a 30 minute walk on the days Iam not exercising- I will take 20 minutes me time twice aweek, once at the weekend and once during

the week.- I will plan my meals, and shopping in ad-

vance.- I will allow myself one dessert a week andreally enjoy every bite of it.

Those are all the things that you know needto change to make your weight loss or health

journey a successful one.

One major problem with most of us is thatwhen we tackle a New Years resolution, wetry and do everything in one go. And this is

just impossible

So from that action plan list, pick three itemsthat you initially want to focus on. And focuson those three for the next 21 days. Researchhas shown that it takes 21 days of repeatedly

doing something to form a new habit or tobreak an old one.

Once you feel comfortable with those threeitems, or at least one of them, pick anotherone from the list.If you feel the habit isnt quite formed, dontpick another one yet. Keep on focusing onthe original target.


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Step 4- ReviewAlways keep reviewing how things are going.And that doesnt mean hopping on the scalesevery morning.By reviewing I mean that if you are strug-gling with an action item, ask yourself thequestion why. Why do you believe you arestruggling with it and try and find a way towork around the problem. Generally whenwe struggle with something its because itrequires us to do things differently. Thingsthat we havent done before and that are out-side our comfort zone. We might put a bar-rier up and resist the change. And its im-portant to find why were doing that. Oncewe know why, its much easier to overcome

that barrier and make the change a habit.

Weve been doing things in certain ways for

years, so its not a surprise if we find changedifficult. So dont be harsh on yourself. Dontcall yourself a failure. Just try and find thereason why its hard, and find a way roundit. Most importantly, do it the positive way.

I hope this Four Step Plan to a successfulweight loss and health journey will make2015 the year when you will be one of the 8%of successful people!

If you want to make it a success but needsome help, I am offering you a free consul-tation.To claim yours, all you have to do is emailme on [email protected].

http://www.barnetpersonaltrainer.co.uk


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REVIEW

Foodies Festivalby The Editor

The Foodies are a group of food lovers whoset up food events for everyone to come andenjoy, at whatever age. Its a cross between

an amazing market full of stalls selling allmanner of food and drink and street food,and of course there are demonstrations andevents where you can learn how to cook orbake or literally anything and everything todo with food and eating or drinking.Ill be honest - Ive been waiting for agesto get into one of their events, and after somany events in the summer that I missed(so upset!), I finally made it to their Christ-mas show. It was so good. I had set aside

some money so that I could just buy whatev-er I wanted, and I bought so many wonderfulthings - it was heavenly.From cheeses and meats, chillis and sau-sages, rye crackers and cakes, jams and softdrinks to beer and sweets! Oh, and I nearlyforgot a fantastic selection of books.I bought freshly squeezed raw juice andgluten and sugar free nibbles from SweetlySimple, a lovely little company whose ethosis all about wellbeing and nutrition. I abso-lutely loved their raw macaroons they wereso good that one wasnt enough and I had tohave two!. And I bought so much food thatI wanted to take home with me, although Iguess I could have walked around the festi-

val eating a big lump of cheese!After my raw treats I discovered differentflavoured salts from Flavour Magic, whichwere amazing. We all season our food butthis takes seasoning to another level alto-gether. Where you would normally add somesalt to a simple salad, you can add rosemaryor lemon to it just by adding the salt, whichhas been infused with the other flavours. Itsa really interesting concept and product.Then theres the honey beer, and the answerto that particular question is quite simply

WOW. I bought an amazing garlic grat-er that looks like a little plate with specificgrooves moulded into it, with a lovely littlepattern around the edge. You rub the garlic,or ginger if you wish, around the plate andthe grooves just melt the vegetable down toa lovely pulp and juice leaving no waste at all

a simple yet brilliant idea.



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I also got some Wonjo juice ( that I will bereviewing online) and some jams that we arereviewing in a different section of our mag-azine, so dont forget to read up about thosetoo.

When we had had our fill of the indoors weventured out into the street food area for awell earned giant hot dog! The atmospherewas one of enormous fun and we all hada great time. Next time theres a Foodiesevent I will be cancelling any other plans toensure that Im there too. And did I end upgiving the gifts I bought from the festival forChristmas? Did I hell, but nobody noticedthat I ate them as I kept that a secret. Untilnow!

A fantastic day out for the entire family offood lovers!

http://foodiesfestival.com


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REVIEW

Putting the East in Yeast

Beer Brewed in the East Endby Paul Ralhan

Only someone drinking from a ladysshoe can confirm whether or not it al-

tered the taste of the alcohol, or if hissubject was charmed by this 18th cen-tury custom of toasting a ladys beauty.

A slightly more palatable explanation ofwhere the term to toast originates predatesthe shoe-drinking practice by about a centu-ry (what the gentlemen did to woo a lady forthose 100 years is probably best left to history).

A piece of (often spiced) toasted bread wouldbe floated in a communal cup, and passedaround in the name of a person, or event.The host would consume this now soakedbread along with the remaining drops ofliquid, after the loving cup was shared forone round amongst the guests. In moderntimes toasting has changed significantly. Thecommunal spirit however has not. Today weraise our own individual drinking vessels

to honour our subjects. Yet a delicate hintof things toasted underlines the etymology.

Its easy to link pizza to toasted bread, buthow do you go from beer to stone baked piz-za? The solution is not as abstract as it mayseem. First, head into Hackney Wick, EastLondon and make your way down WhitePost Lane. Hop over the bridge, chuck a rightinto Queens Yard, bear right and keep your

mince pies peeled for The White Building,

otherwise known as the Crate Brewery andPizzeria. Bish, bash and indeed, bosh. De-

scribed as a bar in old factory with recycleddecor and its own micro-brewery plus in-

ventive pizzas, it promises to stimulate fourof the five senses and DJ sets. Correction:all five senses. If youre a beer journeyman,and are still dipping your toe to test the wa-ter, Crates Best is a fabulous bitter ale forthose making the transition from commer-cial beer. It certainly is quite easy to decon-struct the beer flavours to compare the tast-ing notes: A classic full-bodied bitter withbiscuity malt and delicate hop flavours.

A nice touch to the label is also the BrewCrew, and Big Nelly, Cal and Jeff have deliv-ered tremendous experience in every dropof Best (the simplicity in the names is effec-tive, and in keeping with the overall theme:to the point). If the weather outside is cold,

you might find its just right for a much dark-er ale, Stout. Big Nelly appears to have gonesolo on this one to produce an unmistakablyblack and velvety stout which boasts toastedcoffee aromas through the nose, leaving yourtaste buds tickled with forest fruit flavours asthe smooth liquid glides down your Gregory.



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Its easy to link pizza to toastedbread, but how do you go from beer

to stone baked pizza?



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Just a stones throw from Crate virtuallyin the same manor - is another hidden gem.Tucked into a cul-de-sac is The Five PointsBrewing Company. Getting you to this mi-cro brewery however, is not the aim; gettingone of head brewer, Greg Hobbs, carefullycrafted beers to your lips is. As it happens,founder and brewery owner Ed Mason is nostranger to delivering beer to thirsty punt-ers. He is also the proprietor of Whitelocks

Ale House (the oldest pub in Leeds) and TheDeramore Arms in York. Despite these veryoop north locations, Ed certainly isnt lostin London. Not only does he live in Hack-ney (as well as co-founder, Gregg), he alsoused to run The Duke of Wellington pub in

nearby Dalston. Hes clearly no stranger tothe locale, and each bottled beer proud-ly displays London Brew on the label.The Five Points Brewery presents three beersto choose from: Hook Island Red, Five PointsPale, and Railway Porter, each available inthree different mediums: bottle, cask or keg.Much goes into developing recipes and thisis proven in the taste, and into sourcing theingredients (mainly hops). Elbowing its wayonto the scene as it windsurfs towards lov-ers of pale ales is Five Points Pale, a fresh,zesty and aromatic Pacific Ale brewed withmalted barley. A little wheat is added, aswell as Amarillo, Centennial and Citra hopsfrom the West Coast of the USA. Five Pointsleads the charge as the British ale traditioncollides head first with the best of the UScraft beer movement and it is this radical

approach to brewing pale ale which resultsin a tremendously drinkable PPA full ofUS hop aroma and flavour. Contrast to thisbeer is provided by Railway Porter with itsEast Kent Goldings hops, brewed to producedistinctly chocolate and coffee sensations,and a taste of toffee gently makes its waythrough the aroma to settle on the tongue.

Make no mistake, a lot of good ale is com-ing out of East London. Pubs may beclosing their doors in alarming num-bers, but the micro breweries are stand-ing strong, toasting their own successes,and we too toast these celebrants (just aslong as you dont pour the King Lear in arhythm n blue to toast them). Cheers!


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REVIEW

Boozeby Andy Tudor


Maybe I just wasnt in the mood. Yeah, thatllbe it. Ill try again tomorrow.

Weve all said that - maybe after a bad game

of poker. Or a lacklustre session at the gym.But probably never when sipping whatshould be a pretty interesting drink thatsright up your street.

Vodka? Well I think personally Ive moved onto darker spirits, but okay! Smirnoff SpecialGold Collection Edition? Interesting! Goldflakes floating in it? Oooh! It has the imme-

diate reaction of - Ill stick it in the freezerand try it later!

But something isnt quite right.

As with some other spirits like Jagermeister, Ikeep my vodka in the freezer - it calms downthe tones of some of the harsher drinks andnegates the need for ice that would other-wise water it down.

Yet as I came to pour a couple of fingers intoa glass, I recoiled in horror that it was plop-ping out like curdled milk - crawling outsome sort of crystal sludge. Erm, okay, thatsnot a good start. Even swirling the glassaround a few times didnt do anything. Stillthough, for a Cinnamon-flavoured drink itwas pleasantly quite delicate.

Taking a sip of the syrupy liquid it certainlydoesnt taste like the rubbing alcohol some

people still associate with vodka though -this a liqueur. Its bold and intense andcinnamonny. I dont know how else to saythis - its unequivocally cinnamonny. And as

the drink started to warm up the aroma gotmore intense and the taste became more ro-bust. Some would say overpowering but lets

just say characteristic for now ;-)

And so we return back to my original state-ment that maybe I wasnt in the mood thatparticular night. There arent many drinksthat turn me away - and that includes a back

portfolio of flaming shots, chilli vodkas, Pe-ruvian fire water, and Blue Nun ;-) But evenafter returning a second night to see if Icould appreciate it more I found this par-ticular tipple is one I would not readily or-der in a bar. The gold flakes are an intriguingdecadence that ultimately is pointless, andeven as an ingredient in an Apple Bite cock-tail I think many connoisseurs would prob-ably prefer something cleaner like a Ketel

One instead.

Final verdict if you like cinnamon and wanta bit of a party conversation piece then thisis a great one to bring out for people to try.

And if you want to make a mean Apple Bitethen this saves the need of finding an alter-native cinnamon source. But as a standalonesipper, it wasnt to this particular reviewers

taste.


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With a heavyweight price of 79.95 in theUK, the old adage that you get what you payfor is certainly true for Bacardis new vod-ka-cognac hybrid Grey Goose VX.

Similar in interest-piquing presentation tothe Smirnoff Gold, the VX (short for Vodka

Exceptionnelle) comes carefully positionedlike a trophy within its elegant blue pack-aging. Close inspection reveals delicateengraving on around the cork and a pleas-ing harmony of transparent and frostedglass that make you feel like youre holdingan item completely fresh and pure before

youve even tasted it.

And my! When you do, its like nothingbefore. Immediately, it tastes extremelylight and pure - coincidentally like somehigh-quality sakes Ive had in the past -but its the hint of cognac (5%) that reallyis a game-changer. If you love your darkerspirits like I do then that instantly-familiartaste mixed with the clarity of the vodka aresomething that immediately makes you takeanother sip.

I honestly cant say a bad thing about this -its clean and exquisite and intriguing all atthe same time. Ideally to be drank with ice(personally Id invest in a silicone ice ball),its a perfect blend of vodka with apricot/citrus notes and a shortbread/raisin cognac.

Is it 79.95 good though? At that premium

price it relegates itself into the very specialoccasion present to only be drank on specialoccasions category. But still, if youve grownout of the fad of flavoured vodkas and wantto get back to something truly unique, thisis the one to invest in.


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FOOD

Lunch

Hazelnut Butter and Jam or

Bananna and Local Honey Sanwiches


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Haloumi, Lunsa and Tomato, or

Tomato, Avocado and Alfalfa Sprout Sandwiches



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Tis the season for ... soup

We probably all grew up on Heinz Cream of Tomato soup and the Campbells soup cans havebecome an iconic cultural reference, but whether you prefer thick and hearty vegetables orthinner Asian styles, soup is an easy meal and a great way of getting a good hit of veggiesand making use of anything that is seasonally cheap or on special offer in the supermarket.

There are different schools of thought when it comes to vegetable soups. Traditionally, onewould sweat the vegetables in butter or oil and this is still my preference, especially if Imusing spices or herbs, and 20 minutes of sweating seems to introduce the flavours grad-ually, making the end result richer. However, Cibares own Gilly B mentioned that simplygently boiling the veggies in stock and adding a spoonful of butter at the end yields muchthe same result with a lower fat content. I generally make single vegetable soups with somesort of spice.

Here are some great recipes to get you started from the Cibare writers.

Introduction by Dorothy Martinez

FOOD

Soup

Leftover Roast Chicken and Noodle soup


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Basic recipe and method for a thickvegetable soup (serves 4-6)

The vegetables listed are suggestions, butthe method is good for pretty much any-thing fruity (i.e. tomatoes or squash) or veg-

gie (leeks and potatoes).

Ingredients

1 medium onion, roughly chopped75g butter700ml vegetable stock700g of any of the following (and some op-tional additions):

Carrot (with a thumb length of ginger to beadded at the sweating stage)Butternut squash or pumpkin (with tbspcumin seeds to be added at the sweatingstage)Broccoli (with 150g stilton to be added at theend)Peas (can be cooked already)Celeriac

Method

Soften onions in oil over medium heat, stir-ring regularly

Add roughly chopped vegetables and the ad-ditional ingredients if desired and stir inTurn down the heat, cover and leave to sweatfor 20 minutes, stirring occasionally

Add 700ml vegetable stock and simmer for

10 minutesRemove from heat and blend using a stickblender or blending jug / liquidiser.If you want the soup to be thinner, add wa-ter at the end of the cooking process or, if

youre in the mood, stir in 300ml of singlecream (or less if you prefer). To lighten it upa bit you could add a large splodge of sourcream and stir it in.

Leftover roast chicken noodle soup

This great use of leftovers was inspired byKaren Nash of Karens Kitchen at St Lukes,but with my own, fierier and undoubted-ly more calorific recipe. If you can get your

hands on some galangal, lemon grass andThai garlic then you are half way to a TomYum soup add some prawns and yourepretty much there; but rest assured that thedish is wonderful with standard ginger andgarlic. This should serve two adults comfort-ably if you need to bump up the quantity abit then just use a few more mushrooms andpeppers and some other veggies if you like.

Ingredients

Ginger to taste (minimum 15g, roughlychopped)Garlic to taste (minimum 3 cloves, roughlychopped)Chilli to taste (I happened to have one fromCibares own Carol Stanley hanging around)1tbsp sesame oil

3tbsp rice wine vinegar2 chicken stock cubesLeftover veggiesCelery (cut into thinish batons)Mushrooms (sliced)Red peppers (thinly sliced)1tbsp olive oil or leftover bacon or sausagefat if you have it.Leftover roast chickenNoodles of your choice

Method

Gently soften the ginger, garlic and chilli inthe sesame oil on a moderate heat, stirringfrequently

Add the rice wine vinegar and continue toheat for a few minutes

Add the stock cubes with about 2 pints of

boiling water and simmer for about 25 min-utes.



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Greek Avgolemono- Chicken, Egg and Lemon Soup

Simple Pea Soup


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Green Vegetable Soup

Mushroom and Wild Mushroom Soup


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Meanwhile, gently fry the leftover and slicedvegetables in the olive oil or bacon/sausagefat until they start to crisp up and soften thenoodles in boiling water.

Arrange veggies, chicken and noodles in thebowls and using a sieve, pour the stock ontop.Garnish if desired with fresh coriander and/or spring onions.

Chicken soup with egg, lemon, rice, carrots& leeks

This is Dani Gavriels take on thetraditional Greek Avgolemono -

chicken, egg & lemon soup.Ingredients:

1 large whole chicken (preferably corn fed ororganic)1/2 cup of uncooked white rice or brown riceSalt and freshly ground black pepper to taste3 free range eggs, beaten2 lemons, juiced

Small handful of freshly chopped parsley1 sliced leek2 peeled & chopped carrotsGround cinnamon

Method:

Place your chicken in a pot large enough tohold the bird and sufficient water to cover it

completely. Cover with the lid and bring toa boil. When boiling, reduce heat to low andsimmer for 1 hour, skimming the fat fromthe top as it collects.

When the chicken is done, transfer to a largebowl set aside to cool.Now add the rice, carrot and leeks and sea-son the broth with salt and pepper. Simmerover low heat for 20 more minutes for whiterice or 30 minutes for brown rice, or until

rice is tender.

Whisk the eggs with the lemon juice in abowl. When the rice is done, turn off theheat. Whisk one ladle full of hot broth intothe eggs slowly so the eggs do not curdle.Gradually whisk in more broth until the eggmixture is heated. Then pour the egg mix-ture back into the pot, whisking briskly. Theresult should be a creamy, cloudy lookingsoup.Check your seasoning and you may want toadd a little more lemon juice at this point.

You may add pieces of chicken to the soupbefore serving, top with fresh parsley and atouch of ground cinnamonOptional:

You can also serve with a warm bread roll or

try adding croutons or sauted pancettaThe soup will last in the fridge for two daysor can be frozen.

The next two soups are from Gilly B and havethe options of being vegan, low fat and dairyfree!

Mushroom and Wild Mushroom

Soup

Ingredients:

500g cup mushrooms (a mixture of whiteand chestnut), roughly chopped30g dried porcini / wild / forest mushrooms200ml boiling water100g roughly chopped onion (ie 1 small tomedium onion)150g sliced leek (ie 2 washed and trimmedleeks)200g peeled and roughly chopped potato (ie1 baking potato)3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped1ltr vegetable stock, plus 500ml of water(chicken stock can also be used)300ml coconut milk (Koko or Alpro) or othermilk of choice

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg



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Salt and freshly ground black pepper to tasteA little single cream (optional)1 tsp of butter (optional)

Method:

Put the dried mushrooms in the boiling wa-ter for about 20 minutes to reconstitute.Drain and reserve the water, ensuring thereis no grit in the mushrooms.

Add all vegetables to a large pot, cover withthe stock, water and mushroom water, sea-son then cook until all ingredients are soft.Blitz the soup with a stick blender or in a liq-uidiser then add the milk to finish. For ex-tra richness, you can also add a teaspoon of

butter once the soup has been blended.Swirl a teaspoon of single cream into eachbowl of soup before serving, if desired.

Green Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

500g sliced courgette

1 sliced Little Gem lettuce150g roughly chopped onion (ie 1 medium tolarge onion)150g sliced leek (ie 2 washed and trimmedleeks)200g peeled and roughly chopped potato (ie1 baking potato)3 chopped celery sticks3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped1.5ltr vegetable stock (chicken stock can beused if preferred)Salt and freshly ground black pepper to tasteHandful of fresh curly or flatleaf parsley1 tsp of butter (optional)

Add all vegetables (excluding the parsley) toa large pot, cover with the stock, season thencook until all ingredients are soft.

Add the parsley then blitz the soup with astick blender or in a liquidiser. For extrarichness, you can also add a teaspoon ofbutter once the soup has been blended.This soup is delicious served with a side or-der of Parmesan Poppy Seed Crisps.

Simple Pea Soup

Ingredients:

One bag of frozen peasWaterSeasoning

Method:

Add the bag of peas to your pan and putenough water into it for the peas to not quitebe covered. Boil and when peas are cookedthrough and hot, blend the water and thepeas. Then just season to taste and add to

your favourite bowl. The perfect simple peasoup.


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Theos Leftover Winter Soup

Ingredients:

1 onion diced1 carrot - peeled and diced

1 clove garlic diced1/2 glass of white wine2 Bay leafsLeftovers - but try to include:- some greens (runner beans, or choppedkale)- some potatoes (chopped roasted pota-toes or throw in a few boiled new potatoes- chopped in half)Stock (vegetable or chicken)

Squeeze of lemonPinch dried chilli flakesSeasoning2-3 tablespoons Yellow Split Pea Hummus(see http://theocooks.com/?p=1407 for rec-ipe) - or just use shop bought if you donthave!

Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Method:Gently fry the onions and carrot until theonions are soft, add the garlic and bay leafsand stir for a minute (dont burn the garlic).

Turn up the heat and add the wine and re-duce by half.Once done, add all your leftovers or if mak-ing from fresh (cooked meat, runner beansanything else to hand)Pour in a couple of pint of chicken stock andbring to a light simmer for 10 mins.

Turn off the heat and spoon in your hummusand mix into the broth. Season and taste,

then add a little squeeze of lemon juice.

Serve in bowls, garnish with some freshparsley, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil anda pinch of chilli flakes.

PICTURECREDITS:TheoMichaels


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FEATURE

Theo Michaelsby Theo Michaels

Chasing Dreams

There are times in your life when you wonder

how you got where you are, how you endedup doing what you do.For me, it was coming home from the familyholiday and sitting in the garden on a sun-ny afternoon in June 2013. Suffering froma bad case of the holiday blues I was men-tally preparing myself for the onslaught ofemails, phone calls, bored meetings (inten-tionally spelt) and I started wondering howthe bloody hell I ended up doing what I do.I dont remember any conversation in schoolwhen, as my fellow leaders-of-tomorrowstated they wanted to be astronauts, balleri-nas, a banker (always one), I said that I want-ed to be a recruitment consultant. How didthat happen?I guess it happens the same way it does formost of us - you meander through life, geta job while you are waiting for NASA to call

and eventually wake up one day doing what-ever it is life threw at you.For many years, my entire life actually,cooking has been my passion, my escape,my own personal catharsis. It was with thisin mind as I sat in the garden on that sunny

June afternoon that I spotted the applicationfor Masterchef and without giving it muchthought but writing from the heart I com-pleted the form, sent it off and then forgotall about it, until...


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About two months later when in the throesof another day running a recruitment busi-ness - managing clients, candidates, salesteams, preparing for more of those boredmeetings - a call came in.

Is that Theo?YesOh great, its Masterchef can we talk?OMG! OMG! OMG!

With a childlike manner of looking like Ineeded to pee (slightly bent, holding mycrotch and pasting a ridiculous grin acrossmy face) I found an empty room. A brief mo-ment of composure, a deep breath, a mo-

ment to stand tall: Yes its me! Its me! Inever did composure very well.I had a 20 minute conversation. I didntknow it then, but it would ultimately changemy life.

Just to appear on the show you have to gothrough a dozen stages during which Mas-terchef whittle down the thousands of appli-cants (rumours are that there are somewherebetween 8000 to 10,000 for each series) to afinal selection of 60 that make the show.Eventually after a few months the final callcame through and Masterchef allowed me tograce the TV screens of millions of unsus-pecting viewers. I loved it. And it was at thatpoint that I knew it would change my life Ifinally knew what I wanted to do when I grewup. I wanted to cook.If youve seen the show youll know how

I did, if you havent seen the show - I wasA-MAZ-ING! OK, I made it to the semi-fi-nals and down to the final 10 contestants. Ididnt win (yes, I am a sore loser) but it gaveme confidence and a hunger for success.

Yes, thats right, not winning really gave mesomething to prove, I was now the underdoghaving to make my own success in the worldof food and I kinda like that, it sounds cool(utter b*l?@ks of course, Id much ratherhave won).

So I made the decision that I eventuallywanted to hang up my suit and start donningan apron, but first I needed to know that Icould make a living from it.That sentence sort of makes it sound easy...well it wasnt. It was exhausting.I have two kids, a wife, a mortgage and Idont have a money tree in the garden. So,while working fulltime during the day, inthe evenings I would cook, photograph andblog. I decided to organise my own popuprestaurant. I had no idea how it would workout but I spent weekends pleading with lo-cal venues, eventually found a place, stuck adate in the diary, designed a menu and thenit all went quiet. The calm before the storm,

the moment you realise that now youve gotto see if anyone will actually come.There is a point when planning only goes sofar, when you stand on the edge of the prec-ipice and just have to close your eyes and

jump off. I jumped.That first jump was at exactly 8.27 on a

Wednesday night when I decided to post amessage online to see if anyone would come- I had 40 seats to fill. In my head I knew itwould be 38 friends and possibly one or twothat pressed the wrong button and ended upwith a ticket.Tickets sold out in 20 minutes, by 8.47 I had afull house. I couldnt believe it, utter shock isthe only description. Then shock gave way topride, then pride gave way to panic FOR-TY GUESTS!! It was nerve wracking, Id nev-er served more than 10 people and never any

paying guests, so what the hell had I done?But like anything I worked my butt off prep-ping for the night, getting the dishes justperfect and it turned out to be a huge suc-cess, with a waiting list that was suddenlygrowing daily. I knew the time had come.It was time to make a move, to decide what Iwas going to do fulltime - chase the dreamand risk unemployment, financial worriesetc or stay put.


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I handed in my notice the next day.Im now fulltime in the world of gastronomyand its wonderful. I mean, lets be clear -every vocation has its ups and downs. WhenIm prepping an eight course taster menufor 40 people at two in the morning the ideaof sitting at a desk sipping coffee and talkingto someone about their career seems quite

appealing. But Im a realist and when mypopup restaurant nights happen I love it.The roar of guests enjoying themselves, theoohs and ahs as my food is served, rave re-

views, some ego feeding (yes, I know...) thereis nothing like it.I started running the popup restaurantsonce a month, with the tickets selling outmore quickly each time. Each night it got

a little better, tweaking the service, hiringstaff, organising suppliers. I was learning atrade, becoming a popup restaurateur. Offthe back of my popups I started getting re-quests for private dining from people thatcouldnt get a table. I loved every minute.

Almost a year on from appearing on Mas-terchef, and my vocation as a popup restau-rateur is going well, its still hard work butIve been lucky enough to do a little more

TV, some radio and spend most of my time

designing new dishes, championing mod-ern Greek food and experimenting with fla-

vours basically, indulging in my passion.And make no mistake without Masterchefgiving me the confidence or the profile, noneof that would probably have been possible.In every success there is a bit of luck, then aton of hard work.

OK, I earn less money now than I did a yearago, it is physically harder and I still havebills to pay. But money was never the reason.If it was, I would have stayed in recruitment.I still moonlight in my suit now and again but dont tell my apron, shes gets very pos-sessive.

As for the future? Who knows... What I doknow is its still only the beginning, Im still

learning my craft and have a long way to goto be the best I can be, but my philosophy issimple. Do something you love, do it withpassion, never compromise and success willcome.Or thats what I keep telling my bank man-ager anyway.

Is that Theo?YesOh great, its Masterchef can we talk?OMG! OMG! OMG!


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asty Raw Food to Help You Detox

and Lose WeightAs well as making you feel Fantastic!by Alison Matthews


At the beginning of a new year our thoughts

often turn towards our health and fitness,maybe deciding to lose weight and go to thegym regularly. Maybe, like me, youve triedevery diet thats ever been written about andall to no avail. The weight just creeps backon and, to make matters worse, you haveless energy and feel deprived. What if youcould lose weight and have more energy too,as well as focussing on what you can eat in a

good way?

Eating raw food can help you to: Have more energy Lose weight Feel less tired Feel less stressed and anxious Have mental clarity Have glowing skin

Improve your digestion

I started my raw food journey because Iwanted to have more energy. I did not ex-pect to lose weight as I had never success-fully shed my extra couple of stone and keptthem off in the past. I was amazed that, atthe end of the first week of a raw detox, I haddropped a dress size! That was over 2 years

ago and I have not put the weight back on,

even when I have been less raw than I like

to be.

Im often asked What is raw food? My quickanswer is Vegan food consisting of vegeta-bles, salad, nuts and seeds. Of course thereare a lot more food groups in a true raw diet,such as fermented food. This may seemdaunting if you follow a traditional westerndiet. There are 100% raw foodies out there

and I admire them for their dedication tothis way of eating. Personally, I dont thinkthat 100% raw is practical, and it is not foreveryone. We all change over the years andneed different nutrients in our diets de-pending on our age, level of activity, stresslevels, seasons, hormonal changes etc andwe need different foods in our diets to helpus during these times.

If 2015 is your year to lose weight and feelfantastic, here are a few simple recipeswhich are quick and easy to prepare and

you wont need any special equipment. Tryreplacing one meal a day with one of theserecipes, drink water and cut down on sugarand avoid alcohol. Its better for us to loseweight slowly and that way we also keep itoff. If you wish to go for it, please talk to me

about a detox programme.

PICTUREC

REDITS:AlisonMatthews


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SMOOTHIES

Smoothies are a great way to get lots of goodnutrition into your body in an easily digest-ible form. Just a word of caution - if you wantto lose weight, dont have too much fruit as

fruit contains high levels of sugar. Smooth-ies are great for breakfast and you can put

your smoothie in a sports bottle and take itto work with you.

Apple and Spinach Smoothie 2 small eating apples (cored)* Large handful of spinach Half an avocado

1 cup of water

teaspoon of spirulina powder (op-tional) Agave syrup or honey to taste (option-al)

Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend.You may wish to add more water if you wantyour smoothie a bit runnier. * if you have ahigh powered or professional blender (suchas Blendtec or Vitamix) you can leave theskin on, otherwise consider peeling the ap-ples.

Variations: Use blueberries instead of ap-ples. Or mango which tastes lovely in thissmoothie but mango is a very sweet fruit soits not so good for weight loss!


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CRUDITES WITH RAW DIP

A nice healthy lunch which you can take towork with you if you wish. It looks attrac-tive, too.

Red Pepper and Tomato Dip 1 red pepper (cored, seeded andchopped) cup sun dried tomatoes cup raw tomatoes (chopped) cup raw tahini 2 cloves garlic 1 tablespoon olive oil Juice of 1 small lemon

Pinch of sea salt 1 teaspoon cumin teaspoon paprika Water if required

Put all the ingredients in a blender and blenduntil smooth. Add water a little at a time if

you need to. This dip will keep in the fridgefor about 3 days.

Guacamole Pesto Dip

1 ripe avocado (stoned) 1 tablespoon olive oil Juice of a lemon 1 clove of garlic 1 cup of basil leaves cup pine nuts Water as required

Blend all the ingredients together, addingwater a little bit at a time until you reach theconsistency you want. Sprinkle with paprikaand some basil leaves to serve.Serve both dips with crudits of your choice carrot sticks, peppers, cucumber, cauli-flower florets, broccoli.

PASTA BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT!

Courgette Pasta with Tomato Sauce

2 cups raw tomatoes (chopped) 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes

1 red pepper (cored, seeded andchopped) 1 spring onion 1-2 tablespoon olive oil 1 cloves of garlic Juice of a lemon Handful of fresh basil leaves 1 Medjool date (stoned) Pinch of sea salt Water as required

1 large courgette Macadamia or cashew nuts

Use a spiralizer to turn your courgette intosomething which looks very like pasta. If youdont have a spiralizer, you could use a grat-er or vegetable peeler to create thin strips ofcourgette pasta.

Put all the other ingredients into a blenderand blend until you create a smooth paste.Put in 1 tablespoon of olive oil to begin withand add the other if you need to. Add waterif your sauce is too thick, a little at a time.Pour your sauce over the courgette pastaand garnish with a few basil leaves.Grate or crush a few macadamia or cashewnuts and sprinkle on top (just like parmesancheese).

Alternatives: You could use the guacamolepasta dip as a sauce for the courgette pasta if

you fancy something more creamy (and a bitmore fattening, Im afraid!)


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never know when you might need it.Magda, London

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green leaves and egg shells too as these willtake many years to compost down. I alsoavoid roots of pernicious weeds such asground elder and bindweed, diseased mate-rial and the seed heads of anything I do notwant to spread throughout the garden.Using green and brown ingredientsPeople are often put off composting at homebecause it all sounds too difficult. But be-lieve me it isnt. All you need is a good mixof green and brown materials and this willprovide the right conditions for nature totake its course and turn your waste materi-als from the kitchen and garden into lovely,friable compost. Green materials includegrass cuttings, weeds, plant trimmings, veg-

etable scraps and fruit peelings (includingcitrus). Brown ingredients are dead or dryplant material, spent compost and torn upor shredded paper and cardboard.

Thats the way to do itIn a small garden it is best to use a liddedcompost bin set on soil not concrete orpaving slabs - and in the sunniest position

you can spare. This keeps the contents tidy,helps to retain heat and allows any excessmoisture to drain off into the soil.Most people are unlikely to have enough ma-terial to fill the bin in one go. If you can thenfine, but if not the same rules apply. Simplyadd brown and green ingredients in rough-ly equally measures (and certainly no morethan two parts green to one part brown),finishing off with a brown layer, ideally an

inch or two of spent compost or shreddedpaper. This is my top tip. In the past Ive hada problem with fruit flies because condensa-tion has caused the top layer of the compostto get too wet. A top layer of brown materialsoaks up the excess moisture and preventsthis unpleasant problem.

With the right balance of green and brownmaterials the composting process will startto take place almost immediately. Check the

bin regularly and you should see the con-tents diminishing significantly as decompo-sition takes place. But if nothing seems to behappening after a few weeks then you mayneed to make some adjustments: If the contents look neither soddennor dry and smell pleasant then nothingis wrong, they just havent reached a highenough temperature for the compostingprocess to begin. You might consider add-ing an activator - either bought in or dilutedurine - but I am always inclined to let naturetake its course and be patient. If the contents look sodden and smellmusty then they are too wet. Add morebrown ingredients and give the heap a good

stir to add more air. If the contents look very dry, water alittle every day, turning as you go to ensureequal coverage, for about a week or until thedryness abates.

With a bit of trial and error and regularmonitoring you will soon know by instinctwhether any action is needed to keep yourcompost bin in prime condition. And within6 to 12 months you will be ready to harvestthe compost and put it to good use.

How can I use my home madecompost?

Assuming that you wont have shed loads ofhomemade compost then you will want touse it wisely. It is not high in nutrients so itcannot be used as a replacement for bought

in multi-purpose compost on its own butit does make an excellent seed and cut-ting medium. Or it can be added to top soiland sharp sand to make potting compostif thats what you need. But the best use ofhomemade compost is as a top dressing forbeds and borders to help improve the soil.Sprinkle it on an inch or two thick and letthe worms do their work. It is pure garden

magic.


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REVIEW

My Secret CafCaf Frescoby The Editor


As I walk towards this little caf situated in avillage just outside Southgate, I see that its

just across the road from a far too big forthis village pub. You walk into a warm at-mosphere in which people of every genera-tion are having cups of tea and cake and bigplates full of jacket potatoes and salads. Theroom is decorated in a beautiful shade ofblue and in the corner by the window thereis a set of shelves where they display and sellthe products of local micro businesses, fo-cussing on one artisan product each month.

This time its local honey sourced from thebee keepers round the corner. The counteris full of home made cakes which are a spe-ciality of the caf. You would most certainlycome here for a delicious afternoon tea: theyhold tea parties here regularly in the sum-mer as they have an adorable little gardenout the back that catches the sun.I sat and looked at the menu and there was

not a chip in sight. Were not that type ofcaf, I heard someone say - they love to eat

healthily. Although you can get a fry up toan extent, they push a much healthier type

of meal that apparently members of the lo-cal slimming club enjoy too. I ordered anomelette that was served with salad and vin-aigrette dressing on the side so that I couldadd what I wanted or not depending on howI felt that day. My tea came with milk on theside and a tiny plate on which to place myspoon. I love these little additions whichmean that I dont have to drink a cup of teathats either too strong or too milky, and if I

dont want lashings of vinaigrette that someplaces drown your food in, I dont have tohave it.

The whole caf has a modern yet vintage feel,and I think its these little details that makeit so special. I took a friend with me andwe both ate a an excellent meal and sat andchatted for a while. The owner came over to

see if we were ok and she chatted with us too- she seemed to know everyone in the vil-


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lage. As people came in, she would welcomethem and ask if they wanted their cup of teaof coffee, whichever seemingly was theirusual. After a lovely lunch it was time to gobut neither of us could leave without tryingsome cake, which we decided to take homerather than eat there, as our lunch was nicelyfilling and I had been so good! It was short-ly before Christmas and the owner (who hadbeen a patisserie chef for many years) hadmade fresh mince pies and Christmas cake.Even though she had everything from choc-olate and fruitcakes to gluten and dairy freecakes, I went for the mince pies.

When we eventually came home with ourcakes that had been lovingly placed in box-

es and packed for us, we decided that nowwas the time to devour them. I think myfirst words were OH MY GOD as I rolled myeyes in delight. The Christmas cake, whichI wasnt allowed even to try, was apparent-ly just as good and hands may have beenslapped in the process of my trying to grab

a crumb. I was told that it was sweet and alittle boozy, and just perfect. More tea wasneeded. My partner came down to find useating (again), snatched up a mince pie andtook a bite. And yes, admittedly I did buymore than one in case he found me. Wherethe bloody hell did you get these? he de-manded. Go and get some more! A call wasmade and an order was placed. A very merryChristmas was had and Ill be totally honest- we didnt share. Well, just with each other!

Caf Fresco is in East Barnet Village, theperfect place for tea and cake as well asbreakfast or lunch any day. For a treat or

just because you can be good, why not. Its

simply a lovely place to visit. And if by somefaint chance you need any more persuasion,theres free wi-fi and free parking too.

Caf Fresco, 11 Church Hill Road, Barnet,EN4 8SYTel: 020 8440 8054


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Te HerbalistCleansing Your Bodyby Jo Farren


Detoxing, bleugh! I hate the phrase and

equally the idea. It went through a bit of atrendy phase in the early noughties and tome conjures up lots of images of nasty look-ing juices and dry bland foods. In truth, itdoesnt need to be that way at all - in fact,our bodies do a fairly good job of keepingus detoxed day to day thanks to our livers.Theres very little need to do a detox apartfrom at those times of year when we haveseriously over indulged, Christmas being

one of those times. There are many schoolsof thought on this whole process, and manyfaddy products and diets available fromcompanies that lure you in with promisesof weight loss along with a harsh cleanse,all involving the purchase of their high costproducts, which I dont endorse in any way.Following the excesses of Christmas, this ismay appear to be a promise which seems

too good to miss! A nutritionist friend ofmine suggests a three day detox diet if youwant to follow that route, which excludesall alcohol, red meat and sugars. No funky

juices, no weird pills, just a fruit and veg-etable diet for three days. Sounds prettyordinary doesnt it, but I think that simpleis often the best solution and much easierto stick to given that it only lasts three days.

As Ive already said, the liver is an amazing

organ. It regenerates like nothing else in

the body, meaning that it can deal very well

with damage and over-indulgence. Thatsnot to say that we should try and damagethis hard working organ! Although thereare chronic conditions that do have an im-pact on its capacity to do this, generally ithas an amazing ability to heal itself. Along-side a diet of fruit and veg you want to beconsidering things that you can do to sup-port the liver and kidneys plenty of wa-ter helps flush out the kidneys and blad-

der and just giving your body a break frombooze, fat and sugar is a benefit in itself!

I spoke about nettle in my last article andthis is another excellent time to use thiswonderful plant. Nettle is great for the kid-neys and bladder, though at this time of yearId be trying to source dried nettle ratherthan fresh. Our lovely native Dandelions are

also a fantastic tool for this: found in abun-dance in the UK this hardy plant is knownas a weed to most. It has many names,the main one Dandelion coming from theFrench dent de lion which means lionsteeth, referring to the shape of the leaves. Itis also called wet-a-bed and wild endive.Dandelion roots, in the form of dried pow-der, tincture or even dandelion coffee arebrilliant for the liver. This bitter extract

helps to stimulate the flow of bile and the

PICTURECREDITS:GaryHume


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As mentioned before, you can buy dandeli-on root coffee which is a great substitute forregular coffee, perfect if you are on a detox

and avoiding caffeine as it not only replacesyour regular drink but has a medicinal effecton the liver so youre getting a double benefit.

I also really like simple remedies like hotwater with ginger and lemon. The lemon

juice helps to stimulate the bowel first thingin the morning and many say that it helpsto kick start their metabolism although thisis debatable your metabolism is work-

ing all the time and in fact a glass of wateris more likely to boost it, or a spice suchas chilli. Ginger has an affinity for diges-tion and many sickness remedies containthis old favourite. If, however, you sufferwith heartburn, I would recommend that

you avoid it, as it can increase stomach acidproduction and exacerbate the symptoms.

For people who have more complex under-

lying medical conditions it may well be thatseeking the help of a professional herbal-ist will be of benefit to you. For those with

chronic conditions, particularly digestivecomplaints, this path may not be for you. Itsalways recommended that you seek profes-sional guidance before undertaking any kindof new diet/detox or lifestyle change, buteven more so if you fall into these categories.Please dont hesitate to get in touch with mefor some help and advice if youre unsure.

So to sum up, avoid faddy detox and weight

loss products - your best tools are waterand the weeds in your garden as well asstore cupboard favourites and fruit and veg.Dont overdo any of it, either the drinkingor the detoxing but do have fun with it!

Wishing you a very happy (and healthy) newyear!

Joanne

PICTURECREDITS:GaryH

ume


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IGilly BsBakery

Find her on Facebook and Twitter!GillyBsBakery

Cakesmadewith Love


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Three Sweet Tips for

Kicking Sugarby Thomas Bisson


Can you imagine sitting down at your kitch-en table and proceeding to eat 34 teaspoons

of sugar in one sitting? Apparently thats notso far-fetched as you may think. Accordingto the Daily Telegraph (2014), the average UKcitizen consumes 34 teaspoons of sugar perday. Thats 238 teaspoons per week! You maythink you fall below these averages, but thesurprising fact is that most of those sugarsare hidden in foods that we dont think aresugary at all.

What would you say is your daily intake ofsugar? Whats the longest you have evergone without it? When trying to eliminatea substance so addictive, you have to take alot more into account than you might previ-ously have thought. When I started my sug-ar free lifestyle six weeks ago, I thought itwould be easy. Unfortunately I found that itwasnt going to be as simple as cutting out

candy and soft drinks. During my first fewweeks of abstaining from sugar I found my-self feeling a little grouchy and low on ener-gy. You may be surprised how much you havecome to rely on that sweet kick, whether itsin your granola bar, a piece of chocolate or

your morning coffee. On my way to work Ithoughtlessly popped a stick of chewinggum into my mouth, and after several min-utes I noticed a boost in my energy, mood

and appreciation of the music on the radio.

Even the smallest sugar boost can entirelychange your mood, much like any other ad-

dictive substance. What I have had to do onthis sugar kick is learn how to wait out themoodiness and the cravings in order to ridmy body of my addiction. It hasnt been easybut Im feeling much better for it. If yourelooking to eliminate sugar from your diet oreven just to decrease your intake, here aremy top tips for surviving the transition.

1. Educate yourself. Its time to startlearning about what is actually going intothe food that you are eating. You will be sur-prised and perhaps horrified at what is foodmanufacturers put into their products, butremember that knowledge is power and it isthe first step to taking full responsibility forwhat you consume in your daily life. Thereare plenty of books, articles, and documen-taries exposing the facts about sugar in thecurrent food market. Study up!

2. Identify why you are kicking the habit.Now that youve done some research aboutthe effects of processed sugar, youll be ableto think about how much of it you want outof your life and WHY. It may be the link to fu-ture health problems, the way it makes youfeel, the lack of nutritional value... Whatever

your reason, you will need it in mind to help


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you resist temptation and stay on track. Trustme, the sugar cravings will kick in at some pointand you will need that personal reason to keep

you motivated. Remember that without a goal,self-discipline is nothing but punishment.

3. Prepare yourself for whats to come. Set-ting a day where you bake treats or cook mealsto see you through the week is a great way tokeep you on track. It will save you from cavingin and indulging when you have pre-made op-tions available. Figure out when it is that yourehaving sugar (in your coffee, after lunch, beforebed) and decide how you can still have thosethings without the sugar. If its a sweet morn-ing coffee that youre used to, try using honeyor agave instead of refined sugar. Swap out yourafternoon candy bar for a banana an orange.Check out Pinterest and DIY blogs for someeasy sugar free dessert recipes. You may evenfind that you soon start to prefer these treatsover your processed, sugary foods of the past.Making your own treats can be fun! My partnerand I went into a sweet shop and had a browse,we each wrote down five varieties that were our

favourites, and then we went home and madethe healthy and sugar free versions of them.Making the goodies yourself is its own versionof sweetness. Preparation also includes prepar-ing yourself emotionally - there will be moodswings and irritability as your body detoxes. Ichose to do the sugar cleanse with my partner.Consider using a buddy system to keep you ontrack. As you move forward on your sugar free

journey, you will be able to identify how best toprepare yourself for the hard times.

Bottom line, cutting or reducing processedsugar may be difficult at times, but your bodyand mind will thank you. Take the right stepsto avoid yo-yo dieting. If you educate yourself,identify your motivations and prepare accord-ingly, youll find your new sugar-free lifestylemuch easier to handle.


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REVIEW

Its all about Teaby The Editor


There is nothing quite like a hot cup of tea,but preferring a non caffeinated cup I tend

to go for the herbal teas after many years ofdrinking fruit teas with no flavour.

For me I love my cuppa in the morning andbefore bed, and in the evening its quite im-portant for me to have something soothingas I need my brain to calm down after a busydays work and running around with thekids. So with that in mind Ive been sam-pling bedtime teas to see how they are formy mind and for my taste buds too.

Pukka Night TimeAny tea that has anything to do with calmingthe mind contains lots of chamomile and Iguess this is no different except that its inno way overpowering. I can happily tastethe lavender but that too very mild and thereis a subtle undertone of licorice that I love

but again, given that it has some very strongflavours, its mild and need I say calming.Im very much enjoying it and I will admitthat Ive been drinking it during the day tooas its quite refreshing. When trying to dotoo many things at the same time I do findthat a cup of tea is a good way to take a breakbut this particular tea naturally calms yourmind too without any naughty caffeine get-ting in the way. A lovely cup of herbal tea.

Baskervilles Rainbow Infusion, 15 TeaClouds

One of my favorite places to go is Basker-villes Tea Room in Palmers Green. I love go-ing there for breakfast as well as for a verynaughty slice of cake, and thats even withthe kids! But the best thing about this place(other than the cake) is their extensive listof teas that you can now buy and take homewith you. Usually at the tearoom you get ateapot with loose leaves, but they have hand-ily put the tealeaves into bags for those of uswho dont have a pot but who love the taste.

This is certainly one of the most beautifulteas that Ive ever seen, and the rainbow tagI assume relates to the colours of the stun-ning herbs and flowers that the tea is madefrom. Its a wonderful red from the rosehipit contains and I can also taste the orangeand the apple over the rosehip: they sweeten

the tea and leave a really nice after taste. Itsnot tart and unlike some fruit teas it doesntneed sugar, its just mild and comforting.

Although I cant taste the rainbow or what Iwould imagine a rainbow tastes like, it is de-licious and I would happily keep this at homefor that something different tea.


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REVIEW

JAMby The Editor


Piddington Apricot & RosemaryJam with a hint of mischief

When you first open the lid, there is an overwhelming smell of rosemary with an underlyingsweetness to it but when you taste the jam both of these flavours are present in equal mea-sure. This delicious confection tastes both fruity and sweet with a fragrant rosemary spike.I tried it alone and also with some strong cheese, which I have to say was just amazing. Ilove chutneys but they frequently have an acidic note. This doesnt and is definitely a won-derful jam. Spread it on toast or on a cheesy scone and you will be in heaven. I would evengive it as a gift as its the perfect addition to a small or large foodie hamper or present.

We all like a little treat and sometimes its as simple and straightforward as something niceon toast. Jam of course is the answer to that craving and why not try something a little dif-ferent. I have found two amazing jams for you to try and enjoy.


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Wild at Heart Elderflower with Crabapple

I love elderflower and that was all I could very happily smell when opening this jar of jam.Its very thick and almost like a jelly but lovely to dig your spoon into. It felt nice in mymouth as its very smooth as well. The tartness of the crabapple is a lovely base for the el-derflower to sink into and it really is just delicious. Again I had some on toast and also on a

sweet scone. Yes I did have it with a sneaky dollop of clotted cream and it was very naughtyand cake heavenly good. But on toast it is a fantastic every day treat too. This jam is fit forany good store cupboard and perfect for any teatime treat.

Piddington (6.00) andWild at Heart (4.25) were foundat the Foodies Festival, but youcan buy both online or at any

great Food event!

www.piddingtonjam.co.uk

www.wildatheartfoods.co.uk


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REVIEW

by The Editor


Borough Market

Foodie heaven in the heart of London iscalled Borough Market. The markets onevery week, almost every day and its fullnot only of amazing foods from the lengthand breadth our great nation, there aresome amazing stalls from Europe too. Ifthe cheese guy from France isnt there I doget a bit upset but there is always wonder-

ful cheese, meat, bread, cakes - you name ityou can buy it from Borough Market and itsalways fresh and delicious.

My favourite stalls are those that sell the dif-ferent kinds of meat, and when I say differ-ent I mean things like ostrich which makesan amazing burger and steaks to die for.Boar burgers are delicious too and not for-

getting those sausages that you just have totake home with you. I dont usually buy myveggies there as I get those locally but a spe-cial loaf of bread, preferably sourdough orrye, always goes down a treat.

I do love visiting those stalls that Ive neverseen before, such as the one where I boughtthe cereal for our breakfast ideas . a greatlittle business working hard to sell us a sim-

ple yet amazing product. I love it!

One of the reasons that I love coming to thismarket and its such a special treat is becauseall the produce is extremely high quality. Iwill admit that some of it is more expensivethan my local shops and market, but I cantalways get my fancy meat there either. Awhile ago I worked quite close to the marketand it was so nice to nip in there and grab

some lunch admittedly on the way to thepub! The street food is fantastic and so var-ied, from kebabs to curries, burgers to bur-ritos, you can find pretty much everythinghere including the often overlooked veganoption too. Its a great place to eat. All inall it truly is one of the great foodie places togo, not just for your shopping but for a thor-oughly enjoyable day out. And when youre

all fooded out, you can nip round the lovelyTate Modern, as its just round the cornerpast the Globe Theatre!

Borough Market, By London Bridge Station,8 Southwark Street, London, SE1 1TLwww.boroughmarket.org.uk


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Where I shop


SHOPPING LOCAL

Sourcing your food locally

by Dorothy Martinez

Given a limitless budget, I would probablyshop organically and locally at all times but I havent been given a limitless budgetand so my key priorities with shopping are

good food at good prices. Some things weget through a lot of coffee, parmesan, ol-ive oil and by buying these things in bulk,we are able to spend a bit more on fancier,higher quality and independently producedfood when we want to. I truly love to wanderthe aisles of a supermarket and can spendhours doing so (I know Im sad), especiallythe world food aisles, and particularly like to

spend time in the many Turkish supermar-kets in our area, which have a huge variety ofthings at great prices. I do use mainstreamsupermarkets, but increasingly less so thesedays.

WholesalersOne of the perks of being part of the barelysane self-employed demographic is havingaccess to wholesalers. We mainly use Costco

and I generally buy the things we use a lotof from there. Its great for cheese; we getour Parmesan, Pecorino, goats cheese andHalloumi from Costco its all a perfectlyacceptable quality and around 7 to 9 for adecent quantity of each that lasts us up to sixweeks (depending on shelf life). If were get-ting through a lot of cooked and cured meatsthen great savings can be made here too.

Also coffee we buy beans and grind there

is a range of origins and roasts, includingsome house blends, produced by Starbucks,all of which are good for everyday drinking.Our coffee bill, which was easily 10 a week,

is now closer to that per month. Finish-in-the-oven bread is also a bargain there andwe often get the Ciabatta and demi-ba-guettes. Its also a fantastic place to get hugeamounts of laundry liquid (or powder) at afraction of the price. We often buy a coupleat once from either Costco or Makro.

Hoo Hing

There seems to be a Hoo Hing supermar-ket and wholesaler at each compass point inLondon and there are others throughout theUK. Generally I stock up on frozen prawnsand lime leaves from here, which are a bar-gain. There is also a good range of Thai currypastes and spices, though do check packetsfor things like MSG and tartrazine if you tryto avoid those things in your diet. Its also agood place for huge bottles of Asian oils and

condiments, rices and fresh fruit and vegfrom the East, from galangal to Asian celeryto the foul smelling durian fruit, if youre soinclined.Dried herbs, spices, grains, beans, pulsesand flours.

Its been a long time since I bought a jar ofoverpriced dried herbs or spices from the

supermarket and the fact that they are still


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so expensive and that anyone buys themcontinues to baffle me. What is more, in mylocal Big Four, 500g of chapatti flour costsaround 2.50, when you can get 2kg of the

stuff for 1.99 at their competitors with abetter World Foods aisle, along with an ex-tensive and very reasonably priced selectionof beans and pulses. With the exception ofsaffron, I almost always use the Rajah or EastEnd ranges, where you often get five times asmuch for half the price, which I then store inold jam jars. While many of these are avail-able in supermarkets, my favourite place to

shop for them is Edmonton Green shoppingcentre market, which has some of the lesscommon products. However, for some of themore specific things (Im recalling my needfor pomegranate powder that arose last

year), it has to be Brick Lane. Herbs (driedand some fresh) are best bought in Turkishsupermarkets as are products like couscous,barley and bulgur wheat. I can also recom-mend the Village Wholefoods Store at For-

ty Hall for organic herbs and spices, grains,beans, pulses and seeds, as well as some ofthe weirder and more wonderful flours andsugars.

Ive recently got into Mexican cooking andhave started to stick my toe in the water ofMiddle Eastern cooking, each of which callfor particular ingredients. For my Mexi-can dried chillies, cinnamon and Mexican

oregano, I generally use Capsicana (mail or-der) who have a great range of dried chilliesfrom Ancho Poblano to Chipotle and pro-duce a range of chilli sauces too. For Mid-

dle Eastern necessities, I have found lots ofgreat things at Steenbergs.co.uk, all at rea-sonable prices.

Fruit and VegYou can buy fruit and veg in your local Turk-ish grocers at a fraction of the price you payin one of the Big Four. At some times of the

year, 5kg tomatoes will cost you a mere 2.99

and a huge box of sultana grapes somethinglike 5. Many offer a 25% discount for fruitand veg if you shop on a Sunday. Again, Ed-monton Green Market has a great stall whichhas a range of Indian vegetables, includingdrumsticks, gourds, and green mangoes, ahuge variety of aubergines, fresh turmericand Jamaican ginger. Its well worth a visitif youre venturing out into the wonderfulworld of vegetarian Indian cookery, though

check that what youre buying is fresh andask if they have any more if its looking a bitdry. Of course, these sellers rarely off

Documents

Cibare Food Magazine Issue Two