The Nectar is serving...

The Nectar is an Organic, vegetarian cafe on the edge of Norwich, serving fresh juices, smoothies, herbal tea blends, healthy cakes, handmade chocolates, lunches and snacks. The food we make is inspired by nature.. whole, beautiful and colouful! We source as much local and seasonal produce as possible, and choose fair trade when we have to use imported goods. Most of the produce we use comes from our local community supported agriculture scheme, Norwich farmshare, which we support by subscribing to a box of lovely organically grown vegetables every week to use in our fresh juices, salads and soups. We like to volunteer every now and then and get our hands into the soil our food is grown in! Being connected to where our food comes from is very important to us, and we like to get involved in as much of the process as possible, by getting to know our growers and growing some it ourselves! We have our own fresh herb window boxes outside, and grow our own edible flowers for decoration. Food is about pleasuring all of the sences, and we love to make our food look as good as it tastes!

We make all of our own cakes, treats and chocolates, using all organic, raw, dairy free, gluten free and sugar free ingredients. This means that not only they delicious and beautiful, but evrythjing that goes into them is good for you and the planet! We make rich chocolate tarts using raw cacao, seasonal fruit 'cheese' cakes using cashews to make a creamy cheese and flavoured with deeply colourful berries and fruits. Our flapjacks and energy balls are packed full of high energy nuts, seeds, dried fruits and spices. If you've never tasted raw chocolate before, you're in for a treat! We handmake them in small batches using raw cacao, low GI sweetners like coconut sugar or local borage honey, and hand mould them into gorgous artisan chocolates filled with nut-butter ganache, juicy fruits or subtle natural flavours. We use our own chocolate in our mugs of  real hot-chocolate, melted down with fresh almond milk and warming spices. Our menu is always changing to reflect the seasons, keeping us in touch with nature and feeding us with it's bountiful harvest.

The Nectar is the creation of years of passion of health and nutrition, from childhood days of gathering berries and making concoctions in the kitchen, followed by years of travels in Australia where Jo, the owner of the nectar was introduced to Living foods. She was given a job running a farmers market stall selling raw cakes, chocolates, crackers and salads, then later helping to run workshops teaching the art of raw food preparation. On her return to the UK, she continued eating a high-raw diet, but wanted to use more locally grown produce and combine her love of raw-food cuisine with a local, seasonal and ethical edge. She keeps the nutritional content of all the food as high as possible, whilst making it look beautiful, adapting her recipes to the seasons and making everything with joy and a passion for delicious nutritious food. 

Most of the food we serve is raw, vegan and gluten free, though we also serve organic cows milk and cheese for drinks and sandwiches. We get our bread for our wholesome sandwiches from the artisan bakery two minutes up the road. We also make soups in the colder months, made with seasonal organic veg and warming spices. We stock locally produced cordials, preserves, honey and oil, as well as packaging our own crackers, granola, nut butters and gluten-free flours. As well as being a cafe, we also run regular workshops in living food, so you can come and learn how to make your own healthy raw recipes! See our events page for upcoming dates.

We have spent alot of time making sure the food we serve is of the highest quality and good for you and the planet! We care about where our food comes from, the way it's grown and how we produce the food we make you. That's why we choose organic, local small scale growers and fair trade, so that we show our support for others doing their bit for mother earth.

Menu

Juices: We love juice! All of our juices are freshly made to order using our gentle juicer, giving you the highest nutrient-juce possible. 

Simply: Carrot

            Apple

            Orange

Sweet beets: Carrot, beetroot, apple (+ginger)

Flu-fighter: Orange, lemon, apple, ginger, echinacea

Go-go green :  Cucumber, celery, spinach/kale, lemon, apple (+avocado)

Jazzy apple: Apple, fennel

Cool-fire: Pear, ginger, cucumber

SOLE Juice: Seasonal, Organic, Local, Ethical juice of the day.. see our specials

Smoothies: All of our smoothies are made with fresh juice and fruit.

Green dream: Banana, apple juice, greens, hempseeds

Berry Power: Banana, apple juice, berries, hempseeds

Avo-mint: Avocado, apple juice, peppermint

Thickshakes: All of our Thickshakes are made with either our homemade organic almond milk or organic cow milk

Creamy chocolate: Almond/cow milk, banana, dates, hempseeds, raw cacao powder

Creamy banana: Almond/cow milk, banana, dates, hempseeds

Berry creamy: Almond/cow milk, banana, dates, berries, hempseeds

Chai shake: Almond/cow milk, banana, dates, chai-spices.

Hedgerow cordials: Our handmade cordials are made using vitimin-rich seasonal fruits. Served either still, sparkling or hot. See our seasonal flavours of the month.

Teas

We Love tea! We have an extensive range of organic herbal teas, fresh herbal teas and blend our own ‘speciali-teas’ using herbs and spices to suit your mood. All served by the pot for 1 or 2

Normali-tea – Black tea served with our home-made almond milk or organic cows milk

Simplici-teas – Straight up: Green tea, Rooibos, peppermint, chamomile, nettle, liquorice, spearmint, rosehip, fennel, yarrow, lemon-verbena or ginger

Puri-tea: fennel, aniseed, cardamom, liquorice, peppermint

Digestivi-tea: liquorice, cardamom, fennel, peppermint, ginger, black pepper

Vitali-tea: peppermint, black tea, spearmint, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, green tea, black pepper, clove

Immuni-tea: Nettle, spearmint, rose-hip, goji-berries

Chocola-tea: Cacao nibs, cinnamon, liquorice, carob, cardamom, ginger, cloves, black pepper

The Nectar Chai: Homemade spicy chai, with or without black tea and made with either our won almond milk or organic cows milk

‘Real’ hot chocolate: Our signature drink! Thick creamy hot chocolate, made our own raw chocolate, traditional spices and either almond milk or cows milk. Can be made with chilli on request!

Hot lemon & honey: for when you need warming and sweetnening on the inside. Add a touch of chilli to banish the winter blues!

Coffee

Our coffee is organic and fair trade, and we use aeropress and pour over methods to extract the higherst flavours from our speciality coffees. Our coffees are specialy selected for their flavours and aromas, so are best enjoyed black, though please ask for your choice of milk.

Food

Rainbow salad bowl:

Organic salad leaves, grated root vegetables, our homemade sauerkraut, sprouted mungbeans, tomato, avocado, tamari-seeds and a tahini-ginger dressing.

Can be served with our home made raw flaxseed crackers or bread

Living-pizza:

Gluten-free buckwheat pizza base with raw cashew ‘cheese’ sundried tomato sauce and fresh seasonal veg topping and sprouted seeds.

Wholesome sarnies:

Homemade pesto, avocado and tomato

Homemade hummus and grated root veg

Raw cashew ‘cheese’/organic cheese and chutney

Dipping plate:

Homemade raw cashew ‘cheese’, homemade pesto and hummus serves with our raw flaxseed crackers

Bread and Moroccan spice dip:

Artisan bread, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and homemade ‘dukkah’ (morrocan spices)

‘All-day breakfast’ Granola:

Sprouted buckwheat, fresh fruit, raisins, hempseeds, our almond milk or organic cows milk, honey.

Toast and spreads:

Choose from homemade cashew ‘cheese’, local preserves, honey, miso, handmade raw chocolate spread, nut-butter.

Warm-grain bowl:

Warm buckwheat/quinoa served with creamy pesto, fresh herbs, seasonal vegetables and tamai-seeds.

Seasonal specials:

From warm winter soup to summery sushi-rolls. Check out our specials inspired by nature!

Cakes and desserts:

We make all our own cakes daily! All are gluten, dairy, sugar free and raw.

Rich-raw chocolate pie (nut free)

Carrot cake

Seasonal fruit cashew ‘cheese’ cake

Raw-chocolate fudge

Handmade raw chocolates

Go-go balls

Flapjax

The Nectar is Open!!

Hello from The Nectar Cafe. Having being loosely involved in Transition Norwich for a while now, I was interested in the Low Carbon Cookbook group and getting involved in the meetings to discuss some of my favourite topics.. seasonal abundant goodies, and what goes with that; eating them!

The August 'Kitchen conversations' meeting and feast was held at my new little cafe on the corner of Onley street, just off the Unthank Road on the outskirts of Norwich. Here we are sourcing the most local, organically grown produce as possible, by collecting a large share from the Norwich FarmShare, travelling no more than six miles from field to shop, The rest comes from local allotments, Hughes Organics or my own garden! At the moment, I am getting three different types of lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, fennel and kale from Farmshare to use in the salads and juices. I am growing lots of nasturtiums, other edible flowers such as calendula and buckwheat in my own garden, plus piles of bright red Spartan apples and delicious raspberries!

From the local allotments I am topping up with pears, beetroot, spinach and radishes, some of which is fairly traded in tea and cake! Low carbon cooking is not only about choosing organic, local and seasonal ingredients, but also the way we produce our foods and transport them, so arriving by bicycle in exchange for healthy treats seems to follow the ethics well. At the cafe, we also have the ultimate low carbon smoothie maker; the bicycle powered blender! You can literally pedal your own smoothie outside. Simply choose your fruit, pop it in the jug, jump on and pedal away until your smoothie is blended! It actually isn't as hard as it sounds, and is a sight to behold, riding an old fashioned bicycle with a blender attached on the corner of the street. It has had lots of outing recently too, visiting the Harlequin Fair, Postwick fete and a local school. Where will it travel to next?!

Another Low carbon cookbook favourite which makes a daily feature on The Nectar menu is cabbage sauerkraut, made from pounding enzyme-rich cabbage with fennel seeds until it's juices release enough to let it ferment in its own juices, and make a tangy, naturally preserved vegetable. Delicious in salads and sarnies. Our bread is baked two minutes up the road using organic flour, and we make our own gluten free crackers out of sprouted flax and buckwheat.

Every day we have a SOLE juice; the Seasonal, Organic, Local Ethical juice of the day. Last week it was fennel and apple. So yummy and aniseedy! Tomorrow it will be cucumber, pear and kale, using farmshare and allotment delights. Kale is the king of leafy greens, super high in iron. Tonight my dehydrator is full of kale-chips as I have been demonstrating in my 'Autumn Harvest' workshop at the cafe, and will be serving them up this weekend at the cafe alongside our regular salads, sandwiches, snacks and cakes. Do pop in sometime for some lovely organic lunch, check out the extensive herbal tea menu or pick up some locally made seasonal produce.

Oh and keep your eyes out for all the amazing foods growing this month! I am being lucky enough to be given lots of Puffball mushrooms this week, and have been out foraging for rosehips, wild raspberries and blackberries. The squashes at the moment are the highlight of the growing season! My first soup made with Red Kuri was just what I needed to warm the colder evenings. Today is the Autumn Equinox so we shall be moving into shorter days and longer nights as of this weekend. Let's all eat lots of warm squash soups, crumbles and embrace the darker evenings with the abundant sweet produce right now. Enjoy the Autumn harvests!

The Nectar Cafe is at 16 Onley Street. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10-5

Harlequin Fair!

It was the first outing for the bicycle blender (Splender) at our local festival, the Harlequin fair. We foraged for blackberries in the hedgerows before helping little legs onto the bike to power up their own smoothies!! We had children queuing and coming back for more!!

Some children could hardly reach the peddal but still managed to pt enough power in to get a super smooth smoothie. Other big-kids legs were too long!!.....

We evn rode the bicycle around the festival rounding up buisness for the smoothie sessions. Heres Leilai riding around blending berry smoothies on-the-go!!

Berry good!!

We ill be at the Greenpeace fair with the blender on the 4th September; the day after The Nectar opens!! Come and pedal your own smoothie at the cafe or at the fair this weekend. As of the 3rd September, the cafe will be open Tuesday-Saturday, 10-5. Full menu and pictures coming up!!

The Nectar!!

So I am about to reveal to you why I have been so quiet here in blog-land lately.. I have been a very very busy bee shop-fitting, planning, creating my own little cafe and workshop space!! Eeeep!! I know.. very very exciting (and scary at times but thats all part of the creative process of making big things grow!!)

The space is what used to be 'Amity Point' cafe on Onley street off Unthank road in Norwich. I had been doing my monthly raw food workshops there last year before I went off to Australia for the winter, and when I came back I had already decide that I wanted to propose to the owners of the cafe that I wanted to help them out in pushing it forwards as more of a hub for raw, organic veggie wholefoods. What I actually came back to, was them to tell me that they were leaving the business and moving out.. which was the moment my heart leapt and said; 'This is your chance!!'

Since then, I have been in the process of taking over the lease which took a while, and then I had the keys to an empty shop, naked and ready to turn into my own little room of foodie joy. Now I will confess, things have not gone totally smoothly! My lack of knowledge in shop fitting, plumbing, electrics, carpentry..Ok so they're not my thing! I have made some mistakes along the way and have had to deal with managing my stress levels when things have got tricky and dealing with different trades men! I have been soo lucky to have lots of amazing help from friends and family to get big jobs done, like laying flooring, re-plumbing and wiring and making benches, and I am happy to say that we are making good progress! I have been trying hard to keep myself immersed in the creative parts of the process, and the most fun parts so far have involved deciding on a name, recruiting amazing friends to be a part of the project and coming up with yummy recipes!

So you want to know what the shop is called?!....' The Nectar' : )

1. (n.) nectar
the saccharine secretion of a plant, which attracts the insects or

birds that pollinate the flower.

2. nectar
the juice of a fruit, esp. when not diluted, or a blend of fruit juices.
3. nectar
(in Greek myth) the life-giving drink of the gods.

4. nectarany delicious drink.

I love it!! Perfect name for a unique cafe in Norwich. Since doing my workshops and talking to lots of people into vegetarian and raw foods, It comes up time and time again how there are hardly any good veggie places to eat in Norwich. So now is my time to make that space. With the help of some amazing friends, we will be serving up fresh juices, smoothies, herbal teas, real-hot chocolate, chai, super salads, raw cakes, chocolates, gluten free sprouted breads and crackers and cleansing soups. I want to support local growers and proders as much as possible, so I am collecting a large share from the Norwich Farmshare, which is growing an abundance of organic vegetables on the edge of the city. I will also get produce from Hughes organics, have bio-dynamic herbs in the herb planter from orchard end organics, take surplus produce from the local allotments and grow as much as I can in my own garden too! All of the ingredients used in my cakes and chocolates will be organic from rainbow wholefoods and detoxyourworld for imported superfoods. I'm even off on an advanced raw-chocolate making course this weekend to take my chocolate skills to the next level!

My most exciting part of the shop so far is my custom-made 'blender-bike' made by my amazing friend Willie. We used it outside the shop yesterd

ay to whizz up some banana and coconut smoothies while we worked. We will be using this as a mobile cafe/promotion/festival bike!! I love it. I will upload a video of us making delicious smoothies on it soon.. for now, here's some snaps.....

Leilai peddling up banana and coconut smoothies outside the shop!!

More pics to be revealed soon : ) We are aiming to by open by late August, and will be at the Harlequin Fair and Subud fair next month too. I'll be keeping you posted with more updates as they unfold! I'm off on my on my journey to the chocolate class now, so I'll let you know all about it on my return : ) x

Fermentation experimentation!!

I have turned my kitchen into a bubbling brewing culture club! I have on the go, Kombucha, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchee and ginger beer : ) Kombucha is a fungus which feeds on a sugary black tea solution and digests the sugar to become full of beneficial bacterias and probiotic microorganisms. It is also full of a range of organic acids like glucuronic acid, gluconic acid, lactic acid, acetic acid, butyric acid, malic acid and usnic acid; vitamins, particularly B vitamins and vitamin C; as well as amino acids and enzymes. It is literally a super drink! It originates from China, although it is apparently widely consumed in eastern Europe and Russia where they are said to have very low rates of cancers, especially stomach and conditions related to high blood pressure. It is used for treatment in a huge range of disorders, from cancers and matabolic problems, to AIDS, artheritis, candida, MS, kidney, stomach and bowl disorders and wounds and ulcers. It is also great for the skin, taken both inside and externally. Not only does kombucha give us all of these amazing benefits, it tastes amazing too! Now, I have had many people tell me that they have had bad experiences with it, and that it tastes like sour gone off cider.. It did seem to become a fad in the 90's and I remember my mum brewing it herself and I thought she was totally nuts! It defiantly looks funny; the fungus is like a rubbery whish pancake which to some is just really weird! You can certainly over-ferment it, which makes for a very funky strong medicine! But given the right culturing time, the right conditions and a 'second ferment', which means adding some sweet and flavoursome ingredients once the fungus has been removed to add fizz, taste and sweetness, then it should become a delicious drink, which makes me feel like I'm enjoying a soft-drink without all the sugar and artificial ingredients and feeding my body nourishing live nutrition! I'll be doing a workshop on fermentation soon : )

Here are some pics of my brews!

Finished Kombucha which has had a second ferment with Goji berries and sliced ginger. It was fermented for two weeks in a dark place, ( I don't have anywhere really warm which means I have to leave it quite a while to digest the sugar) and strained and sealed with the berries for another 6 days. This adds the fizz and flavour of sweet ginger cider...

Everytime I brew a batch, I get a new baby fungus : ) My kombucha family is gradually multiplying!

Here is another amazing fermented food. Lactic-acid fermented vegetables such as cabbage in sauerkraut has been made for centuries as a way of preserving using the vegetables natural bacteria in its juices. Not only are fermented veggies far tastier than pickled cooked ones, they are extremely good for you and you can get super creative with the herbs and spices you add. Each batch is totally different!
The same natural microorganisms that create lactic acid in our colons are found naturally in cabbage, and these increase dramatically when we start a fermenting process. The harmful bacteria cannot survive in these conditions, meaning we are increasing our colonies of good bacteria by eating sauerkraut and other fermented foods, and these fight off the harmful bacteria, caused by poor diets, stress and medications such as antibiotics.
Sauerkraut is super easy to make, is a brilliant way of preserving cabbage and other vegetables, and allows us to eat living food all year round. It tastes great on its own, but I love to use it as a base for salads, mixing it with sea vegetables such as dulse and nori, adding freshly grated roots, and adding a dressing of tahini or avocado. It is traditionally a German dish, served in hot-dogs! Maybe try it with some raw burgers or sausage mix..
You can add any hard vegetables into your kraut: beetroot, carrot, squash, turnip, onions. Apples also work great with cabbage, although I did this once and it smelt very much like cider! Try also adding ginger, garlic, juniper berries, fennel seeds, caraway, dill seeds, celery seeds, cumin, chillis… be creative and come up with your own variations. I love to mix red and white cabbage for a ‘pink’ kraut, and add fennel seeds for a mild tangy mix, leaving it for about a week to ferment. The longer you leave your kraut, the stronger it becomes, so taste it every few days to see how you prefer. Fermenting is an art; you will discover what your tastes are and your own ways of doing it, but here is a brief description of the method:
Sauerkraut
1 large white cabbage (or half each of red and white cabbage
1-2 tbsp sea salt

Firstly, remove the outer leaves from the cabbage and set aside. I like to grate my cabbage using the food processor, as it releases more juices, but you can finely slice it by hand or grate using a hand grater if you like. Put the grated cabbage into a big bowl, and sprinkle with salt, mixing well with your hands. Add any other spices or seeds at this stage.
Using a strong implement, (rolling pin, vitamix plunger, clean baseball bat!) start to bash the cabbage to bruise the skin and release the juices. I find it best to do this on the floor, using my body weight to push down on the mixture. Take your time with this. It’s a workout! You need to keep going until the juices come above the cabbage when you push it down. Don’t be tempted to rush this part.. it’s crucial to the success of your kraut!
When you are happy with the amount of juice coming from your cabbage, pack it into your sterile container of choice. A large round pot or jar works well. You need something which you can fit something smaller inside to weigh the kraut down. Pack the cabbage in tight, pushing it down so that the juices rise up above the cabbage, then place the outer leaves ontop, covering it all and up the edges. Place your weight ontop of the leaves, the cover everything with a clean towel.
Check your kraut every day, making sure that the cabbage is not exposed to air, and the juices are staying above the cabbage. The juice should increase as time goes on. Taste it after 3 days; it should taste mildly tangy. If so, you can eat it then, or carry on fermenting it for a week for a good kraut. You can keep it going even longer if you wish, or if you are brave! Once ready, transfer into sterile jars and keep in the fridge to stop the fermenting process.

Batches of Sauerkraut. These ones are a mixture of red and white cabbage, with caraway and fennel seeds. I added one capsule of probiotics too to add extra good bacteria and perhaps speed up the culture time. I still left these to ferment for 8 days, which turned out a strong but pleasant kraut, with lovely aniseedy flavours with the cabbage

Grated cabbage ready to add salt and pound to release juices which will keep all the yummy bacterias out of air contact and good to breed

I've also been making lots of Elderflower cordial, using organic sugar which I don't usually use but the essence of elderflowers is such a beautiful delicate taste at this time of year and a lovely present and drink to share with friends. I simple mix 20 heads of elderflowers with 1.2 litres of boiling water, 1.5 kgs sugar, 2 tsp citric acid and 1 sliced lemon and orange. I then leave this in a big bowl for 5 days, stirring every day then strain into sterilised bottles. Its delicious with sparkling water! With all this kombucha and fizzy elderflower, i feel like I'm drinking the best healthy 'soft drinks' every day! Get experimenting with your own cultures.. its so easy and interesting and makes you get such abundance seeing the growth of your cultures as they grow and multiply! I've also been growing wheatgrass again. Its so easy but I only get success during the summer when its warm enough to germinate the seeds. I have been loving adding the grass to my other juices to make more yummy drinks. My favs are wheatgrass, apple and fennel, cucumber, celery and carrot and simply wheatgrass and watermelon which I used to love drinking in Australia when I got amazing local melons. I might have to treat myself to one soon!

I first came across wheatgrass shots at a festival when I was quite young, and remember thinking that it looked like the foulest thing I’d ever seen! Years later, trying it for the first time, I think I gulped it down thinking it would be like a gross medicine, but was actually quite shocked at the sweet rich taste it had, and felt it giving me instant energy, like an espresso but without the jittery anxious feeling! I now grow wheatgrass regularly, and although it takes time and patience, it is well worth having a fresh superfood growing right on your windowsill. Wheatgrass shots are really expensive, as is dried wheatgrass which wouldn’t have the same vitality of freshly juiced grass from your own hands. Wheatberries used for growing wheatgrass are cheap, and you will get many trays of fresh grass form just a kilo of grain.
Wheatgrass contains 70% chlorophyll, which is like the blood of plants, having almost the same molecule structure of human blood cells. It is considered a complete food, containing all amino acids and vast quantities of vitamins and minerals. Amazingly, one pound of wheatgrass is the equivalent of 23 pounds of fresh green vegetables!

Here are some of the many health benefits wheatgrass has…* Aids in the prevention of and fight against infections and improves the body's ability to heal wounds.* Helps remove heavy metals from the body.* Absorbs 92 out of the known 102 minerals from the soil.* Helps with skin problems such as eczema or psoriasis.* Chlorophyll in wheatgrass helps improve blood sugar disorders.* Helps eliminate body odours.* The high magnesium content in chlorophyll builds enzymes that restore the sex hormones.* Helps prevent tooth decay.* Chlorophyll in wheatgrass helps purify the liver.* Arrests the growth of unfriendly bacteria.* Is an energiser for body and mind.* Great for constipation and keeping the bowels open.* Is non-allergenic.* Aids in the prevention and fight against cancer.

6 days from planting to this....

Something this good has to be drunk out of a wine glass : )

Cutting of a handful of grass to add to other fresh juices. Once cut, the grass will grow up again and can be used a second time

Wheatgrass and apple juice

Added to a green smoothie: 1 handful of wheatgrass juiced, blended with 1 banana, 1/2 cup apple juice, 1/2 cup water, a big handful of spinach leaves and a spoonful of beepollen and hempseeds. This will keep you buzzing all day!

x x x x x x x

Summers here!!!

Well it seems that the sun hasn't stopped shining since my return home from Australia. I have been blessed to have it follow me back round the earth to shine on these bright days lately. The rain situation is getting quite scary though.. I have been watering desperatly to keep my salads, tomatoes, cucumbers, squashes and beans alive, while the herbs and fruit continue to flourish despite the dry times. I do wish for some liquid sunshine soon.. All this hot weather is lovely but it does seem unbalanced and missing something without the grounding energy of the rain. I 've been enjoying the changes happening in the garden and out in Norfolk all spring though, and had a wee trip up to Scotland to plant trees for trees for life which I plan to do annualy. This was my second year and i find it such a nourishing experince to spend time in pristine nature surrounded by big mountains and lakes with like minded folk. Here are a few pics of my spring so far...

Forget me not's.. how could i?

Crab apples; Old and new

Dainty Daffs

Apple Blossom!!

I found these edible-looking mushrooms and picked them to look them up.. they happened to be St georges mushrooms as they come out on st georges day.. and it was! Thay were delicious.. really hearty and juicy

Raw-'creme-eggs' in the making.. white cacao shell with vanilla, cashew cream 'white' and dried mango 'yolk'. Gosh these were Amazing, well worth the day of prep they took!!

My raw 'creme eggy'

Morning showers in Plodda falls on Trees for life. Best way to start the day!

A feast shared under the trees at a womens circle.. food, friends, fire and full moon : )

Big GREEN juices again!! Oh yeah, my body now wants juice!! Cucumber, celerry, lemon, spinach, nettles, mint, parsley, carrot, spirulina and bee pollen. Ho yes!

Polly and I about to take the wild flowers workshop at the Fairy Fair, the annual nature festival run by the wonderful Fairyland trust

Jessie and I cooling off in an amazing natural swimming pool, made by our friend and Permaculture enthusiast David

Playing in the natural swimming pool with the boys and the pond newts : )

The natural swimming pool.. Pond plants keep the water clean.. good enough to drink actually as found out in a recent water test! Soooo much nicer than a crowded chlorinated pool anyday! I want one!

Australian Adventures!

It's been soooo long since I last posted.. Time to get back into it! This time last year I was a busy bee just starting off my buisness teaching raw foods workshops. Since then I have taught lots of classes, catered for some wonderful yoga days, made special cakes for friends including my dearest friends wedding, started a collection of monthly workshops focusing on local seasonal produce and been traveling in Australia for three months, working at some of the amazing raw food places on the east coast where I have worked in the past, and exploring more of my beloved Tasmania, this time by bike! It was an incredible trip once again.. full of inspiration, learning, amazing fresh live foods and adventures. I feasted on coconuts collected by my crazy tree climbing mate, picked fresh papayas from gardens and foraged on so much stone fruit and berries around Tasmania! The end of my trip was spent at an amazing herb farm in the highlands of northern Tasmania where I learned to make herbal preperations, natural soaps, sourdough bread and more about medicanal herbs. I traded my knowledege of raw foods and made them lots of crackers, chocolate and cakes to expand there broad repetoir of food and use up some of their abundnat fruit! I am truely grateful to have such an amazing family to stay with on the other side of the world who take me and so many other travelers in to share skills, good food, their beautiful untouched land and wildlife and so much wisdom and openness. I hold a special place in my heart for Liffey valley and hope I will get back there one day!

Here are a few pics form my trip, starting off on the east coast around the Gold coast and Byron Bay:

The lovely kandy at 'From Earth and Water' where I worked in Burleigh Heads. Amazing 100% raw food cafe

The evening of Summer solstice looking out from the back garden of the house I was staying at. My friend Matt kayaked out to soem dolphins who where playing right out infront of us.. he couldn't wait for me so I ended up swimming way out to see them! Incredible sunset, Huge full moon, Beautiful people, drumming, food, music and massage : )

Me working at Threeworlds organic Vegan cafe on the Gold coast, serving up some handmade artisan flatbreads, mexican chilli, guacamole, cashew sour 'cream' and salsa. Heaven!

The cake fridge at Threeworlds organic cafe. I made the Chai-pumpkin Pie and mango cheezecake! So much fresh local organic produce to play with.. avos and coconuts galore!

Some of amazing chef Cynthia's creations.. Blueberry ands white chocolate slice and carrot cake with lemon cashew icing. So beautifully presented, and the woman has so much to share! I feel very grateful to have worked here with such talented foodies

I spent Christmas and new year on the east coast of Australia, working in two raw/vegan cafes and making yummy food with my friends over there who I have met through working there over the past few years. The houses I stayed in where all kitted out with juicers, blenders and organic gardens, so I felt very at home! After New year, I flew to Tasmania where I was volunteering at a Folk festival, where I met lots of great people who were cycling, kayaking and wwoofing around the beautiful little island. It inspired me to do what I've always wanted to do.. travel and tour by bicycle, so after the festival I hired a good bike and gear from Hobart and set off with a girl I met up the eats coast. We were camping along the way, stopping off for swims in the ocean, foraging heaps of the abundant stone fruits and berries and sleeping under the stars at the most beautiful spots. Very simple living but full of nature, wildlife and feeling connected to everything. I found the days on the road so fullfilling and gave me such clarity. The feeling of my body being worked as it should.. waking up feeling refreshed after long deep sleeps, feeling truely hungry at every meal, and the physical work of cycling for 6 hours a day and carrying all the posesions I needed on me was an amazing experience, and something I want to do again! I promised myself that I would do more cycle touring back here in the UK, so I must make sure I hld space to do this while the british summer lasts!

Maria Island National Park.. This curios flower is called 'Pig face'.. its edible and sooooo tasty! When the flower is over it leaves juicy salty fleshy bright pink fruits behind, like a sea-dragon fruit!

One of many camp-feast with the two girls I cycled with for a few days.. Freshly foraged samphire and Mussles, with beetroot, black beans and curried veg delights!


Me on my bicycle : ) Ontop of the world up the east coast of Tassie. Amazing veiws all the way! Hot, knackered and elated!

My sea-weed wraps : ) I gahtered this dulse and sea-lettuce in the Bay of Fires in the North of the eats coast. Amazing salty mineral goodness that tastes incredible with avo and toms in wraps! My fav beach lunch!

Jo and I about to cycle off to the tasmanian circus festival together.. three days of the most amazing circus acts from all over Oz and beyond.. Did hula workshops, street dance, yoga, all in beautiful untouched forests of Golconda with local organic homemade produce and pedal powered smoothies! Thats my kinda festival!

My amazing cycle ended up leading me to the organic herb farm in the highlands of Northen Tasmania, trading skills and sharing my days with the beautiful family who hae created this amazing place within 650 acres of untouched forests. Myself and up to 8 other 'wwoof'ers helped in the gardens, cultivated the herbs, helped in the natural drying process, packeaged teas, made traditional sourdough breads, preserves, soaps, balms and enjoyed the inspiring surroundings of the valley. We were living amongst lots of wildlife; walabees, possoms, tasmanian devils, platapus and so many different birds. There was fresh spring water that we drank every day, spectacular waterfalls, forsets to get lost in, cliffs to climb and a sauna to sweat it all out at the end of the day with a freezing cold dam to jump in inbeteween! I was able to share my knowledge of raw foods with the family and make them raw chocolates, crackers, fruit leathers and sauerkraut which they loved and were very excited about adding into their diets. I am so grateful to have been given such wisdom from the family and around the herbs. I am growing some of the hebs at home in my garden now, and hope to start blending my own herbal tea blends soon! Here are a few pics of the farm:

Working in the herb feilds.. calendula hoeing! Happy days : )

Spreading the red clover onto the drying racks, which are then hung in sheds kept warm with wood stoves over a few weeks. All so slow and wholesome

Echinacea!

Twin Marigold flowers : )

Thats just a taster of some of my adventures in the kand down under! You can find more on my facebook page here

More news of new adventures to come soon!! Happy summer : ) Enjoy the lovely elderflowers, spring greens and asparagus Mmmmm!!