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