Natural Kitchen

Natural Kitchen is one of my favourite places to go for lunch. They have such healthy choices, which all look and taste amazing. Natural Kitchen pride themselves on their fresh, quality and sustainable ingredients. I usually visit the Fetter Lane branch where you can eat in or take away. There is a fresh juice bar, a deli bar and a sit in restaurant menu. I usually go for  the deli salad options. You can have just a mix of salad options, or you can have salad’s with a main.

The salads range from quinoa, sesame vegetables, butternut squash, lentils, chickpeas, Greek salad etc. The mains range from poached salmon, terriyaki salmon, char-grilled chicken, mackerel and many more. They also serve hot mains. You can also grab a fresh juice, coffee and  they sell a range of healthy foods and snacks such as eatloveraw,  ombarchocolate,  bounceballs and a range of Pukka teas

 

I usually go for two salads and a main, and you could quite easily share three salads and a main between two people. I usually go for the quinoa, butternut squash, sesame vegetable salad and poached salmon.

Quinoa is an easy to digest grain. It is a complete source of protein, contains high levels of antioxidants and reduces bad cholesterol

Butternut squash is a healthy carbohydrate. It can help to improve cardiovascular health & digestion. It contains vitamin c, beta carotene, magnesium which help to normalise blood pressure and protect against strokes etc

Sesame seeds are a good source of Vitamin E, which is great for the skin and the nervous system. They are also high in calcium and help to protect the liver from toxic damage! (Good after a Saturday night!)

Pomegranate Seeds, like with lots of fruits the fibre is in all in the seeds!  It is also high in vitamin C& K and promotes a healthy heart.

Salmon is rich is omega 3 fatty acids, which helps to lower blood pressure, bad cholesterol levels. They also protect the eyes and joints and is said to help prevent dementia, by feeding the brain.

All in all a healthy meal with good quality ingredients! It might be more expensive than you are used to (depending on what you get £5.99-8.99) but it tastes delicious and they have a stamping system where after every 6th meal, you get your 7th free.

There are also locations in Marylebone, Baker Street & Trinity Square in Tower Hill. The Tower Hill branch has a Mojito Bar, which I am yet to try!

Hemsley & Hemsley Chia Chai Butternut Breakfast Pudding

SERVES 2–4

This is an overnight breakfast or make-ahead dessert. We’ve infused omega-3-rich chia seeds with our favourite rooibos chai breakfast tea and together they turn the usually savoury butternut squash into a sweet start to the day. Gently heating up the pudding before layering with the Mango Cashew Cream (page 49) is our favourite way to breakfast and warm our bellies in the autumn. This is so yummy that you’ll also fancy it as a cool, creamy dessert.We love it with summer fruits, such as blackberries, grapes, figs, plums or peaches, which are just in season as butternut comes in. In the winter months, try apple chunks, chopped clementines or blood orange.

If you bake the butternut squash the night before, then it’s ready to go in the morning. Don’t forget to chew well in order to get the most goodness out of the tiny chia seeds.

1 large butternut squash (enough to make 400 g cooked butternut squash purée)

2 rooibos chai tea bags or 2 tsp rooibos chai tea leaves

4 tbsp white chia seeds (we used white chia to keep the pudding’s bright orange colour, but black also works – and is cheaper and easier to find too!)

3 tbsp coconut oil

1 tbsp raw honey

OPTIONAL

Coconut Yoghurt (pages 305–306) and goji berries,to serve

1 Preheat the oven to fan 180°C/Gas mark 6 and roast the butternut squash in the oven for 40–50 minutes until cooked through and tender. Scoop out 400 g of the squash flesh and mash well. Any leftover squash can be frozen and used in a soup or smoothie.

2 Add the squash to a saucepan with 350 ml water, the coconut oil and the tea leaves (or the contents of the tea bags, if using). Bring to a medium simmer, then remove from the heat and leave to cool for a few minutes.

3 Stir in the chia seeds, continuously whisking at first to avoid lumps, then add the honey.

4 Leave to sit for at least 20 minutes to an hour for the chia to swell (unless you like it crunchy). Alternatively, transfer to a flask and by the time you get to work, you’ll have a nice warm chia breakfast pudding.

5 Add the Coconut Yoghurt and goji berries, if using, and enjoy.

TO MAKE A CREAMY DESSERT, take a jar or glass and layer up the Chia Chai Butternut Breakfast Pudding with Mango Cashew Cream (page 49) and scatter 2 handfuls of seasonal fruit, such as blackberries, between the layers.Top with more fruit and enjoy.

The Art Of Eating Well by Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley (Ebury Publishing, £25) Photography by Nick Hopper

Hemsley & Hemsley Sesame Chicken Salad with Cucumber Noodles

Today is the release date of the anticipated cookbook from the Hemsley sisters. Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley are food lovers who are passionate about delicious cooking and wellness. The Art of Eating Well is their first cookbook and a definitive healthy eating bible. It’s packed with 150 nourishing and fun recipes that are good for the body and mind, and will make you look and feel amazing.

The Hemsley sisters believe in bringing food back to basics. Their food philosophy developed over ten years is simple: a healthy gut and good digestion leads to a healthy body and mind; that changing the way you eat doesn’t have to involve deprivation, but can be enjoyed every day – whether you are at home, work, with family or friends, or eating out. The Art of Eating Well includes reworked classics all of which are free from grain, gluten, refined sugar, high starch and are alkaline friendly. Throughout the book are user-friendly practical tips and tricks and Jasmine and Melissa’s helpful 12 Golden Rules.

I have been lucky enough to get some preview of some the recipes to share with you guys. The book is released today- so what are you waiting for? Get cooking and order your copy here

Hemsley & Hemsley Sesame Chicken Salad with Cucumber Noodles

A refreshing summer salad with cucumber noodles and Asian flavours. This is the perfect way to use up leftover chicken or serve instead with a little fish or sliced seared beef. We love raw chopped pak choi, but you

can substitute with Chinese-style cabbage or finely shredded English cabbage. Eat this within a few hours as the cucumber will start to get watery or make everything else up in advance and prepare the cucumber

noodles just before serving. If you’re taking this for lunch, pack the chicken first, then arrange all the veg on top so they don’t get squashed, and take your dressing in a separate jar.

FOR THE SALAD

2 tbsp black or white sesame seeds

2 cucumbers

1 small head of romaine or cos lettuce, shredded into ribbons

1 small head of pak choi or 150 g Chinese cabbage, shredded into ribbons

3 spring onions, thinly sliced

a handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

250 g cooked shredded chicken

FOR THE SESAME DRESSING

5 tbsp sesame oil (not toasted) or extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp toasted sesame oil

juice of 1 lime or 3 tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp raw runny honey

1 tsp tamari or sea salt

OPTIONAL

1 finely chopped red chilli, to garnish

NO LEFT OVER CHICKEN?

Roast 2 large chicken thighs at fan 200°C/Gas mark 7 for 25–30 minutes until cooked, then shred quickly with 2 forks to cool the meat quickly

1 Gently toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until fragrant

2 Use a spiralizer or julienne peeler to make the cucumber noodles. Or use a regular vegetable peeler to slice the cucumbers lengthways into wide pappardelle-style ribbons.You might want to cut the long, spiralized strands in half to make them easier to eat.

3 Prepare the dressing by whisking together all the ingredients in a bowl or shaking them together in a jam jar.

4 Add the lettuce, pak choi, spring onion and coriander to a bowl.

5 Pour over the dressing and mix everything together (hands are best).

6 Plate up with some shredded chicken and top with toasted sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

The Art Of Eating Well by Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley (Ebury Publishing, £25) Photography by Nick Hopper

 

 

 

Juice Tonic

Juice Tonic is a juice bar which is based in Soho. It opened at the end of last year, and has been a welcome to London’s juice scene. It offers a range of organic cold pressed juices, smoothies, Exilir smoothies, pharmacy shots, salads, sandwiches and some healthy snacks. I have spoken about my love of cold pressed juices before, but let me just give you a little reminder..

when you cold press  the delicate extraction process results in the nutrients and enzymes of the fruit & vegetables being retained. Some blenders/juicers end up generating heat when the blade breaks down the food, which results in some of the goodness being lost. Cold Pressed juices are often more expensive, than usual juices due to this more gentle process.

Juices are when you extract the juice out of food, and the fibre/pulp is removed. Many claim juices are good for giving the digestive system a break as it does not need to work as hard to break down the food.

Others claim smoothies are better as they contain the fibrous pulp. Smoothies are when the food items are blended and all the fibre remains. Nothing is ‘juiced’, all the ingredients are blended down to form a smooth, fibrous drink.

Exilir smoothies in translation is medicine. Exilir smoothies claim to take nourishment to the next level. They should contain a mixture of nutrients, vitamins and minerals, serving a purpose of healing. Traditionally they are served hot and all have different flavours of tea as a base.

Confused? Don’t worry, they are all good for you and I like to alternate between them all. So back to Juice Tonic, it is based on Winnett Street, in the heart of Soho. It is owned by Marco Proietti, a nutritionalist and health coach, who opened Juice Tonic to help the contribute to the ‘London health revolution’. Each juice is formulated with a specific function in mind. The combinations are not just thrown together, each flavour compliments the other and works with the body. Whether it is to detox, strengthen bones, boost testosterone- Juice Tonic has it sorted.

The shop itself is small, with a few tables and chairs, but generally is a take away place. The staff are so friendly and helpful and there is always a happy and positive vibe. The team are also happy to answer any questions you might have. My favourite is the ‘Clean Green’ cold pressed juice, Which has spinach, kale, cucumber, celery, lemon, ginger, and is made with love!

I also love the energy balls they sell. My favourite is definitely the Spirulina and Hemp Seed protein energy ball! Spirulina is a type of blue-green algae. It is rich in beta carotene and amino acids and can help protect the liver from toxic damage. Hemp seeds are a source of complete protein and fibre, they help lower cholesterol and promote hormonal balance in the body

Prices start from £5.50 – They also offer daily and weekly cleanse packages that can be delivered in Central London. Visit www.juicetonic.com for more information.

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Ottolenghi

Ottolenghi is one of my favourite places to visit for freshly made foods. I have visited the Notting Hill deli many times, and the thing that keeps me coming back is the fresh, bold flavours that are so simple, but just taste amazing. Yatam Ottolenghi is an Israeli born chef, whose style of cooking has been defined as ‘middle eastern flavours with a western twist’. The Western twist is clear from the strong mediterranean flavours in the dishes.

The Notting Hill deli is just off Westbourne Grove, on Ledbury Road. The Deli caters for both eat in (a shared table of 10) and take away. If you go at a busy time it is most likely you will have to queue for a seat. The whole menu is really simple, the salads and mains are on display, so you can see exactly what the dishes are. The tricky part for me was choosing which salads and mains to choose, as they all looked so tempting. Every time I have been to Ottolenghi I have tried something new and I can honestly say ALL the dishes are amazing.

The menu changes daily. You have the choice of three salads (£11.50), four salads (£14.00), two salads with a main (£14.20) or three salads with  a main (£16.70).  Some of my favourite salad options are:

Roasted aubergine with black tahini yoghurt, pickled radish, sesame seeds and herbs.

Roasted sweet potato with lemon yoghurt, endive, chilli, hazelnuts and coriander

Mixed peppers with rose harissa and kalamata olive salsa and parsley

Chargrilled broccoli with chilli and garlic

Some of my favourite mains are:

Grilled salmon with green ginger yoghurt

Seared sesame crusted tuna with pineapple, sesame and sweet chilli salsa

There is also a selection of cakes, sweet treats,  biscuits, pasta and homemade bread. Ottolenghi is one of my favourite healthy places to eat in London, I promise you will love it too.

 There are three deli’s in London, Notting Hill, Belgravia and Islington. There is also a restaurant called Nopi which I will be reviewing about soon, as I have heard great things!

 

 

Nama Foods

Nama Foods is a raw & Vegan restaurant based in Notting Hill. Nama Foods first came on my radar when Vogue editor and Health ambassador Calagary Avansino tweeted about it… so if it is good enough for Vogue I knew I had to go down and check it out!

Nama Foods is situated on Talbot Road, just behind Westbourne Grove. It is a light & bright shop with a few tables and chairs outside. The minute you walk in you immediately see a big board tempting you with amazing cold pressed juices, smoothies & hot drinks. As it is a vegan restaurant  you have the choice of coconut, almond, rice, hemp or soya milk in your coffee or tea.

We started off with a ‘Pearfecto’ cold pressed juice, which contains pear, cinnamon, ginger & maple. Pears are an excellent source of water soluble fibre, and contain high amounts of beta carotene and B vitamins. As pears contain high levels of fructose, glucose and levulose (natural sugars) it was a sweet and refreshing juice, with a kick from the cinnamon and ginger. It is a great metabolism booster before you tuck in to the food.

We also tried Mango Lassi smoothie, which was made up of mango, coconut, hemp, cinnamon, cardamon & fresh almond milk. Mangoes are my favourite fruit! Mangoes are high in beta carotene, vitamin C and are good for boosting the immune system and aiding digestion. This was so creamy and tasty. I would definitely recommend!

However the overall favourite was the Luscious Lucuma smoothie. Which contained lucuma, banana, chia, sunwarrior, coconut, almond milk. Lucuma is an exotic fruit, and is rich in antioxidants, B vitamins and is said to aid fertility. Lucuma is really sweet tasting, so can be used as a natural alternative  to sugar.

Now onto the breakfast menu, we went for the pancakes with ice cream (£7) the pancakes are walnut based and are topped with banana ice cream, which is made by blending frozen bananas, which make a creamy sweet tasting ice-cream texture. It was a great healthy twist on Pancakes. The dish was sprinkled with maple syrup coconut almond crumble and blueberries.

 Next up was the Grawnola (£7.25) which was sprouted buckwheat, seeds, almonds and dried fruits served with fresh fruit and a probiotic cashew yoghurt. The Grawnola was crunchy, chewy and full of flavour. The yoghurt was delicious.

 The final dish we sampled was the  coconut porridge (£7) which is made up of fresh mature coconut, dates, almonds, apples, vanilla and spices topped with cacao nibs, hemp seeds and blueberries. The milk is served on the side, so you can chose how much you want. This dish was really filling, and the crunch of the cacao nibs was nice against the soft textures.

The whole thing was finished off with a ginger zingy shot, which was amazing, and great to finish off your meal, to aid digestion.

I really liked Nama Foods. I am looking forward to coming back and sampling some more delicious juices and I have heard the Thai coconut curry is amazing. The great thing about this place is you can pop by just for a take away juice, or you can sit in and sample the raw and healthy delights from the menu. The staff are so nice and friendly, it is a great addition to the healthy eating scene.

Roots & Bulbs

Roots & Bulbs is a juice bar offering cold pressed juices, smoothies and some healthy snacks. Cold Pressed Juices are the latest ‘must have’ in the health & fitness world. Cold Pressed juices are formed by crushing and then pressing fruit and vegetables to ensure the highest nutrients are extracted. In so many juices and smoothies, often the nutrients are lost or damaged due to the heating methods used (where the spinning blade in a blender or juicer causes friction and heat when it breaks down the food).

Sarah & Laurent Cadji came up with the concept of Roots & Bulbs, as they found that ‘living in London, there was no option to live healthy on the go. We did not want complicated fussy food. We just wanted clean, organic ingredients that were not sold to us with empty promises’. So lucky for us Londoners, Roots & Bulbs was formed.

Roots & Bulbs is based off Marylebone high street, not far from where Russell Bateman conducts his SBC (skinny bitch collective) workouts. Russell is such a fan of Roots & Bulbs he recommends his clients head to Roots & Bulbs for a post workout shake. Have you seen these girls? Trust me you want to be drinking what they drink!

The juices are all hanging in the fridge waiting to be picked. There are two ranges of juices the ‘C range’ are all Carrot based and the ‘G range’ are all cucumber based.

I went for the ‘G1’ cold pressed juice which contained ‘cucumber, celery, spinach, lemon, ginger and spice.’ It was so smooth, clean and delicious. If you want a more sweeter option G2 contains Apple, and G3 Pineappple. They are numbered in order of fructose levels, 1 being the lowest and 3 being the highest.

The smoothies, are also a good healthy option. If you are passing by after a workout then you have the protein packed option of ‘The Boss’ (which contains coconut water, avocado, banana, Cocoa powder, Coconut meat & protein powder)  or the ‘Gym Freak’ (which contains almond milk, banana, maca, peanut butter & protein powder).  Sounds good right?!

Roots & Bulbs also offer a juice plan for £69 per day, providing you with 5 bottles of juices, 2 bottles of almond milk and individual packets of organic nuts.

It’s fair to say Roots & Bulbs is a must visit for any healthy eating lover. I would highly recommend you check it out…

Fueling Fresh at Granger & Co

Famous Australian Chef, Bill Granger, has opened up two London eateries, one in Notting Hill and the latest one has just opened in Clerkenwell. Both restaurants titled  Granger & Co after the main man himself. Bill has a  relaxed approach to cooking and uses fresh and seasonal produce. His Scrambled Eggs & Ricotta Hotcakes has made Bill renowned for his fabulous breakfasts and brunches. I am lucky enough to have visited both locations, and can highly recommend some healthy dishes to fuelfresh on

So lets start with Notting Hill. The cafe is situated on Westbourne Grove, on a  street lined with designer shops and cafe’s. You will know which one is Granger & Co, from the queue outside. At the Notting Hill branch they do not take bookings. So if you go on a Saturday at 11am, you will most likely to be queuing outside. The queue moves pretty quickly, especially if you are in a small group, large groups often have to wait a longer time.

 

 

Once you are inside, it has such a light and buzzy atmosphere, you could get lost in there. You are immediately given a jug of tap water and the drinks come pretty quickly. The menu is laid out nicely and they highlight ‘Bills classics’, the dishes in which he is most famous for.

 

I decided to go for ‘Bills Greens’ to start which is a juice containing green apple, cucumber, silver beet, chia seed and young coconut. I followed this with Soft boiled eggs on St John’s organic sourdough bread and a side of avocado. There are other breads available such as Coconut bread, Rye toast or brioche. I chose Sourdough because it is easier to digest than other breads and it is low GI, so it kept me fueled for hours. Avacado’s are full of beneficial monounsatrated oils which help to lower blood pressure and are a rich source of omega fatty acids, Vitamin K and Fibre. Eggs are also a great source of protein & vitamin D. I like my eggs poached or soft boiled, as they lose their nutritional value when cooked, so the lightly cooked options are always best.

However do  not be fooled into thinking this is just a breakfast/brunch joint. The lunch & dinner options are just as great. The shaved kohlrabi, taramasalata, ground sesame is a refreshingly light dish to start with. Kohlrabi is part of the cabbage family, it is rich in dietary fibre and vitamins, and has zero cholesterol and only 27 calories per 100g

The Coconut chicken with  nashi pear, watercress & avocado salad is also a must try. The flavours are so fresh and clean, I am pretty sure you will love this dish..

The Salmon Salad on the dinner menu is one of my favourites! It is dressed in a coconut caramel dressing with cucumber, green beans and mint. Salmon is rich in omega 3, reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke & Cancer.

The Clerkenwell restaurant takes bookings and is larger in size. The menu offers slightly different dishes from the Notting Hill branch, such as Pizza’s etc. Personally I prefer the location, menu and atmosphere of the Notting Hill branch, however it is great to have the option of both. Please email sophie@grangerandco for bookings at The Clerkenwell restaurant.