Voila

Wellbeing

September always feels like a new chapter, the opportunity to do and create. And having the opportunity to be out in the somerset hills walking my dog while the morning sun warms the earth has felt like a privilege and I feel a sense of smugness that I'm here and nature is showing me all her glory. Ask me this in 2 months time when Im walking the dog in the cold and rain I might feel differently but for now I'm embrassing this feeling.

Take a read of Lucinda's October article and spicy up your meals with some Cauliflower in her delicuous stew this month.

October

"It may seem unbelievable that September is already over, but even with the glorious Indian Summer we’ve had over the past week, the early mornings definitely have the chill of Autumn about them and the sun is giving us less and less of his time each day. Whilst it’s always sad to say goodbye to summer, I look forward to the cooler months, the soft, rich colours, thick jumpers and warm earthy foods bringing with them a deep sense of comfort and peace. I try to respect the fact that my body wants to slow down, to take things at a calmer pace, and that my energy levels may need a little extra help to match up to the hot enthusiasm of summer. With this in mind I tentatively utter that ubiquitous word of the 20-teens, ‘superfood’.

The superfood list is ever expanding, covering a wide range of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and beans. Even more so nowadays, it seems to be comprised of a vast array of different coloured powders that we can add to our smoothies/ soups/ porridges and even baking. Acid green matcha powder contends with the dark pond-weed colour of spirulina and chlorella, the deep magenta of acai complements and off-sets the rich darkness of raw cacoa, and bags of pale sand sit next to each other on the shelves – maca, lucuma, baobab – all of them offering us the secret to eternal youth, glowing skin and a list of anti-oxidants as long as your arm.

Now I am by no means adverse to a little extra boost in my juice – maca adds a delicious malty flavour to creamy shakes and a cup of match can (on some days) give me a greener substitute for my much-loved cup of coffee – and I am sure that they supplement my diet in a positive way. But the problem is we tend to pile them all in at once. What with the craze for liquid meals in the form of green juices and smoothies, its all too easy to shove a spoonful of everything ‘healthy’ we have in the cupboard into the mix and I’m not at all sure how much of these high-protein, fat-consuming, anti-oxidinating miracle workers our bodies can really utilise. Indeed, the jury is definitely still out on whether or not they have an affect and there are all sorts of other factors to consider such as the miles travelled by said magic powders to reach us in the first place. A large number on the list seem to come from South America, and there have been accusations of the current trend for all things superfood to be depleting supplies and creating un-ethical production methods in their countries of origin.

So what to do? Instead of spending your whole pay-cheque on stocking your cupboard full of the latest imported powdered craze, try looking closer to home and perhaps investing in one or two powders that have stood the test of time, are ethically produced and you like the taste of (I personally don’t care how good spirulina is for me, it tastes like duck weed and smells like my old fish-tank). This month I have included one of my go-to suppers for when I want something warming and comforting that packs an equally strong nutritional punch. The star of the show? The humble cauliflower, and not blitzed into replica cous-cous or baked into faux-pizza, but simply roasted and topping a ludicrously easy and rich bean stew. "

recipe