Fritz Hansen Swan chair
Want to own a little piece of design history? Then invest in this Fritz Hansen Swan chair, Read more
FOOD: Raw living
Raw food expert Kate Magic Wood on the joys of the uncooked:
You may have heard of raw foods and dismissed it as another fad diet. Perhaps you’ve visited Saf in Shoreditch, the gourmet raw restaurant that’s booked up night after night. Maybe you’ve read about a Hollywood celebrity such as Alicia Silverstone, Woody Harelson or Demi Moore, who all swear by the diet. Or have you tried one of the many raw chocolate bars now stocked in shops like Fresh & Wild, and Wholefoods?
Well, however it is you’ve encountered the raw diet, chances are you have encountered it by now. And if you’ve been thinking it’s not for you, then think again. Did you know that you only need to eat more than 50 % raw in your diet to feel the benefits? Benefits which include increased energy and stamina, greater mental focus and clarity, more emotional balance, and even a heightened sense of spirituality. And chances are, if you’re eating healthily already, you’re eating 30 %-40 % raw anyway.
Raw cuisine is far from boring. Raw-food fans enjoy soups, burgers, Thai, Indian, pasta, pizza, crackers, breads, cakes, cookies, sweets, puddings – everything delicious, and nothing like the stereotype of rabbit food. So why not just try committing to eating over 50% raw for a month? You may never look back.
Top Five Raw Superfoods
Raw chocolate. The cacao bean in its natural form is a powerhouse of minerals and antioxidants. Take away all the unhealthy ingredients you find in conventional chocolate bars and replace with healthy fats and low-glycaemic sweeteners, and bingo! Raw chocolate bars just became the healthiest snack on the block.
Goji berries. These little Chinese berries were the health heroes of 2007. Goodbye Spirulina, farewell Wheatgrass – finally, superfoods that actually taste delicious.
Maca. A Peruvian root vegetable which comes to us in powdered form, this little baby is an adaptogen, which basically means it does it all. A teaspoon of maca in your morning smoothie, cereal, porridge or yoghurt will keep you firing all morning.
Klamath Lake blue-green algae. Available in capsule, tablet, powder or liquid form, this algae grows wild in a lake in Oregon, and just happens to contain every single nutrient the body needs. Wow.
Seaweed. Dulse, wakame, sea spaghetti, nori, arame, hijiiki, whichever floats your boat, just be sure to include some of this mineral rich food in your diet every day.
Raw Magic, Recipes for the Revolution is the world’s first superfood recipe book, published by Rawcreation 2008. Signed copies are available only from www.rawliving.eu.
Peyton and Byrne’s festive biscuits
We love this wonderfully festive Christmas Biscuit Box by quality British baker Peyton and Byrne.
The gift box, £15, includes an assortment of a dozen hand-decorated biscuits, with seasonal designs such as snowmen, stars and Christmas trees – all made using authentic recipes and featuring only the finest ingredients: free-range eggs, organic flour and high-quality butter. Plus they’re all packaged in a lovely vintage-style tin.
Peyton and Byrne at Heal’s
196 Tottenham Court Road W1
(020 7580 3451/www.peytonandbyrne.com)
