FOOD FOR THOUGT
Interviews, recipes, reviews, ways to save money? All of that and more!
Come on in
A LETTER FROM... THE EDITOR I consider it to be a great possibility that food makes the world go round. Just take a moment to think about it. Do you see it now? Our lives revolve around the stuff. When we go on holiday the first thing we search for is the local food market. We always make sure we have time for lunch even during our busy modern day schedules. And brunch is considered an important event in the twenty first century- and it’s truly wonderful. Food brings us together; Christmas dinners, birthday cake, summer BBQ’s, it plays such a big part of our lives and it’s great! Whilst looking through this magazine, I hope that my readers can appreciate the things they have and the sheer availability of the food around them. Not everyone is so lucky. So, call up all your friends and all your family and invite them round for a feast! Throw a BBQ, get everyone together and eat lots of wonderful food! Appreciate what you have and make sure you enjoy the finer food in life! The Editor Jessica Dobson
CONTENTS 1 Veganism 2 Superfoods 3 Food on a budget 4 Cake Cake Cake 5 Tips for the perfect cake 6 Seasonal foods 7 Riverford review 8 Things you can do with chocolate
CONRIBUTORS Jessica Dobson
Alison Crust
Editor Features
HAVE YOU TRIED...
VEGANISM
We all seem to be constantly looking for ways to change our diets. Trying crazy fads and crash diets that promise to turn your body into the one that you’ve always wished for. But look, its 2017, and I’m calling time on fad diets. How about instead of improving of diets to look good, we change our lifestyles to improve our health and happiness. It’s time we started working on our mental health rather than focusing on our appearances. Our lifestyle change can however, be focused around food. I would like to suggest- veganism! Ok so you don’t have to jump straight in and change everything, because it’s a big commitment. However there are small changes we can all make to ease ourselves in. Try making one small change a week.
Breakfast Pancakes!
You heard right. Pancakes are just as good, and dare I say it, maybe even better when they are made vegan, by substituting cow’s milk with soy milk. Pancakes are great because you can put your own spin on the classic by adding any topping that you desire. Breakfast in the most important meal of the day, so make as many as you like, this recipe should make between 6-8 pancakes.
Dinner Falafel
These burgers are served with pitta bread instead of bread rolls which make them less calorific and far more interesting. The falafel filling provides a tasty, yet healthy meal which will keep you full for the rest of the night.
Here’s what you’re going to need for this delicious dish: Flour
Sugar Soy milk Baking powder Salt (just a pinch) Vegetable oil Here’s what you need to do to create your masterpiece: Turn on the hob to a medium heat.
Garlic Clove (Just the one) Parsley (A handful) Cumin (A teaspoon) Coriander (A teaspoon) Chilli powder (Half a teaspoon) Plain flour (2 tablespoons) Sunflower oil (2 tablespoons) Small red onion (Just the one) Toasted pitta bread Here’s what you need to do:
Here’s what you’re going to need: Ensure the chickpeas are dry by Chickpeas, rinsed and drained (A patting them gently with kitchen paper can or 400g)
Mix all the dry ingredients together – this includes flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Once they’re mixed. Add the soy milk and the vegetable oil and mix them all together until smooth. Pour some of the mixture into a pan, enough for one pancake. When it starts to bubble, flip it. Repeat and enjoy!
Put everything except the bread into a blender and blend! Then roll the mix into burger shapes and put in the frying pan for 3 minutes each side. Simple as that!
Lunch
Sweet potato fries with avocado dip This is a great idea for a smaller meal like lunch. This whole recipe is so healthy and it’s also vegan so it’s win win! Sweet potatoes count as one of your five a day and are a great substitute for normal potatoes if you are looking for a carb swap. Sweet potato fries are SO easy to make and the avocado dip is the perfect match for them. Here’s what you’re going to need: A sweet potato (If you are making them for just yourself, then one sweet potato will be just fine. Just add a potato for each person you are making for. (Eg 4 people, 4 potatoes) Salt (Just a pinch) Pepper (Also just a pinch) Paprika (Two teaspoons) Olive oil (One tablespoons) Avocado (Just half of one) Greek Yoghurt- there are many varieties of plant based (vegan) yoghurts. Try Alpro (3 tablespoons) Juice of a lime (Just half of one) Here’s what you need to do: Sweet potato fries: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C Peel the potatoes and cut into fries, they should ideally be about half an inch wide. However, you can cut them as thick or as thin as you would like. Put the fries in a bowl with the oil until they are evenly covered. Add the salt, pepper and paprika so that the fries are evenly seasoned. Put the fries on a baking tray. Try and lay them side by side rather than overlapping them as they will cook faster and more evenly. Cook for 25 mins or until gold and crispy. Avocado dip: Either put the avocado, yoghurt and the lime juice in a bowl and mash them together with a fork until combined, Or, put them in a blender for minute or so to create a smoother dip.
SUPERFOODS Superfoods. The Beyoncé’s of the food world. Worshipped by celebrities and food fanatics for their ability to completely transform our health, right all our wrongs and extend all our lives by ten years. There have been endless amounts of experiments and tests to see if these foods really work. So, while scientists are working out if they really work or not, it seems better for all of us that we assume they do. Especially when we found out that chocolate was on the list! Here’s your guide to the best so called ‘superfoods’ out there right now, where you can find them and how they can benefit your health. First up we’ve got the blueberry. This tiny fruit should not be underestimated for it is thought that it could hold the secret to lower blood pressure which means a lower risk of a heart attack. They are full of vitamin K and C, fibre and other antioxidants which all fight to keep us healthy, which is what we all need! You can get punnets of blueberries from all the major supermarkets averaging at about £2 per punnet. You can also get them at your local veg shop for a slightly higher price, but remember local is best! Next up are goji berries. Slightly harder to get hold of than the common blueberry, goji berries are small, red berries that have been used in Chinese medicine for years. They have been proven to boost the immune system and brain activity- helping you be more productive in the workplace. That’s not all though, they also help to protect against heart disease and cancer and can improve life expectancy. You can get 75g of goji berries for £2.99 from Holland and Barrett, perfect for sprinkling on cereal, salads or just as a snack.
Dark chocolate! See, I told you it was coming. Believe it or not dark chocolate has been recognized as a superfood after studies showed that the Kuna Indians of Panama drank cocoa as their main drink- the studies also showed that as a result, they had low blood pressure which in return, lowers the risk of heart disease and strokes. Cocoa; the stuff that chocolate is made from, is a good source of iron, magnesium and zinc and can protect against some cancer and stress! Who knew. Green, leafy vegetables have been credited for their health benefits, and broccoli is no exception. It has been known to reduce the risk of some cancers, reduce blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and diabetes thanks to it containing both vitamins C and A, calcium, fibre and other antioxidants, similar to blueberries! Broccoli is a great side for so many so it can be incorporated into your diet quite easily. From 45p, you can get broccoli and any local supermarket. Garlic is incorporated in so many meals. Next time you eat out count how many meals
include garlic and I bet you’ll be shocked. But fear not, garlic is no longer associated with vampires, haven’t you heard? It’s been upgraded to a superfood! It’s ability to reduce blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, cholesterol, prevent some cancers and even help the common cold, makes it more than deserving to be on the superfood list. Garlic can be found in the vegetable aisle of the supermarket and won’t make even the smallest of a dent in your wallet. What are you waiting for? Go and get some before everyone catches on!
EATING OUT ON A BUDGET Living on a budget can be tough let’s be honest, but there’s only so many meals that can be made using pasta before you lose your mind. If you are desperate to eat out but are having to watch your bank balance, there are things you can do. Here are 5 ways to eat out on a budget…
1. Take food home Whatever food you don’t eat, take home. In most places, wrapping up food to take home is acceptable, and usually encouraged to avoid waste. You might not feel like eating the rest now, but tomorrow afternoon when you want a snack and don’t have to dish out more money, or spend hours over the hob- you’ll be thankful.
2. Student discount If you are a student you could be saving a lot on meals out. Being a student means you are eligible for an NUS card which offers money off loads of restaurants. 40% off pizza express anyone? If you don’t have a card then be sure to download the UniDays app, which also has great deals that you can redeem at restaurants such as Bills, which offers breakfast, lunch and dinnerthat’s discount off every meal of the day! What are you waiting for?
3. Visit buffets often All you can eat buffets are your best friend if you have a tight budget. Paying a set price and eating as much as you like means you can well and truly get your money’s worth. Go at lunch time so you can fill yourself up for the rest of the day.
4. Look out for deals Restaurants are offering deals all the time so keep an eye out. Places like Las Iguanas and Turtle Bay often offer 2-4-1 cocktails which is great news if you want a cheap night out. Some restaurants have a newsletter which offers coupons and vouchers every now and then so make sure you sign up to get all the best deals. There are some places that offer Loyalty cards which reward you just for eating and drinking- what more could you want?
5. Kids meals Ordering from the kids menu means you get a nutritious meal for a much cheaper price. Some places offer half portion meals if you don’t fancy a kids meal- just ask to see what’s available because everywhere is different.
Everyone has a sweet tooth, right? But imagine if your entire career was focused around one of the most popular dessert dishes; cake! For fifty year-old Alison Crust, it is...
CakeCakeCake I find Alison in my kitchen, we
happen to share the same kitchen because she is my mother! Having someone in the family who bakes is great and it’s time to share with the world the hard work and effort that goes into the job. On this cold autumnal evening, my mother has been baking for eight hours and is currently working on a blue, two tiered vanilla cake for an eighteenth birthday later this month. As she rolls out icing, I ask her about her life as a baker. Alison has made a business out of baking and is very well known in her local town of Dawlish. The business, CraftyCrusty, was created 2 years ago and has been doing well ever since opening. However, although to many, making cakes for a living may seem like a dream job, it was not always
what Alison wanted to do. “As a way to relax I just tried lots of different hobbies and fell into cake making.” A range of products are made at CraftyCrusty’s, including, cupcakes, cake pops, biscuits and cookies. But it turns out that cake is the popular choice, with the most popular item being birthday cakes.
“It has its ups & downs” Just like any other business, “it has its ups and downs,” but with Christmas just around the corner there is lots of preparation going on for the flurry of orders received for the festive season and the house is currently filled with chocolate decorations and icing moulds
ready to be used next month. So what does a typical day for a baker include? “A lot of cleaning! One day might just be making cake and the next day might just be icing cakes,” a long with tonnes of paperwork and keeping up to health and safety standards, there is a lot more work to the job than one might think. With all the work involved there must be an end goal, and for Alison it’s to build slowly and get to a high standard, “and becoming the primary cake maker in Dawlish.” She laughs as she picks up another slab of icing ready to roll out. I better leave her to it then! You can find Alison on twitter, Instagram and Facebook if you wish to make an order or just to see what more she has to offer. |
You can find Alison on social media! Make sure you give her a follow and check out what she’s selling!
@craftycrusty
@craftycrusty
@craftycrustycakes
Alison Crust
Tips for baking the perfect cake! Written by Alison Crust
Tip 1! DO NOT open the oven door once the cake is in. Have patience, wait for the timer to go off! Trust me.
Tip 2! If you want an evenly cooked cake then make sure you put it smack bang in the middle of the oven. This means all the cake will get equal heat and will make for a much higher quality cake.
Tip 3! Read the recipe properly! This may sound obvious but all it takes is one mistake, whether it be the wrong measurement for an inďż˝ gredient or leaving the cake in too long. Just double check the recipe and make sure you have read it right.
Tip 4! Use the best ingredients you can. Put simply, the better the inďż˝ gredients, the better the cake. Even if you have to spend a little more, it will so be worth it in the end.
Tip 5! The more frosting you put on your cake, the better. This one needs no explanation. Just make sure you top your cake with all your favourite things to make it the best it can be.
Seasonal food Winter There’s nothing like a huge hot chocolate to warm you up during the cold winter months. Try adding whipped cream and marshmallows for a special treat! Quite honestly, the more toppings the better!
Autumn Obviously, the best part of autumn is Halloween! And the best part of Halloween is the pumpkins! The things you can do with pumpkins are endless! Pumpkin pie, pumpkin soup, pumpkin cake- believe it or not. But, of course, if you’re not planning to eat them, the best thing you can do with pumpkins is to carve them into creepy faces ready for the best night of autumn!
Spring Spring is a beautiful time of the year and is also the season that gives us Easter! Easter food is the best food! I mean, Easter eggs, come on! More importantly, hot cross buns which are perfect to eat for all meals of the day- if you try hard enough.
Summer Summer is the perfect time for lounging in the sun, getting a tan, and of course, ice cream. Make sure your freezer is stocked up at ALL TIMES! To add a healthy twist, add fruit; berries and bananas work great to make for a delicious summer snack.
RIVERFORD Live life on the veg!
liver fresh fruit and veg directly to your door for you to transform into delicious meals. The idea for a delivery service came from Guy Watson after he delivered vegetables locally to some of his friends. Riverford now send out around 47,000 boxes per week around the UK. All the boxes are filled to the brim with seasonal foods straight Introducing Riverford. It’s been from the farm itself; there is a around for years now and if you’ve choice of veg, fruit, meat and salad not heard of it then you have been and you can choose small, medimissing a treat. Riverford is a farm um, large or bumper- presumably based in Devon that works to pro- based on how hungry you are at vide customers with high quality the time of ordering! Box prices products grown and produced on range from £11 to £40 and they the farm. They have open events are worth every penny. They often that allow the public to see their come with leaflets explaining how work and be a part of the farm. to prepare your 100% organic food and the best ways to serve it. What sets them apart from the hundreds of other farms around If you have ever visited Riverford Devon is their veg box delivery you will know that they also have service. They provide a weekly a restaurant. or monthly service depending on how often you want to receive I went in October 2016 and this is their products, in which they de what happened…
REVIEW...
Imagine a food delivery service that provided healthy, yet tasty food and set you up with the ingre dients you need to create tasty, wholesome meals. Well, I hate to break it to you but you’ve been well and truly missing out.
After a short walk from the car park to the restaurant down a dirt track, you are greeted by a happy waitress who takes your name and shows you to the table. There are roughly six tables which each seat eight people; if you are a party of two then you will be seated with another group to fill the table. There is also seating outside for the summer months. We were a group of seven so we got a table to ourselves as we would in any other restaurant. The restaurant is quite clearly on a farm which gives it a homely vibe and a good atmosphere, it is decorated with bunches of flowers which hang from the wall, most of the chairs are different from one another and are either wood or metal which gives it a rustic feel. The food however, is not served in a traditional way. You are given empty plates and a basket of bread with oil is put in the middle of
your table that you can When they are ready to serve help yourself to before the dessert, they take you up to the main course. dessert counter one table at a time where all the desserts are laid out The main course is more in front of you. The dessert chefs of a feast than a meal. then take you through each one You are served more and explain what it is and how vegetables than it has been cooked. The choice you even knew existed, all in is enough to send even the most various colours with different cool-headed people into meltdressings and sides. All the food down, so you can imagine the is spread out on the table in bowls relief when they tell us that we can that you help yourself to, which have more than one! That’s right, allows you to fill your plate to the you can have not only one of these brim. This way of eating means magnificent desserts- but two! On none is wasted because you only top of that you can smother it in put on your plate what you are cream or custard if you wish. going to eat. Before the bowls are served, the waitress/waiter exWhen you have finally decided on plains what is in season and how what you want, they serve it up for it is served so you know all the you and you carry it back to your details of what you are about to table like you used to do at school eat. The best thing about the food (just with 100x times better food). at Riverford is that it is all organic Once you are seated, the next table and all so healthy. You can eat as gets to go up and go through the much as you like with the comfort same wonderful process that you of knowing that the freshly grown have just been through. food on your plate is good for you! The dream! The restaurant They give you the bill after a slight and the meals themselves are a wait due to no one being able to brilliant advert to show that vege- move thanks to the fact they’ve tables can be really filling and can be cooked in such a way that tastes good, and makes you want to eat them every day!
REVIEW...
When you have finished your meal, and think you can’t eat another bite- they hit you with dessert! And let me tell you, they are some of the best desserts that I have ever tasted.
just eaten their own body weight in the most amazing food. That short walk back to the car feels like a trek but honestly, it was totally worth it. A common theme with Riverford is that everything you receive from them is totally
worth every penny. The restaurant is £23.50 per person, which is incredible for the amount of food you receive at the quality it is served at. Trust me, you need to get yourself down to the Riverford restaurant right now! They only have two restaurants in the UK at the moment; one on their farm in Buckfastleigh in Devon and one in the heart of London. You have to make a booking to be able to eat at the restaurants due to popular demand, and to enable the chefs to plan enough food for the amount of people. Instead of going to your usual favourite food establishment, try something new! Try Riverford! They also have toys on a blanket in the corner of the restaurant so that chidren can play inbetween meals, making it perfect for the whole family and any occasion! My overall thoughts about Riverford are that I love it! From the décor, to the food, there is no faulting it and I wish it was more well known, especially around the Devon area where it originated from. If you want to take a trip to the farm then check out their website for open days and events and to find out more information on the things they have to offer. Live life on the veg!
Things you can do with...
CHOCOLATE
Melt it! Melt chocolate over fruit, popcorn, biscuits or granola if you want a healthier option. You can also use melted chocolate as decoration- be creative!
Bake it! Bake chocolate in brownies, cookie bars and molten lava cakes. The more chocolate, the better!
Drink it! Milkshakes go down a treat in the summer months and you can add ANYTHING to them and it will only make it better! Hot chocolate in the winter months with whipped cream and marshmallows, erm yes please.
GOODBYE