Chocolate Chunk Banana Pancakes with Hazelnuts & Maple Syrup

AROUND THE TABLE – WITH –GIOVANNA FLETCHER

MY MENTAL HEALTH JOURNEY

I’ve become more aware of my own mental health over the last few years but there have definitely been times throughout my teens and early twenties where it took a dip, so it did affect me at a much younger age than I realised at the time. Some of that was circumstantial; I was badly bullied as a kid and my way of dealing with that was to walk around the school field, making little stories up in my head and sometimes acting them out or singing. So, in a strange way, I feel like I wouldn’t be doing what I am now if that hadn’t happened.

HAPPY MUM, HAPPY BABY

For the last few years, my main focus has been on maternal mental health; a massive driving force behind my podcast (Happy Mum, Happy Baby) is the fact that the leading cause of death in new mums within the first year is suicide. That’s why we do what we do, because we know that so many people feel like they’re alone in experiencing those difficult feelings. Sometimes people come up to me and say that a particular episode has helped them or they really identified with something we talked about. Often it’s quite emotional, which makes me realise how impactful it is to have those conversations out there, from the mundane to the very serious like postpartum psychosis. There are so many great books and podcasts on the subject now and I would really encourage anyone to take in what’s available as well as talking to professionals or people in online communities that understand.

MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS

I’ve been someone who’s said yes to everything for so long, without stopping to think about what’s good for me. By the time I was able to say “it’s too much” I had already reached breaking point, whereas now I’m more cautious and have more boundaries. There’s more understanding now that sometimes people aren’t coping. I think lockdown was actually part of that, from colleagues being humanised when we saw them in their homes over Zoom to checking in with friends more often. In my industry, from TV to the book world, it is a conversation that’s happening more and more. I’ve always felt supported by my teams but it’s in a very different way now and I don’t feel as many people are scared to talk about their mental health.

STICKY TOFFEE CHEESECAKE PUDDING

PREPARATION TIME: 40-55 MINUTES | COOKING TIME: 45 MINUTES | SERVES 8-10

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CHEESECAKE 200g full-fat cream cheese 100g mascarpone 75g caster sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 large egg

FOR THE STICKY TOFFEE 175g Medjool dates, pitted (prepared weight) 100g butter, plus extra for greasing 125g light brown sugar 2 large eggs, beaten 200g plain flour 2 tsp baking powder Pinch of salt

TO SERVE 100g Carnation caramel Vanilla or salted caramel ice cream, to serve Custard, to serve Preheat the oven to 180°c/160°c fan/Gas Mark 4. Pour 275ml of boiling water over the pitted dates and leave to soak for 15 minutes. Using a food processor, blitz until you have a smooth purée and then transfer into a bowl to cool.

METHOD

FOR THE CHEESECAKE Use an electric whisk or the paddle attachment on a stand mixer to beat the cream cheese, mascarpone, caster sugar and vanilla together for about 3-4 minutes until thickened. Don’t worry if it seems runny to start with, as it will thicken again. Scrape down the bowl using a spatula and then beat in the egg until combined.

FOR THE STICKY TOFFEE Beat the butter and brown sugar together for 4-5 minutes using an electric whisk until light and fluffy, then scrape down the sides of the bowl and gradually add the beaten eggs until combined. Tip in the flour, baking powder and salt, mix until everything is incorporated, then fold in the cooled date purée. Spoon dots of the cheesecake mixture and dots of the sticky toffee mixture into a buttered baking dish and gently marble them with a skewer or a teaspoon. Put the caramel into a small bowl and beat with a spoon to loosen, then drop tablespoons on top of the sticky toffee cheesecake and lightly marble them into the mix. Bake the pudding for 45-50 minutes until a skewer inserted into the sticky toffee section comes out clean.

TO SERVE Scoop the pudding into bowls and serve warm with ice cream or custard.

“Mental health is something we all need to focus on, especially with boys and men who are statistically more affected by suicide. As the mother of three young boys, it’s something I think about for their future. My advice would be to keep checking in with your feelings and know that life is a collection of moments that pass. Sometimes those moments seem so huge and monumental it’s hard to see past them, but they’ll move on.

GIOVANNA FLETCHER (@MRSGIFLETCHER)