An international summer and a trip to Japan - Act III.A

I finished spring truly exhausted. For a few days I couldn’t even be outside and face the sunshine: I just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep the whole day. I managed to get away with this for a few weeks before duty called and the summer chaos begun. Retreats and holiday cheffing occupied most of my weeks, leaving me with very little time to rest. Plus, this time I didn't just travelled to the south of Portugal as usual, I had to pack my knives and fly to Switzerland for a magical forest bathing retreat organized by Saanenwald.

Saanenwald is a non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance human wellbeing through nature. Their programme has at its core the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku, which consists of mindful walks in nature, engaging all the senses, that the team at Saanenwald also complements with meditation, yoga, and other plant-focused activities like foraging, essentials oils, herbal walks and landscape art. There is, of course, a component of plant-based food and cooking workshops, and that’s where I came in for one of the weeks.

They ran a 4-week experiment in 2019, solely for guests and press, but will open up to the general public next summer, so don’t forget to check them out for further details.

After this nature-filled week on the Swiss Alps, I headed back home and teamed up with the incredibly talented photographer, Filipe Lucas Frazão for the styling of a brand new UK based tableware company called Atlantica Table. It was two days of pure flow which truly fulfilled the strong desire I have to express my creativity through food aesthetics. This work was especially important to me because it was the first one I did in my own creative space: In the Mood for Food Studio.

A few days afterwards, it was time to hop on a plane again, this time to Biarritz, France, for the long-awaited Surf and Yoga trip: Women, wine and waves organised by Santosha Society.

Last but not the least, and maybe even the most expected thing of the last few years, it was time to head to Japan. I had envisioned this trip back while I was still living in Scotland: to spend my 40th birthday in Japan and hopefully watch a Rugby World Cup match, just like I did in the UK. I didn’t manage to do the latter but there’s a long post coming with insights and best of’s from this dream-come-true trip.

Working non-stop through Spring - Act II

After a very intellectual and abstract winter, spring brought me a lot of grounding through work.

Once again I had the pleasure to partner up with my dear friend Sanda, aka Little Upside Down Cake, and for the first time with Lisa from Slow Escapes for a Food & Lifestyle Photography and Mindfulness retreat at Companhia das Culturas. We were blessed with the most gorgeous weather and the funniest guests from all over the world. Companhia das Culturas provided an inspiring setting for this retreat. Everywhere you looked you’d find harmonious natural textures and patterns, secluded corners, and inspiring light and shadow contrasts. I was in the kitchen most of the time so if you’d like to have a look on what happened you can find it here and here.

Another friend I was thrilled to work with was Maria, from Cabeça da Cabra Guesthouse. And to be fair the week I spent cooking there hardly felt like work at all. It was like cooking for friends, with surfing and napping breaks in between. Maria has her guest house open most of the year but only hosts two surf and yoga retreats: one in May and another in October. They’re very popular and sell out quickly. And rightly so. Her attention to detail combines grace and coolness in just the right amount, making her a superb hostess. She also has the collaboration of Lea and Tarik, from Love Ashtanga Yoga, and André, the owner of Costa Azul Surf, who’s responsible for the surfing classes and most important for motivating everyone to go in to the water and get better every time.

Sadly, I participated for the last time in the Regenerative Retreats held at Casa na Ferraria. It was a good goodbye nonetheless and I will never forget the wonderful moments I spent with all the inspiring Belgian ladies.

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Once in a while it feels good to take a break from cooking meals around the clock and do another thing that I love which is recipe development and styling. I was lucky to be called for such an endeavor for a beautiful farm stay between Alcácer do Sal and Montemor-o-Novo called Cucumbi.

The goal was to come up with a vegetarian breakfast buffet, with a few vegan options, and a handful of light meals and juices that they could serve during the day, always taking in consideration local products and the rustic vibe of the place.

As if doing what I love wasn’t good enough, I’ve also been so lucky to have been doing it with and for incredible friendly people. The owners of Cucumbi, Catarina and Tozé were no exception. Right from day one they made me feel like part of their family which is why their hospitality business is surely going to be successful.

Some fresh news and a recipe

I'm writing this after spending the last weeks f 2016 and the firsts of 2017 at what will be one of if not the coolest places in Southern Sri Lanka, Ceylon Sliders. Ceylon Sliders is THE place for the traveling surfer: right in front of Weligama beach, super stylish rooms and a lovely cafe that opened in the beginning of the year. And thus the reason why I traveled to Sri Lanka and staying here until mid May: to help to get this beautiful cafe up and running! 

Every time I stop and become aware of my life right now I feel completely overwhelmed with so much that changed in such a little time!

It's been a challenge, not only cultural but also logistical. Communicating with and training local staff, sourcing the right ingredients, building an interesting menu that pleases all tastes, all this and more while living in a completely different country and adjusting to a new lifestyle.

At the same time, I'm also investing time in expanding the concept that my friend Maria João and I created, Essenciais. We are so happy with all the positive feedback we've been having from our super exclusive and curated seasonal workshops around conscious nutrition and cooking that we've decided that we want this to be more a part of our lives. 

Our Spring workshop will be in May but in the meantime Maria will be participating in the event Recharge, held at A Sociedade on the 26th of March, in Lisbon. 

While we're building our brand, researching and thinking about how we can serve you better, our minds are constantly in search of new methods to use the medicinal power of plants to promote health in a sustainable way. And that is what brings me to the following recipe.

Gotu kola, or Centella Asiatica, is found abundantly here in Sri Lanka. It's an Ayurvedic medicinal plant known for its powerful stimulation of the brain function alongside with regulating your hormone system, improving circulation and tissue regeneration. When paired with yet another local ingredient, the Pineapple, an impressive tissue, muscle and ligaments anti-inflammatory, makes a dynamic combination towards the dreaded cellulite.  

When coming up a new smoothie recipe, there are 3 things that help keeping in mind: the base, the core and the enhancers. The base is normally a liquid and preferably with nutritional or medicinal properties. In this recipe in particular I'm using green tea for its known antioxidant, brain stimulant and thermogenic effects. The core is what the smoothie is all about, in this case, gotu kola and pineapple. The enhancers, or sometimes seasonings or superfoods, should be used in small quantities. Right now, my elected superfood is Moringa powder. I've been adding it to my smoothies maybe 3 times a week and not more than half a teaspoon. You can also add a bit of a sweetener of your choice, maybe some raw honey, but I've decided to keep it out of this recipe because the pineapple was quite sweet already. 

To sum everything up: it's a great smoothie to boost your good looks and smartness!

Brain and Body Regenerative smoothie (serves 1 big glass)

2 cups of chopped pineapple, peeled, including core
1 cup of fresh gotu kola leaves 1 cup of freshly brewed green tea, at room temperature
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp Moringa powder (optional)
Sprinkle of bee polen (optional)

Blend the first 4 ingredients in a blender. Add the optional if desired and blend lightly again. Serve immediatly with a sprinkle of bee polen.

It's almost winter time...

... which means that it's time for our second Essenciais workshop! Join us again this time for the "Essenciais de Inverno" (Winter Essentials) and learn about what our body needs during the coldest period of the year, what kind of food should we be eating, how should we cook it and much more! 

I'm so excited about this one! We'll be talking by the fireplace, prepping around a big communal table, sipping warm goodnesses, kneading, baking, boiling, preparing secret potions but most important being. Being with ourselves, aware of our bodies and being with likeminded people, who share the same passion and respect for food, wellbeing and nature as we do. 

As you all know by now, the idea behind Essenciais brings my passion for cooking whole foods together with my friend's Maria João passion for healing with whole foods. We are also very committed in encouraging you to listen to yourself, to re-connect with your intuition, to be more aware and conscious. I personally believe that consciousness and mindfulness are the key to solve most of today's problems.

Just as with the previous workshop, our partners Courelas do Monte will be providing most of the vegetables. Courelas do Monte is a permaculture farm located in Évora and they are our second best providers of vegetables and fruits - the first being ourselves with the food that both Maria and I grow in our gardens. We are thrilled for having the opportunity to work as a team again and prepare what will hopefully be another step towards your healthiest and happiest life. 

Again, the workshop will take place at my family house near Azeitão, which we both think it is still the best place to host this kind of event and it will also be given in Portuguese.

Here are a few more details:

• Price 65€

• Snacks and a light meal is included

• Transportation to and from the place of the workshop is not included

• Maximum of 10 participants

Check out this event on Facebook and here and don't miss the opportunity to join us in this beautiful place for a day well spent!! See you in January!