Since I found Vicky’s bread in our local deli, my dough hook has started to gather dust in the corner of the kitchen. One mouthful and I was hooked. Vicky Royall is a passionate artisan baker based in Helston, West Cornwall. She and her crew hand makes bread the old fashioned way; with a sourdough culture and a slow-risen dough made with the finest organic ingredients. This is seriously good bread and we are so lucky to have it at our fingertips, right here in Cornwall.

Looking for the perfect comfort food for a chilly late autumn evening? This recipe will really hit the spot. Dhal is a classic North Indian dish of lentils, slowly simmered in a rich, spicy tomato sauce. Every soothing spoonful releases a burst of warm flavours. Dhal is great because it is so quick, cheap and easy to make. Lentils are really nutritious too. They boast high levels of protein and contain many important minerals, such as iron, calcium and magnesium. Lentils are also rich in fibre and antioxidants.

Good places to eat are hard to find, but recently, I stumbled across a special little place tucked away in the polluted backstreets of the French Concession. Qimin Organic Hotpot restaurant is living proof that consciousness can percolate anywhere. It expresses the best intentions of its owners; to create a showcase for the integrity of organic farming and a paradise for natural food dining. For me, a meal there is almost a religious experience.

Today’s quick recipe is a variation on a simple summer salad from my new book. The original features fresh broad beans and peas. I just happened to have some baby spinach leaves and a lonesome courgette lurking in the salad drawer of my fridge. I love Cornish new potatoes. They are just so incredibly tasty. Buy them dirty and scrub clean with a little brush just before cooking; this will protects the delicate skin, taste and texture.

I haven’t posted much the last few weeks. Here is my excuse; I recently packed up my kitchen in cardboard boxes, and sent it sailing across the Atlantic ocean. That’s because this Saturday, Silvana and I wave goodbye to China and begin our journey home to the UK. I will have a lot more time to focus on my journal soon, so expect to see plenty of new recipes, articles and reviews over the coming months. I thought I would share this wonderful recipe with you before we fly off into the sunset. The other day I was shopping at my local farmers market, when I noticed a tray bursting at the sides with juicy red cherries. They are in season at the moment and I wanted to make something really special them.

Here’s a summer dish that really sings; earthy buckwheat noodles mixed with spunky Asian flavours to produce a fresh, vibrant salad with an explosive taste. In fact, it looked so good in the bowl, I decided to use it as lead shot on my home page. Believe me – it tastes as good as it looks.

The Ingredients Spotlight is designed to give you the chance to find out more about some of the natural foods I use in my kitchen. Hopefully, it will help you to make wiser choices when you’re shopping, cooking, and eating out. Knowing why food is good for you and how it works in your body can also help to keep you on track. This week, I featured a lovely Bircher muesli recipe that contains a long list of natural ingredients. Let’s take a closer look at one of those now.

Breakfast
Gluten free*

Try this for something a bit different and you won’t be disappointed. It’s perfect for breakfast as the weather warms up and the porridge season ends. Rolled oat flakes are soaked, together with walnuts, raisins, and two kinds of seeds. Finely grated apple, a small handful of deep purple mulberries, and a few dollops of honey-sweetened yoghurt are then folded through. It’s finished with a dusting of cinnamon and a little unrefined cold-pressed flaxseed oil drizzled across the top.