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.

Using a sourdough culture to leaven bread has a number of magical benefits. As it ferments, sourdough produces organic acids. The increased acidity extends the shelf life of the bread without the need for artificial preservatives. It also improves the flavour, resulting in a loaf that is usually more moist other types of bread. To top it all off, the sourdough culture actually encourages our body to extract more minerals from the flour in the bread as we digest it.

The dough is proved at low temperatures for extra flavour and baked with steam on the hearth of the oven. Vicky produces a variety of organic breads, including a French-style baguette made with yeast as well as rustic Bordelais, spelt, and multigrain sourdough. Sometimes she makes other speciality breads like Ciabatta, walnut and rye and roasted potato and rosemary. Look out for the organic apricot and hazelnut bread with spices that appears around around Easter time.

Vicky’s Bread is a big supporter of small, local shops. You can find a selection of her loaves at delis, country stores, farm shops, farmers markets and fruit and vegetable stands dotted in and around Cornwall. Click here for a list of exactly where to buy. My favourite loaf is the multigrain. After the ritual Saturday morning food shop, I often toast a couple of big hearty slices and smear them with Cornish butter. They then form the base for a quick and easy autumn brunch of poached organic eggs, roasted vine tomatoes and mushrooms. I finish it off with a handful of chopped garlic and fresh parsley over the top. All local, seasonal ingredients, of course!

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.

Once you get the hang of the recipe, you might like to play around a bit by using different kinds of lentils and spices. Your local health food shop or natural food store should carry yellow, red or black lentils. Remember, split lentils are best because they cook quickly and will turn nice and mushy. My favourite place for spices is a little artisan store called The Spice Shop on Portobello Road Market in London. Birgit Erath and her son Philip offer a wide variety of interesting and exotic curry blends made from their own recipes. You can order through their online store.

In case you were wondering, adding a dash of lemon juice and honey at the end is just my way of making the sauce really sing. Dhal will refrigerate and freeze nicely and the flavour will improve over time. I like to serve it up piping hot with brown rice, Nan or Roti bread and a dish of lightly steamed dark green vegetables such as spinach, purple sprouting broccoli or mange tout.

Lentil Dhal

2 tablespoons butter, clarified or Ghee is best (or extra virgin olive oil)
3-4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 large onion, very finely diced
1 green chilli
1 thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 tablespoons Dal Masala (or any spice blend suitable for curry)
1 x 400g tins Italian chopped tomatoes
1 cup split red, black or yellow lentils
3 and half cups of filtered water or stock
Finely ground sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

A good squeeze of juice from half a lemon
1-teaspoon runny honey

Place the lentils in a sieve and pick over them removing any grit. Rinse well under cold water and leave to one side. Place the butter or oil, green chilli, spices, diced onion and chopped garlic and ginger in a large heavy bottomed saucepan. Lightly fry over a low heat until the onions, ginger and garlic soften (about 10 minutes).

Add the chopped tomatoes, lentils and water or stock. Bring to the boil, immediately lower the heat and simmer very gently for around 20-30 minutes. The lentils should be very soft and mushy. Make sure you stir it regularly to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. If the dhal becomes to dry during the cooking process, thin it out with a little more liquid or stock.

Just before serving, stir though the lemon juice and honey and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Ladle the dhal into bowls and top with a spoonful of natural yoghurt, or thick cream, and a sprinkle of chopped coriander. Serve straight away.

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.

Traditionally, hotpot is an inexpensive dish made up from just a few simple ingredients boiled in stock. Qimin takes the humble hotpot to another level. It all begins on arrival, when you are tempted to try a shot glass of their own organic vinegar semi-frozen slushy with red grape, plum or pineapple juice. What a revelation. Next comes an exquisite selection of tasty starters that include sweet devilled eggs and sesame Sichuan-style organic chicken served on the finest of glass noodles. These little morsels will leave your taste buds popping in anticipation for what comes next.

The hotpot menu features different types of fresh meat, poultry, seafood, mushrooms and seasonal herbs and vegetables, straight from their organic farm to the table and served in beautiful wicker baskets and two-tiered wooden stands. You choices are set down beside a selection of  lip-smacking homemade dipping sauces. Savour every last drop of the stock or soup that concentrates to a golden essence as you add and cook each ingredient.

The place has a lovely  feel to it. It is classy, yet understated, with a few framed photographs on the earthy ochre painted walls and a scattering of old books here and there. Inscriptions on the large rear windows remind you that every plant and every piece of livestock has been cultivated with the greatest respect for nature. Look through the glass to a tranquil pond tucked in a small garden dotted with a few leafy green trees and plants. Upstairs the bathrooms are lined with dark wood and softly lit with candles. Venture inside to freshen up and  you will find that even the soap is handmade and sustainable.

Check it out. Qimin is open everyday for lunch and dinner. Yes, it is a little on the pricey side, but if you are like me, you won’t mind paying more when you know the food is going to good. Besides, any place with this much integrity deserves our support. I usually go for the set menu, which costs  anywhere between 120RMB and 220RMB. There is an a la carte menu available and during the week Qimin offer a more economical business lunch set menu.

407 Shaanxi Bei Lu, Jing An
陕西北路407号   62588777, near Beijing Xi Lu, 近北京西路 Open 7 days; 12-2pm, 6pm-12am

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 use smoked mackerel in this salad, but you could use pilchards, or another sustainable naturally smoked fish. Preserving fish and shellfish increases their shelf life and adds new and interesting flavours. There are a small number of artisanal smokehouses preserving sustainable fish and shellfish according to traditional methods in Cornwall and across the United Kingdom. Smoked salmon is very popular, but much of it is intensively farmed, unsustainable and loaded with artificial flavourings and colourings. I suggest you choose organically farmed  smoked salmon instead. Look for the MSC blue logo certification or at the very least, freedom food accreditation.

Fish and shellfish smoked the old fashioned way has a wonderfully rich, smoky flavour and aroma. The type of material used in the smoking process greatly affects the final product. Alderwood, oak and beech are some of the types of wood traditionally used for smoking. Some artisan producers use other ingredients like tea, molasses or herbs. It is down to a matter of personal taste which style you prefer. Vacuum packed and stored in the refrigerator, smoked fish and shellfish have a shelf life of two to three weeks. Once opened, they should keep anywhere from three to ten days.

There is some concern as to whether the smoking process creates chemicals that cause cancer. Some studies have shown that smoked foods can increase the risk of developing cancer of the stomach and colon, but they would have to be consumed in large amounts to be considered dangerous. Smoked fish and shellfish have been eaten and enjoyed for centuries and are part of our traditional diet. The best advice I can give you is to eat them in moderation and make sure they are as natural as possible.

Smoked Mackerel with New Potatoes, Young Spinach and Courgette

Serves: 2

Prep time: 30 mins

350g Cornish new potatoes

2 fillets of naturally smoked mackerel

1 medium-sized courgette, peeled into ribbons

A couple of handfuls of baby spinach leaves, washed

½ a clove of fresh garlic, finely chopped

A small handful of fresh chives, finely sliced

A small handful of flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

3 spring onions, finely sliced

1 – 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive or avocado oil

The zest and juice of a lemon

1 teaspoon apple cider vingear

1 teaspoon finely ground sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon of capers

Wash the potatoes and cut into halves or bite-size pieces, depending on the size. Place the potatoes in the steamer and cook until tender (there should only be the slightest resistance when poked with a small knife). This should take about 20 minutes. Drain in a colander and leave on the side to cool down.

Prepare the garlic, courgette, baby spinach leaves, herbs, spring onions and lemon zest and place in a large mixing bowl. Leave the skin on the courgette and try to keep a slither on each each ribbon. Wash and spin dry the baby spinach leaves in a salad spinner, if you have one. Otherwise, gently pat dry with a clean tea-towel.

Next, add the cooked potatoes. Break the fillets of smoked fish into bite-sized chunks and scatter over the rest of the salad ingredients. Just before serving, add the vinegar, lemon juice and oil to each salad. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Gently toss the salad with your hands. Taste it. Add more lemon juice, oil and seasoning, if needed. Divide between 2 bowls and serve.

I’m back! If you were wondering where I disappeared to, you will find the answer in the photograph above. Over the last year I have put all my energy into finishing this book. It brings me so much pleasure to tell you that it has finally been published and is available to buy online through my products page.

My book started out as just a thought. I wanted to create something that would raise awareness of our connection and responsibility to the natural world, as well as help to improve people’s lives and the lives of animals. A thought is like a seed. It has the potential to grow into something really big, but it needs nourishment to develop and grow. You can help. Please support me by ordering a copy of my book and recommending it to your friends, family and colleagues.

My distributor can pack and post copies within the UK and around the world. Simply fill in the order form and complete your purchase through the payment link. We accept card payments through Paypal too. I will donate a percentage of the profits from your purchase to Compassion in World Farming, the charity who campaign to end factory farming. For multiple orders, please email me at gabe@foodintuition.co.uk for information about discounts on p&p.

I will  be signing books at Kingsley Village, on Saturday 17th July between 10am and 1pm, and Relish Cafe in Wadebridge on Saturday 24th July, also between 10am and 1pm. For more information, drop me an email.

I promised you earlier in the year that I would be posting recipes, reviews and lots more in this journal. Now that the book is finished you can expect plenty of updates. In the future, I plan to publish ebooks with more seasonal recipes and meal plans. I will keep you posted with information about events and new products.

Coming up this week:

Smoked Mackerel with New Potatoes, Peas and Broad Beans. A gorgeous seasonal summer recipe from my new book.

Happy and wholesome eating!

I haven’t posted much during 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 with them.

This is a fanastic recipe my mum made us for breakfast when we visited New Zealand early last year. It is beyond delicious. In fact, I can safely say that it is probably one of the best things I have ever tasted. There is something so extraordinary, almost extraterrestrial, about the combination of flavours here.

Schiaciatta is an Italian bread that can be topped with sweet as well as savoury ingredients. It is slightly flatter than Focaccia and is the perfect base for this recipe. You will be surprised how quick and easy to make this is, as the dough only needs to be proved (left in a warm place to double in size) once. The only fiddly bit is pitting the cherries, but with help of a marvellous invention called a cherry pitter, it takes no time at all.

To speed up the time it takes for the dough to double in size, here is a nifty trick: Boil the kettle and pour the water halfway up the sides of a high-sided roasting tray or ovenproof dish. Quickly place it on to the floor of a cold oven. Put the bowl of dough in the centre of the oven and quickly close the door. Remember to remove the risen dough and the tray of water from the oven a few minutes early, as you need to preheat the oven before you bake it.

Fruit can be a bit unpredictable when it comes to sweetness – you may need to drizzle a little more honey over the top, just before serving.

I have been known to put the feta cheese on top a few minutes prior to removing the bread from the oven. It is lovely when it is warmed through this way, but it really comes down to personal taste.

If you prefer a lighter loaf, cut the whole wheat bread flour with unbleached white bread flour. Start out by substituting 25% and move up from there.

Cooking the Schiacciata on a pizza stone will give you a seriously good crust.

Cherry Schiacciata

The dough:

2 cups whole wheat bread/strong flour
1 ½ teaspoons instant dried yeast
3 Tablespoons Honey
½ teaspoon freshly ground unrefined sea salt
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin Olive Oil
¾ cup warm filtered water

Preheat the oven 200c and lightly grease and flour a baking sheet. If you are using a pizza stone, place it in the oven to heat up.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a medium size bowl. Stir through the olive oil, honey and warm water. Form a dough and transfer it on to a lightly floured surface. Knead for around ten minutes, until the dough is nice and smooth. You may need to add a little more flour if the dough becomes too sticky during kneading.

Place the dough in a lightly oiled mixing bowl and cover it with a pot lid, or a slightly damp tea towel. Leave in a warm place to double in size, which should take about 30 mins.

Transfer the dough back to a lightly floured surface and knead for it around ten to twenty seconds. Flatten it out into a long, rectangular shape (using a rolling pin or with your hands) until it is about 2cm thick. Lay the dough out on the baking sheet.

The topping:

2 big handfuls of pitted fresh cherries
½ a small block (100g) of Feta cheese
A handful of freshly chopped rosemary
Runny honey

Firmly press the whole, pitted cherries deep into the surface of the dough. Make sure they are stuck right in, otherwise they will pop out during cooking. Pack them closely together and try to fit on as many as possible. Sprinkle with roughly chopped rosemary. Cook in the top third of the oven for around 20 – 30 minutes. The bread should be evenly browned on top and the bottom.

Crumble the feta cheese up into smallish pieces and sprinkle over the top. Drizzle with a little runny honey just before you serve it. This is best eaten while it is still warm.

Here’s a summer dish that really sings; earthy wholesome 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.

Noodles are the ultimate fast food. They are cheap, quick to cook and fun to eat. Unfortunately, most commercial noodles are highly refined and processed. Look instead for authentic Asian noodles made by artisan noodle-makers, which come fresh or dried in hundreds of varieties. Soba noodles are one of my favorites. They are wholesome Japanese noodles made using the flour ground from buckwheat. I use them a lot in my cooking because they have such a distinctive flavour and texture.

Buckwheat and wheat actually come from two entirely different plant families. Buckwheat is actually a fruit seed, and when the noodles are produced without the use of wheat flour, they will be naturally gluten free. This is great news for people with celiacs disease or gluten allergies.

I am in China at the moment and mangoes are a dime a dozen. At home, mangoes are an exotic fruit that knock up a lot of food miles. Juicy, ripe peaches are a perfect substitute and pretty soon they will be in-season in the UK. Look for local peaches, as imported ones as don’t stand up nearly as well. As with most salads, this is best put together just before you eat it, so everything retains its ‘zing’.

Asian Buckwheat Noodle Salad

1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, finely chopped (about a thumb-sized piece)
1 medium sized cucumber, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
1 red pepper, deseeded and finely diced
Strange Wilderness buy
3-4 sticks of celery – with the leaves (approx 150g), cut into 1cm pieces
1-2 large red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
150g mango or peach flesh, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons spring onions, finely chopped
1 packet organic Soba (buckwheat) noodles (around 150g)
75g cashew nuts, lightly toasted
1 tablespoon unrefined toasted sesame oil
The juice from one small lime
2 teaspoons artisan fish sauce

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the packet. Drain the noodles under cold water to stop the cooking, and leave to one side.

Make the dressing by mixing the ginger, garlic, chillies, sesame oil, fish sauce and lime juice in a small bowl. Taste and season with a little more fish sauce or lime juice, if needed.

Place the prepared mango, cashews, coriander, spring onion, red pepper, cucumber and celery in a large mixing bowl. Add the cooked noodles, and then gently mix through the dressing. Taste and season with a little more fish sauce or lime juice, if it needs it. Serve it immediately.

You can substitute the soba noodles with other wholegrain varieties. I sometimes add shredded boiled chicken into this salad, or cubes of tofu.

Oats are my grain of choice for breakfast. Hot or cold, they are just so delicious and satisfying first thing in the morning. It probably has a lot to do with the fact that they are naturally high in unsaturated fats. Oats are also naturally gluten-free and contain beta-glucan, a type of fibre that is believed to help reduce bad cholesterol (LDL). Because of the beta-glucan, oats are digested at a slower rate than other grains and cause less disruption to blood sugar levels.

More natural oats come in three basic forms:

Whole oats often referred to as groats (or berries) have the inedible hulls removed but retain the all-important bran and germ.

Steel-cut oats are simply whole oats that have been sliced into smaller pieces.

Rolled or Flaked oats are steamed, sliced, and rolled oat groats.

Quick or instant-oats are a very thinly sliced and more heavily rolled version of a Rolled oat. Processed or unprocessed, all oats are still regarded as whole grains. However, because quick and instant oats are more processed, the starch converts to sugar quicker than it does in rolled or whole oats, causing more disruption to blood sugar levels. You may also find that quick and instant oat products are loaded with unnatural ingredients. They are a less natural choice than whole or rolled oats, which also taste and look a lot better.

Oats, like all whole grains, contain phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors in the bran, which block the absorption of many minerals, including magnesium, zinc, and calcium. Many people also find the starchy carbohydrates and gluten in grains difficult to break down in the stomach. The answer lies in soaking, sprouting, or fermenting, age-old techniques that make whole grains more nutritious and easier to digest.

Soaking and fermenting whole grains with a little whey, some yoghurt, or an acid such as lemon juice or vinegar helps to break down the phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors, as well as the gluten. It also increases the amount of vitamins in the grains. Most whole grains are best soaked in a warm liquid, at room temperature, for at least eight hours.

Oats are steamed before the hulls are removed. As a result, they have a longer shelf life than most other grains, but it is still wise to keep them somewhere cool and dry. I store my oats in a large preserving jar at the back of the pantry. This way they will keep for many months.