Newsletter No.3
What we eat has an enormous impact on our health and wellbeing. Only last week, we were fascinated to read Dr. Mark Hyman’s post on the link between diet and brain function. In this foodie newsletter, nutritionist Rose Ferguson answers our quick-fire questions, Eve Kalinik explains the importance of dietary fibre, we dish out our favourite cookbooks, and we lift the lid on the latest gastronomic getaways.
Well Quick Questions
Model-turned-nutritionist, Rose Ferguson talks us through her rituals, recipes, and recommendations.
Well Read - a book you’ve enjoyed recently
The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne.
Well Nourished - a recipe or restaurant for a great plate of food
I am in winter mode, so my lentil and mushroom shepherds pie is featuring quite heavily at the moment.
Ingredients
600g lentils (canned is fine)
500g button mushrooms, sliced
2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves, chopped
1 leek, sliced
3 tbsp ground flaxseeds
3 cloves garlics, minced
1-2 tbsp tamari sauce
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 small head cauliflower
2.5 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 cup almond or coconut milk
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
Method
Set your oven to grill. Chop and steam the cauliflower for 20 mins, or until soft. Meanwhile, lightly stir-fry the leek, garlic and mushrooms for five minutes. Add the spinach, lentils, tamari, 2 tbsp ground flax, 1 sprig rosemary and a pinch of salt and pepper and cook for a further three to five minutes.
Line a baking dish with non-stick paper and scoop the mixture in. Once the cauliflower is ready, roughly process with the nutritional yeast, nut milk and a pinch of salt and pepper, until combined but not pureed. Cover the lentil mix with the cauliflower crust, sprinkle with the remaining ground flax and decorate with the last sprig of rosemary. Grill for 12 to 15 mins, until lightly golden.
Well Beautiful - a hair, makeup, or skincare product that makes you feel good
I am not a massive make-up wearer, but I do love a good lip gloss, and I am really enjoying the make-up from REFY, especially the Sepia Lip Gloss.
Well Being - a ritual that has kept its place in your routine
My morning MJMB ritual has been with me for a long time now: meditate, journal, move, and breathe. I miss it when I don’t do it, and I feel much better prepared for the day when I do.
Well Shopped - a second-hand shop for hidden treasures
Rellik. I hate shopping, but this place is my go-to for vintage clothes. There are some amazing antique shops near me in the Cotswolds. I love finding china, in particular Limoges.
Well Fit - a workout that works for you
Running is my go-to; you can do it anywhere, it gets you outside, and I always feel glad to have done it. It doesn’t need to be long—20 minutes will do. Otherwise, I will go to a class. I like doing lots of different classes; it is more often dictated by the time I can go than the type of workout, which means that I get a good variety!
Well Travelled - where is on your wish list
Japan is high on my wish list. I'm intrigued by its unique blend of ancient traditions and modern innovation.
Well Heard - a podcast worth tuning in to
I love New Frontiers, Kara Fitzgerald’s functional medicine podcast.
Well Advised
Nutritional therapist and author of Happy Gut, Happy Mind, Eve Kalinik, explains the role of dietary fibre.
One of the main ingredients in a recipe for a healthy gut is dietary fibre. While our human digestive system doesn’t have the capability to digest fibre, it provides essential food for our gut microbes, helping them to proliferate and thrive and to produce myriad positive substances such as SCFAs (short-chain fatty acids) and neurotransmitters such as serotonin, which have a significant role in the health of our gut and our overall wellbeing, including our brain health.
Fibre is found in all plant foods, including vegetables, fruit, whole grains, pulses, legumes, nuts, and seeds, and diversity really is the key aim rather than just focusing on quantity alone. Each plant food will contain different types of fibre, so, for example, oats provide beta-glucan, legumes like lentils and peas contain raffinose, and cereal whole grains are loaded with lignin. In providing these different types of fibre for our gut microbes to munch on, we help to create an overall more heterogeneous and healthier gut microbiome. Practical ways to mix this up could be trying a different fruit or vegetable in your weekly shop, rotating morning oats with other grains such as spelt, rye, buckwheat, or quinoa, and having a variety of frozen fruit and vegetables conveniently to hand. Making up a nut and seed mix is also a good hack, as you can include 4-5 different types in these that you can use over anything and everything.
Quantity-wise, the current guidelines suggest adults should consume around 30 grammes of fibre per day. In real terms, that could look something like one piece of fruit, six portions of vegetables, two servings of whole grains, and three portions of nuts and seeds. That might seem like quite a task, but if you think about adding a spoonful of nut butter to porridge oats along with a serving of berries, sprinkling seeds over your salads and vegetables, and aiming for a mix of two to three types of veggies, pulses, and legumes at lunch and supper, along with a fibre-rich snack of either 1/2 avocado on a piece of good-quality sourdough or a piece of fruit with a handful of nuts, you have pretty much hit your quota.
One small word of caution: if you are not used to consuming a lot of fibre, increase slowly and gently to mitigate any gassy side effects. For most people, once their gut microbes get used to this, it should settle down, and they will be thanking you for the veritable feast you are providing.
Curated Cookbooks
Investing in a good cookbook can transform the way you eat and shop. Here we dish out our favourites, from Emily Scott’s ode to the Cornish coast to advice on planning, shopping, and reducing waste with Anna Jones.
Feeling hungry?
If all this talk of food has given you a healthy appetite, you might want to head to The Rectory in Wiltshire, where one of London’s finest chefs, Jake Simpson, has joined as head chef. The long-time leader of Bocca di Lupo has made the move to the country, making a stay at the Georgian Manor House even more appealing. Doubles start from £170 per night on a B&B basis.
In Somerset’s South Petherton, destination restaurant HOLM has opened seven beautiful bedrooms. Nicholas Balfe’s hyper-seasonal cooking has already garnered rave reviews and enticed many, and now the place warrants an overnight stay. Rooms start from £140 per night on a B&B basis.
Last but certainly not least is Osip, a tiny farm-to-table restaurant run by chef Merlin Lebrun-Johnson. Having opened alongside boutique hotel Number One Bruton, guests will find themselves enjoying breakfast courtesy of a Michelin-starred chef. Rooms start from £240 per night on a B&B basis.
We hope you have enjoyed our newsletter. Cam & Kate x