Conkers

As Autumn approaches and the sun is turned down to gas mark 4, our bodies need careful nourishment to keep the bones strong, skin glowing, gut performing, and blood flowing.We talk about mixed diets; anything in moderation; your five a day etc – but do you really know what that means?

What are the 5 main food groups we are encouraged to healthily combine.

Carbohydrates. Keep your energy levels up. Pasta, bread potatoes and rice. Four words that already inspire a weekly menu.Pene pasta with a tomato-based sauce, made with, or without meat. Flavoured to taste with any of Stokes Tomato-based sauces. Finished with a good grating of cheese. The perfect mid-week family meal.

Dairy is the calcium king, helping to keep bones strong. Milk, yogurt, cheese etc. Perfect core ingredients for breakfasts, snacks and supper.Cheese is lonely without a good chutney or pickle. You’ll find something to tickle every taste bud HERE.

Fruit & Vegetables – the big one. A fantastic groups of ingredients (and treats) making up ‘one of your five a day’. Stuffed with vitamins and fiber, keeping the digestive system working.Fats & Oils store energy, essential for keeping you warm through the winter – butter, avocado, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil. Protect organs like heart and lungs, but (with the exception of avocado) are best enjoyed in small portions.Toasted bread, a little healthy spread, crushed avocado, and an egg – that’s a truly healthy start to the day.

Protein. The broadest essential to healthy living.Protein-rich foods include both animal sources (meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy) and plant-based sources (beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and soy products), providing essential amino acids necessary for the body’s growth, repair, and other functions.In summary:

Some portions of protein should be eaten every day – like eggs, meat or fish…or beans! It’s important to eat some dairy – milk, cheese, or yoghurt. Or grab an alternative, like soy milk or oat milk. And, it’s healthy to have a small amount of fat and oil.

Balanced, or what!

The shelves in farm shops and supermarkets groan under the weight of the vast array of amazing British produce at this time of year.Courgette, Thyme & Mint Soup: warming, yet fresh with seasonal ingredients. Enjoy the RECIPE HERE.Lamb Minted Hot Pot

This combines a harmony of classic ingredients – carrots, onions, potatoes and mushrooms. Fry off the onions with herbs or spices.

A combination of fennel and cumin seeds dry fried before the onions and rapeseed oil gives a complimentary intensity that make a tasty change from herbs. Then, literally add the rest, just covering the ingredients with an appropriate stock.

We’ve opted for lamb mince in this recipe which can be easily rolled into meatballs and browned off before going into the stew, together with a couple of good teaspoons on our garden sweet Mint Sauce.

But, you can’t beat slow-cooked shoulder – the real thing.

CHEF’S TIP:

Enrich the gravy with a good dollop of our Real Tomato Ketchup and a couple of teaspoons of garden sweet Mint Sauce. They add depth to the flavours already developing.Pie ‘n’ Mash

The long, slow cooking of the beef in Andy’s RECIPE HERE, ensures tenderest tastiest filling for this delicious pie. Adding our Real Brown sauce gives the gravy a wonderful depth of flavour, sweet with dates and aromatic with Persian spices. Enjoy.Beef Crumble

This is a touch of magic. Who would have thought that by adding a simple crumble topping to a savoury mince dish would add such a refreshing texture to a mid-week meal.

You’ll enjoy this unique RECIPE HERE.Vegetable TIP

Get, and give, more from your roots.

Toss your root combination in oil with thyme and our Creamed Horseradish, then bake them ’till soft and golden.

The flavours and aromas are immense. It’s so good, make twice as much as you need, so you can re-heat it and do it all again tomorrow. (Perfect with good, butcher’s sausages).

Get the Autumn Boost

1. Mix up the way you cook your seasonal fruit and veg. Try using coconut oil for stir-fry suppers; roast joints and vegetables with healthy herbs and spices; turn all vegetable leftovers into delicious soups; vary vegetable textures by spiralizing your roots.
2. Don’t get stuck in an Autumn rut.
3. Balance your carb cravings. For instance, a warming bowl of pasta and cheese can be made healthier by switching to a wholegrain pasta and adding a variety of roasted winter vegetables.
4. Our bodies were not made to hibernate, So, whilst a blanket, soup and binge-watch might seem like a good idea, balance it with activity. It’s important to get some movement into your day. Keep the steps up.
5. Those leaves won’t rake themselves, and we do mean rake – not wandering around with a blower.
6. Watch your mood and listen to your body. The winter can bring on weight gain; fighting flu and colds can challenge your immune system; shorter days and long, cold nights can cause low mood. All of these pile on top of each other to dull your wellbeing.
7. Dehydration is something to watch out for more so in cooler months than the Summer. The heat Summer heat makes you feel thirsty, a sign you don’t get naturally in winter months. So, drink plenty of water even though there’s no trigger to make you want it – you need it.
8. Eat well, sleep well, re-hydrate and listen to your body’s complaints. Turn negative thoughts into positive ones.