Author Archives: deansdiva

Down on the farm

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open farm sundayGail Hooley makes a welcome return to this Sunday’s show – hopefully bringing more of her delicious croissants for the Girls Around Town to enjoy!

A natural chef and artisan bread maker who runs an active community bread-making group in Nottinghamshire, Gail has a deep understanding of the quality, flavours, colours and richness of the content of our food.

She sees food not just as fuel but as medicine too and is passionate about inspiring us to “make good lifestyle choices and to take responsibility for our nutritional wellbeing, either as a first line of defence against illness or on the road back to recovery”.

She’ll be in the studio this time to talk to June, Tina and Sue about Open Farm Sunday, a national initiative which sees hundreds of farms across the country opening their gates to visitors.

Understanding where our food comes from is part of the ethos of the event, which this year takes place on Sunday 5 June. It’s an opportunity for everyone, young and old, to discover at first hand what it means to be a farmer and the fabulous work they do producing our food and managing the countryside.

Tune in or listen online between 10am and 12 noon to find how and where you can get in touch with the land that feeds us on Open Farm Sunday…

The proof’s in the pudding

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chocolate chia seed puddingIf you’re looking for a healthy breakfast that’s quick and easy to prepare, chia seed puddings are the perfect choice…

And they make great desserts too – especially when chocolate is involved!

Packed with fibre, omegas, potassium and magnesium, the little superfood seeds in them are great for boosting energy, improving endurance and will even help to regulate digestion.

Make the pudding the night before, adding just a few other ingredients, pop it in the fridge to set and by morning it will be ready and waiting for you.

If you’re really pushed for time first thing, you can even put your breakfast in a lidded jar or cup and take it with you for later!!

The variations are endless – check out some of the different recipes here – or why not try the one June made earlier for this week’s Chocolate Moment?

Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Adapted from a recipe by The Minimalist Baker

Will keep in the fridge for 2 to 3 days but best served fresh

Ingredients

  • 360ml unsweetened almond milk
  • 63gms chia seeds
  • 24gms cacao or unsweetened cocoa powder
  • Quarter teaspoon of sea salt
  • Half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon (optional)
  • Half a teaspoon of vanilla extract (optional)
  • 2-5 tablespoons of maple syrup

Directions

  1. Put all the ingredients except the maple syrup in a bowl and whisk well to combine.
  2. Sweeten to taste with the maple syrup.
  3. Cover or put into a lidded jar and leave to set in the fridge overnight or until a pudding-like consistency is achieved (at least 3 to 5 hours).
  4. Serve chilled, topped with fresh fruit, nuts or granola.

How to pack like a pro!

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With the holiday season upon us, how useful is this?

Too late for Sue, who returns from Venice today, but with less than three weeks to go till her annual trip to Amalfi, this could just be what June needs…

A big thank you to Lisa Newport for sharing it with her Let’s Chat Style Facebook group. The Girls Around Town are already members (of course!) but if you’re a woman who wants to look and feel the business, whether at home or away, why not head over to the page and just click Join for access to lots of other useful style solutions?