The Bakery, London Fields, E8

I seek out the green spaces in cities. In Cambridge, before Christmas, I almost ran to Jesus Green to escape the shopping mayhem. In London last week, visiting a friend in Dalston, I walked with her across London Fields to a bakery she's fond of. I was told 'There's organic stuff, vegan stuff, sugar-free stuff ...' (and there was) but my own particular delight came from the quiet display of superfoods (organic, fairly traded) at very acceptable prices. I shall be walking across this particular urban spot of green again.

P.S. My favourite round-up of 2010 can be found here.

Spring Zing

Just a peek at first: ‘Wines’ and ‘Beers’.

Well, I’m not in need of that. ‘Orders’ ‘Promptly’ [‘Delivered’?]. Yes please! Raw food is the ultimate prompt delivery. Wouldn’t this ungentrified corner make an amazing raw hot spot?

With the upping of the temperature so my zest for all things healthy has zinged (zung?) back to life.

Welcome to ...

A day of unceasing rain in London yesterday. The only bright spot was my first visit to Unpackaged, an organic grocery where goods are (you guessed it) unpackaged. I hardly want to admit to it (with all my ramblings about buying local and chortling over this) but I bought a few handfuls of organic goji berries. What can I say? It’s been tough surviving on fruit rations of pears and apples in the bleak months of Jan/Feb. I hope the fact that I bought my own packaging mitigates my purchase somewhat...

Blossoming

It’s not quite the first day of spring, but it feels like it. From the winter weekends of doing ‘not much’ I am now officially out and about. Last weekend was spent in Lewes (they have a very sweet farmers’ market on the first Saturday of each month), and the weekend just gone was spent in London. Blossom and flowers are everywhere – a welcome hit of olfactory as well as visual delight. My focus is wholeheartedly less on the food I’m consuming and more on the food I’m planting. Fellow biodynamic ‘by the moon’ planters will understand that March is a busy time!

Kelp Noodles - Raw?

So, here’s my question. I bought some kelp shreds (pictured) and also some kelp noodles in London’s Chinatown recently. I love the texture of sea spaghetti so wanted to try out the kelp noodle craze that seems to be going on in the raw community. However, whilst the kelp shreds (like sea spaghetti) do seem to resemble sea material as it appears in nature (albeit shredded and dried), retaining both colour and taste, kelp ‘noodles’ just don’t. I’m not obsessive or even trying to pick an argument, as I realise that some of the dried fruit and also some of the nuts and other seaweeds I consume are unlikely to be officially ‘raw’ and I’m ok with that, but kelp noodles just don’t seem to resemble anything like natural kelp. Is it just me, or does anyone else think the same?

UPDATE
Clearly I’m not the only one pondering this (see this link) and this too, so it’s really down to individuals to make their own minds up about how much ‘processing’ they want their food to undergo. The Sea Tangle Noodle Company as well as posting some info, sells packs of 12 for $33 plus shipping (i.e. $2.75 a pack). The kelp shreds from Chinatown cost, if I remember rightly, £1.50 per pack.

Raw London Menus

I was out errand running today in London. I also took a peek at some (new to me) raw spots. First up was a disaster. I’d heard that Dragonfly Wholefoods (in Highgate) had a raw stall at the organic market under the Westway on Portobello Road. No organic market, no raw food! Undeterred, I ambled a few streets along to Daylesford, where I have previously drooled over their kitchen kit in the Pimlico branch. Sorry to disappoint, but their ‘raw bar’ isn’t strictly vegan! I chanced upon a ‘Karma Kab’ at this point, which made me chuckle and restored my faith in my trip. Next stop was a raw outlet in the food hall at Selfridges. I have to confess that the Daylesford outlet (also in the food hall) looked more tempting with a variety of seasonal (raw!) salads. The final destination (and my personal favourite) was Dragonfly Wholefoods in Highgate. Lovely food, lovely atmosphere.

You can click on the menu pictures to enlarge them and take a closer look ...

Yoga ...

I went to the Yoga Show today at Olympia. Sometimes food and/or exercise hits the spot perfectly in terms of upping the energy. Sometimes just being in London does it for me too. I walked to the show from Earl’s Court. Changing tube lines is a pet hate. I’m always amazed that people hang around at Earl’s Court waiting for a tube to High Street Kensington or Olympia, when the walk (especially once you hit the back streets) is always so pleasant. I passed a favourite garden store and second-hand book store (it was shut and the picture taken through glass has turned very trippy with the ceiling seemingly replaced by outside buildings!). The show itself was um ... rather than om. It made me feel very lucky to have such a great studio and Scaravelli teacher so close by. I should also say that I’m been somewhat entranced by this all week ...