Tiered Hanging Baskets

Pharmacy Bottle

Sugar + Cream

Faceted Hanging Tray

Pleated String Lights

Ribbed Sake Set

Large Tripot

Pigeontoceramics.com

A little while back, after struggling with some skin concerns, I went for an acupuncture facial at boutique organic skincare store, beauty salon and complementary therapies clinic, Content in Marylebone. I can safely say that what I discovered there has changed my view on beauty products for life. I’ve never been a real makeup fiend but I’ve always been fascinated by all the new lotions and potions brought out every two minutes by the various big beauty brands. I can think of many an agonising trip to the John Lewis beauty hall, spending ages traipsing from counter to counter, wondering which particular serum has the right composition to banish my eye bags or erase those pesky fine lines. But no more! I have seen the light! Never again will I waste my money buying into the beauty industry myth… and never again will I cover my poor skin with chemicals when all it wants is to be cleansed, soothed and nourished.

Why the change of heart then? Well, the lovely Laura Jones – acupuncturist, facialist, organic beauty expert and reiki master – taught me a lot me about the skin and what it does and doesn’t like. She made me realise that my expensive, synthetic beauty regime was really a chemical assault that was actually stressing and disrupting my skin, rather than allowing it to cleanse and heal. She also explained that most skin concerns are vary rarely topical problems, and instead relate to imbalances inside your body – in my case, the digestive organs.

Anyway, what I learnt from Laura in the treatment room, and from the lovely, knowledgeable staff on the shop floor, has been invaluable. Cleaning the crap out of my medicine cupboard and replacing it with a few select organic beauty staples was such a joyous moment. And incredibly freeing. Never again will I look at an advert for the latest miracle beauty product and think ‘Ooh! Do I need that?!! Will that stop me getting wrinkles? Will that cure my crow’s feet?!’. Because I know that, even if it will (which is highly unlikely), I don’t want it. Not only are those products expensive, they’re also harsh and over-hyped. Think about it, if natural foods can do so much good for your insides, why shouldn’t natural products do the same for your face?

Intrigued? Well if you’re interested in ditching the chemicals and switching to natural, here are some tips from Content founder, Imelda Burke to get your started…

1) Loose the Lipstick – If you wear lipstick then you are eating it every day so there is no better place to start your update. Think about how much mineral oil and synthetic colour there is in each tube, how long it lasts you, and how much you have eaten over your lifetime. Switch to an organic lipstick from brands such as ILIA, ILIA, RMS Beauty or Vapour Cosmetics.

2) Switch Scents – Most people use perfume once a day, others much more often. Switching to an organic perfume from a brand such as the LA-based Strange Invisible Perfumes or the ParisianHonore Des Pres is a great way to avoid spraying fixatives and synthetic fragrance on yourself every day. Organic perfumes use a mixture of essential oils and absolutes to create base notes that last, and should be made from organic alcohol if an EDP or just lovely oils.

3) Get Sun Shade – Switch your synthetic sunscreen for a natural one. Using titanium dioxide and zinc oxide the natural sunscreens reflect rays away to protect it. The trick is in the application – make sure it is regular and that you are using a generous amount for maximum protection – rub well to avoid a white residue on the skin. For the face we love the John Masters SPF 30 and Vive Sana Solar to Polar.

4) Smelling Sweet – When it comes to deodorants, keep fresh with organic alcohol, essential oils and mineral salts. Leave the parabens, fragrance and aluminium on the shelf and make sure what you are using comes from a reputable organic skincare brand. If you’ve tried all others and found natural deodorants less than reliable than conventional counterparts, try the Soapwalla Cream Deodorant. It triumphs where others fail!

5) Think Big – Often used once or twice a day, body moisturiser is the product that that covers the majority of your skin, the body’s largest organ. By ditching the synthetic versions and going for an organic skin care product instead, you will cancel out the use of the synthetic ingredients over the majority of your body. When switching out products think big and ditch the products used on the largest area of skin first. For dry skin we love the Pai Comfrey and Calendula Organic Body Cream and the Laidbare Butter Me Up Body Butter . For Summer, nothing bets the golden shimmer of May Lindstrom’s The Good Stuff .

It can be overwhelming to change your ways at the beginning, but if you get started with these five tips and just replace a product at a time with a natural and organic version, it will feel less daunting. If you want to prioritise products, we recommend leaving the wash-off products to last – they are only in contact with the skin for a short time so less of a priority to begin with… although we still recommend switching them out when you can!

For more info, or to book a treatment, head to Beingontent.com, or call +44 (0) 20 3075 1006

FAMOUS FLU-FIGHTER SOUP

SERVES 4

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 green chilli, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

5cm piece fresh root ginger, finely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium sweet potatoes, diced, skins left on

1 punnet shiitake mushrooms, sliced

2 handfuls goji berries

vegetable stock, to cover

salt and black pepper

Put the onion, chilli, garlic and ginger in a large saucepan with the olive oil. Cook over a medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until the onion softens.

Add the sweet potatoes and mushrooms to the pan along with the goji berries. Stir well, then add enough vegetable stock to cover all the ingredients. Simmer well for 10–15 minutes, until the potato is soft.

Season with salt and pepper. Carefully add the soup to a jug blender in batches, and blend into a smooth, vivid orange, spicy soup.

SESAME SOY SALMON WITH VEGETABLES AND COCONUT RICE

SERVES 2

2 tablespoons low-salt soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon honey

2 large salmon fillets

150g brown rice

1 x 400ml can coconut milk

2 tablespoons desiccated coconut

olive oil, for cooking

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 large red onion, finely sliced

1 small carrot, cut into thin strips

1/2 courgette, cut into thin strips

handful baby spinach

sea salt

Mix together 1 tablespoon soy sauce with the sesame oil and honey, and stir well to create a marinade. Pour over the salmon and leave to marinate for at least an hour, or overnight.

Put the rice in a saucepan and cover with salted boiling water. Simmer over a medium heat until half cooked, about 10 minutes (check the instructions on the packet). Add the coconut milk and continue to simmer until soft and tender. You may need to add a little extra water. Add the desiccated coconut and stir well. Transfer to a warmed dish and set aside.

Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, add the salmon and its marinade and cook for 6–8 minutes, turning regularly.

Meanwhile, heat a little olive oil in a large pan or wok and add the garlic, onion, carrot and courgette. Stir-fry for 2–3 minutes, until soft. Add the spinach and remaining soy sauce, and cook for 1 minute. Once the salmon and vegetables are cooked, serve immediately with the coconut rice.

BLAST-OFF BREAKFAST BARS

MAKES 6–8 BARS

light olive oil, for greasing

2 tablespoons honey, plus extra for drizzling

4 tablespoons coconut oil

3 tablespoons peanut butter

(a good-quality one, with no added salt or sugar)

280g porridge oats

3 tablespoons ground flaxseeds

1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds

1 tablespoon goji berries

2 tablespoons chopped dates

1 tablespoon chopped dried figs

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4 and lightly grease a 23cm baking tin.

Melt the honey, coconut oil and peanut butter together over a gentle heat in a pan. Remove from the heat, add the rest of the ingredients (reserving a few seeds and dates to sprinkle over the top), and stir well to form a sticky mixture.

Press the mixture firmly into the prepared tin.

Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and dates. Bake in the oven for 10–15 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars. Store in an airtight container. They will keep for up to a week. Serve with a little honey drizzled over, if you like. 

*****

Twosistershome.com

3, Church Road,

Wimbledon,
London SW19 5DW

Here’s what the publishers have to say… ‘By crafting and curating a tactile experience, we hope Cereal, like a good book, can be read over and over again. We’ve also made sure that it’ is a visual feast. We think people learn better with pictures. In part, Cereal is aimed at our inner child. Back when we were little, we learned many a fun fact from the back of cereal boxes. One of our fondest memories of childhood is of waking up to a huge bowl of something crunchy and milky, devouring the words and pictures on the back of the packet. These boxes were the first thing we read each day, and they taught and entertained us. Hence, Cereal. We hope to become your morning read.’

Have a sneaky peak here… then put down your iPad and go order a copy.

Readcereal.com

Toast.co.uk

American-born Renée Elliott (pictured here with husband Brian and their children, Jess, 10, Nicholas, 7, and Cassie, 4) is Founder Director of the UK’s largest chain of fully-certified organic supermarkets, Planet Organic. Passionate about eating and living well, Renée didn’t start her business to make money; she wanted to do something she loved for the rest of her life. “Food was so important as a child. Mom was always cooking, baking, feeding people. Dad kept a large vegetable garden, which I loved helping out on, and when I went off to college I couldn’t understand why the tomatoes didn’t taste like they did at home!” At her Tuscan farmhouse, Renée spends her time developing recipes, cooking, baking, cake decorating, gardening, farming, walking, reading and meditating. “There is nothing as simple as baking a loaf of bread or a cake. It gives me such satisfaction. And there is no point in creating anything without putting your heart into it” she explains. Here, she talks us through a typical day…

“The house is a small old Tuscan farmhouse that we have extended a little, modernised and made eco. It sits on a hill, surrounded by seven acres of land… including an olive grove of 130 trees, a small vineyard, an orchard (apple, apricot, cherry, fig, pear, plum, almond and walnut) and a vegetable garden.

Renée’s Tuscan eco farmhouse

My favourite view in the world is from our kitchen door. It looks across hills covered with blue-green olive trees and streaked with vines, that roll up to Monte Amiata, the small mountain near our home where the kids go skiing in the winter. The town of Seggiano eases down a hilltop in the distance and the cloudless sky seems endless. I love it here because it’s a values-led life. It’s all about family and food. Life is slow and innocent, and the rhythms are focused on the seasons and traditions. There is no rat race. No commercialism. It’s a wonderful experience for the children, and they are mastering a second language, which is a gift.

View of the surrounding valley in winter

I start each day with a steaming cup of organic coffee and cream, gazing at paradise with my husband Brian while the three kids sort-of get ready for school, trying not to disturb us, but pestering a little bit for me to come inside and start their French toast for breakfast. Once breakfast is cooked, the snacks are prepared and the kids are ready, it’s lots of kisses and then Brian takes them the short drive up another mountain to their tiny Italian school in Monticello. I throw on my sneakers and head out for my morning power walk with our dog Gumbo, an Italian hunting bird dog that was abandoned because he’s afraid of gunshots. While he chases butterfly shadows on the dirt road, I puzzle over the day’s work ahead – dreaming up a healthy baked goods recipe for Planet Organic, perhaps, or thinking of new angles for training – and the meals we’ll share through the day.

Renée’s Italian hunting dog, Gumbo

Back at home and all cleaned up, I’ll start some bread to rise – wholemeal spelt and porridge oats – and then settle down to work. My desk is an antique black marble pasta table placed strategically next to the kitchen as I am often jumping up to test a recipe or do some food prep. After lunch with Brian, I’ll meditate and then work until 4:00 when I leave to pick the kids up from school.

A tranquil spot to meditate // Renée’s simple, homely kitchen

Once we’re all home for the evening, I’m in full swing making supper – maybe roasted artichoke frittata with the late season artichokes that are coming up from Sicily – with salad and freshly-baked bread. Then it’s down time, time with the kids doing stretching, games, reading and snuggling until bedtime. After some time with my husband, I’m usually back in the kitchen to soak something for the next day like oatmeal for proper porridge and beans for autumn soup before heading off to bed.”

Renée’s tips for buying organic….

- If you can’t buy everything organically, buy what you eat the most of – whether that’s apples or pasta or biscuits.
- Eat organic dairy and meat (it’s more expensive, but you could spend the same amount of money and eat a little less).
- Many organic vegetables are well-priced, so buy simple ingredients and cook easy meals that only take half an hour. If you need inspiration, check out Me, You & the Kids Too.
- For a treat, buy organic chocolate – conventional chocolate is the most highly-sprayed food crop in the world.