Wild garlic pesto recipe

by Clare Ward,

Over Easter I was lucky enough to spend the weekend in the Kent countryside, enjoying time in my mother in laws local woodland.  I love this time of year there with the trees turning green and the scent of flowers, but also wild garlic in the air.  

Wild garlic is an easy to forage herb that can be found growing in abundance.  Just be careful not to confuse it with any other plants, as some can be toxic.  Wild garlic can be added to salads, chopped into scrambled eggs or added to spring soups, but I really love a garlic pesto.  Here is a quick and easy recipe:  

  • 150g wild garlic leaves (a large bunch), carefully washed
  • 50 parmesan or vegan alternative, grated
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • 1/2 lemon, zested and some juice
  • 50g pine nuts or cashews
  • 150ml olive oil

1. Roughly chop the wild garlic leaves. 

2. Add the ingredients excluding the olive oil and lemon juice to a blender or food processor.  Blend on high speed until it's a rough paste. 

3. Gradually add most of the olive oil and a few squeezes of the lemon and blend again. 

4. Season to taste.  This can be stored in an airtight container for about a week in the fridge.  Delicious on pasta, salads or stirred into soups. 

 

 


The Power of Breathwork

by Olivia Cartwright, , link
 
You may have heard, ‘breathwork’ is having a moment. The practice really stepped into the spotlight during COVID but it is hardly new. The practice dates back thousands of years in Eastern society. The term itself really refers to any type of breathing exercises or techniques. There are a range of styles of breathwork to explore, from shamanic to circular, to alternate nostril breathing. It is an amazing tool which we all have at our disposal that can instantly stimulate your bodies “relaxation response,” (a term coined by physician Herbert Benson in 1975) it helps calm our parasympathetic nervous system, quieting the mind. We think you’ll agree, this is something we could all use in modern life.

With figureheads like Wim Hoff launching breathwork into the mainstream with his new BBC show,“Freeze the Fear”, it is quickly becoming the go to treatment and Hoff is credited with propelling the practice after he was featured on Gwyneth Paltrow’s “Goop Lab” on Netflix in 2021. Since then breathwork has become  increasingly popular with major celebrity endorsements (Justin Beiber for one). Wim Hoff’s approach sparks quite an extreme response including crying and shaking during a session. This doesn’t need to be the case but emotional release is one of the known benefits of breathwork. 

Like thousands of others, I tried breathwork in lockdown. The practice really appealed to me as it proclaims to stimulate that emotional release that hours of talking therapy was never able to. It is definitely the most transformative treatment I have ever tried and I am a total convert.  I’ve tried it all!  Everything from hypnosis to tapping to kinesiology, and nothing has ever come close. Today it is something I’m hugely passionate about. 

They say you never forget your first breathwork session. That was definitely true for me. I got every symptom possible, from tingling hands, pins and needles, numbness of the mouth, to feeling hot and then cold. When I was initially sent the appointment confirmation for a 3 hour session it almost put me off. However, I lost all sense of time. Once your body enters a state of deep relaxation, timelessness takes over and I honestly lost track after the first 20 minutes. The stillness and inner peace I felt at the end of the session was unmatched. I feel as though I shed a much needed skin and blew away years of anxiety and stress in just that first session alone. I have consistently practiced breath work ever since, first weekly with a practitioner and now daily by myself. I have never even been able to meditate before. My busy mind sabotaging any prior effort but just a few minutes of conscious connected breath helps me slip right in and it’s blissful to experience. I warn you though, it’s addictive! I still remember finishing my first session, desperate to book my second. 

Breathing is something we all do constantly to survive, it is a subconscious human instinct, like blinking. But is it something we should be focusing our attention on more?  Incorporating some conscious connected breathing daily is something we could all benefit from. And the best part? It’s totally free. If you are eager to give breath work a go, we recommend starting with a practitioner before embarking on your own practice. You’ll soon discover it’s as easy, as well, breathing!
 
Here are some of our favourite practitioners that you can follow online or book for 1:1 sessions: Nahid de Belgeonne (@thehumanmethoduk), Richie Bostock (@thebreathguy), Stuart Sandeman (@Breathpod) and Heather Gordon Athie (@calunawellness).  

Healthy Easter Nests

by Olivia Cartwright, , link
 
2 x tablespoons of cacao powder
3 x tablespoons of honey or maple syrup 
100g coconut oil
50g oats
50g dessicated coconut
25g ground almonds
Toppings for decroations, this can be whatever you like, whether it's berries or chocolate, you can be creative here! 
 
1 - Place cases in muffin tray
2 - Melt the coconut oil and honey in a medium sized saucepan
3 - Add in the cacao powder and stir to remove any lumps
4 - Stir in the oats, dessicated coconut and ground almonds
5 - Spoon into muffin cases
6 - Using back of spoon, shape a hole in the middle for the nest
7 - Place in fridge for at least an hour to harden
8 - Remove and add toppings

 



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