Radiance - The Juice Cleanse Co.

January is always the month paved with good intentions but often these intention don't seem to materialize. That doesn't have to be the case! In going ahead and booking your January cleanse, you in some way hold yourself accountable, and gives you a date to prepare for.

Typically, the January cleanse is my always favourite. You have that extra motivation that makes you approach it with excitement and the thrill of making this year different. This January is also unlike any other before and all the struggles that have come with isolation actually make it is perfectly set up for cleansing. Staying indoors and not mixing means you can really ease yourself into the process and truly relax and reset without the guilt or the fear of missing out.  You can really forge out a proper amount of time to dedicate to your pre and post-cleanse eating. 

I truly believe the success of a cleanse is in the pre and post-cleanse eating. It’s all about taking your time before and after your cleanse to slowly reintroduce foods and caffeine and treat yourself gently and with lots of kindness. I like to allocate at least 5 days on either side of a cleanse to prepare my body for the detox and bring food groups back in. 

I urge you to pre-book in advance! Not only do we get really booked up in January so it's harder but it allows you to harness this motivation! You can even book in your cleanses for the year. If you book them in now, you are less likely to make excuses down the line. We recommend cleansing with the seasons, so with all 4 seasonal cleanses in the diary, you’ve already on the road to success! There is no need to overhaul your whole life but these small tricks can really big change. After all, after the year we've had we can honestly say that there is no greater wealth than health!

We stumbled upon Zen Maitri on a lazy walk around Chiswick on a sunny autumn afternoon and immediately fell in love with their unique offering. They are essentially a modern-day apothecary with shelves upon shelves of glass jars filled with amazing herbs and tinctures to treat all sorts of ailments and complaints. 

Zen Maitri is the real deal, it has the knowledge and science behind them with an amazing team of herbalists, nutritionists, and naturopaths who take a mind, body, and soul approach to health and wellness. As far as we are concerned it is the closest thing you can get to magic, creating healing potions, mixtures, and concoctions. 

Here is what they had to say when we spoke to them:

RC: How did you start your business and can you tell us a little more about it?

ZM: Zen Maitri is Chiswick’s Natural Health Apothecary and a community hub for herbal medicine, meditation and nutritional advice. 

We started our business and opened our Chiswick store with a simple but bold ambition: To make herbal medicine more accessible to the public and become a community hub for health and wellness. 

The business is a partnership between two established health and wellness companies: Zen Resort Bali, a holistic wellness resort in Bali, Indonesia, and Maitri Health, a natural health store in Streatham, South London.

We look at health from a holistic perspective, with an experienced team on hand to guide you through their areas of expertise and everything you need to take control of your health and wellbeing. 

We believe that shopping for one’s health should be a beautiful and serene experience, which is why we have aspired to create a beautiful store with the highest level of customer service. Since we only employ medical herbalists or trainees on our shop floor, it means that anyone can freely enter our store and receive credible and scientifically sound advice about how herbal medicine, in the form of tea, tincture, powders or capsules, can support their health and wellbeing. 

RC: Have you always been interested in health and wellbeing or was it a product of an experience in your life?

ZM: From a young age, I had an interest in health and well-being but I developed a much deeper and more passionate interest following a particular life experience. After completing my LLB and Diploma in Legal Practice, my very first graduate job involved assisting with finalisation of statutory instruments, which were due to bring in to force an Act of Parliament within the next few months.  Despite having completed 5 years of legal training, to be given such responsibility felt daunting and overwhelming. It was at this point that I knew I needed to find a solution to manage the stress of being in a new job with such a huge amount of responsibility.  A quick google search led me to find a local Yoga class. After attending the very first class, for the first time I think ever in my life, I experienced what it meant to abide in the present moment,  without dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. Since then I never looked back. I became an avid yoga practitioner which over time, led to a deep transformation of my body, mind, consciousness and my way of life and set me on the path of my natural health journey.  

RC: What is your wind-down routine?

ZM: I try to aim for an early dinner followed by some quality time with loved ones to discuss the day. If it has been a particularly hectic day, I like to unwind with a candle lit bath filled with herbal bath salts and essential oils. About half an hour before bed I sit to meditate before retiring around 10pm..    

RC: The world's changed in the last 7 months, what positives have you managed to take from it?

ZM: I have a newfound sense of deep gratitude for my own health and that of my friends, family and work colleagues.  I also feel particularly optimistic about the fact that more and more people are feeling empowered to find ways in which they can improve their own health and wellbeing. 

RC: What would you recommend as an introduction to Zen Maitri?

ZM: Definitely a taster check-in consultation. It lasts for 15 minutes, is free, and will help us to guide you towards the products or services which are best suited to your individual needs.

Check them out at Zen Maitri, 39 Turnham Green Terrace, Chiswick, London W4 1RG, @zenmaitri

In winter you want comfort food and nothing says comfort food like an Organic Chicken, Mushroom, and Leek pie! This delicious recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free so it's great for those with intolerances. We don't eat much meat, but when we do we opt for a lean protein like chicken, and always make sure we buy organic. Recipes like this show you can still enjoy a delicious pie occasionally even if you follow a free from diet! 

Ingredients:

• 1 onion diced
• 2/3 carrots sliced
• 3/4 steams of celery sliced
• 1 leek sliced 
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 bunch of tarragon, chopped 
• 3 cloves of garlic, diced 
• 250 g baby chestnut mushrooms, halved
• 8 organic chicken breasts, diced
• 50g gluten-free flour (we use Doves Farm)
• 250 ml chicken stock
• 150 ml cashew milk or alternative nut milk
• 1 pack DF and GF pastry (we use Doves Farm GF and DF shortcrust)
• 1 beaten egg to glaze 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.
2. Brown the chicken off in a pan and add the dijon mustard and salt and pepper after the chicken has some colour 
3. In a large pot, fry the onions, carrots and celery
4. Add the leeks, mushrooms, garlic, tarragon and the browned off chicken to the large pot
5. Add 50g flour and stir well to combine.
6. Add 250ml chicken stock and 150ml dairy-free cream alternative (we used our cashew milk) and cook out until thicken 
7. Pour the mixture into a pie dish.
8. Roll out the pastry and place on top of the pie.  Cut to fit with scissors - remember the pastry will shrink as it cooks so be generous.  Cut a cross or design in the middle and brush with the beaten egg.
9. Bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes, until the pastry is golden.