New Year, Old Me…..just paying more attention to Time and Balance

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I rather like January, it is a month filled with family celebrations, lots of birthdays and parties. Britain’s ‘fresh start’ mindset is still clinging on but in reality we are probably now thinking that the comfort foods are definitely calling.

For me, Balance is going to be my key word for 2019, something which needs to apply to all aspects of my life…diet, mood, calendar. Why eat food which makes you miserable, it inevitably leads to overeating and, eventually, failure in whatever healthy path we put ourselves on. January is always diet month. There appears to be two types of dieter, the first fully embraces optimal health, posts images packed with colourful superfoods, understands the nutritional content and feels the buzz…the second tries to mimic ‘normal’ foods with low fat, low calories alternatives…these are the people who claim that potatoes sprayed with oil/water products and baked in the oven are a ‘real treat’ – they are only trying to prove this to themselves. Their diet, which, on the surface is filled with fruit and veg actually contains a lot of junk; fillers, palm oils, sugars. Yes, this is controversial, but subscribing to quality over quantity is manageable…for life.

Having been a member of a well known worldwide slimming club, I can see that only now, after several decades, are they finally coming round to a more holistic approach to diet and lifestyle. It is to be commended, but the number of people who criticise the company for making lean chicken, fish, fruit and pulses ‘free’ foods whilst their old ‘treats’ of cake bars etc ‘cost’ them far more than they ever used to, is quite astounding.

The UK is looking towards a more flexitarian approach to food, quality meat and fish, in smaller portions – with lots of lovely veggies, fruits and pulses…this isn’t really a diet, it’s just common sense. It’s all about engaging our senses…how much more pleasure can one get from a small toasted slice of sourdough spread with organic, cold salted butter and topped with a little rare-breed dry cured bacon, over a huge bowl of cereal drowned in skimmed milk? I know which I would choose, unquestionably.

Time is important, time to eat, time to relax, time to enjoy. Embracing the little things in life; a hot cup of leaf tea, one homemade delectable biscuit or a leisurely Sunday lunch with friends or family. January is a time of hibernation, of Cwtching Up as we say in Wales, of Hygge as favoured by the Danes. Drinking mugs of hot soup around a brazier on a frosty night or a family Pizza making frenzy, all these make us feel warm and comfortable and our worries are abandoned in that moment.

Mindfulness had become something of a craze, rather than something which is essential and natural to each and every one of us. Slowing down is, holistically, good for us,  and so many of us have forgotten how to relax, myself included. Living in the moment can be applied to everything, it creates a healthier mind and in turn a healthier body.

So, this month, you don’t need to subscribe to Dry January or Veganuary or anything ‘on trend’ – if a decent steak or G and T makes you happy, and keeps you in the moment….just enjoy it and leave the baggage and the guilt behind.

Time and Balance is the key.

The Pheasant Philosopher’s Christmas Diaries: The eternal quest for the best Hot Chocolate!

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One of the annual traditions in our household is putting up the Christmas decorations on the first weekend in December – this is accompanied by lots of steaming hot chocolate and, of course, homemade gingerbread biscuits.

I fully admit that I am a bit of a Hot Chocolate perfectionist. So often, when I order the ‘Special Hot Chocolate’ on a menu I find myself disappointed – it’s always either not hot enough, not thick enough, not creamy enough or the worst crime, just not chocolaty enough!

This has led to a multitude of experiments at home, trying everything from Spanish recipes, to cocoa powder based recipes with cream and even butter, custard based recipes and, of course, all the brands available at both the supermarkets and delis.

I finally concluded that Jersey milk and real chocolate makes the best and simplest Hot Chocolate – perhaps with the addition of a glug of Baileys or rum for the grown-ups, and there are no end of small additions to make my basic Hot Chocolate extremely festive and child friendly. Winter without Hot Chocolate is like Christmas without Santa, and when the colder weather comes, there’s nothing more satisfying than making a real ritual out of its preparation.

Recipe:

Per Person:

50g of good chocolate (dark or milk or even white)

150ml jersey milk

I make mine in a Pyrex bowl over a pan of simmering water, combing the ingredients with a small whisk, never allowing the bowl to come into contact with the water. This creates the most indulgent drink, patience is the key here, slow and steady wins the chocolate race.

This is a very rich drink so serve in small cups with your choice from the following toppings and additions:

Family Friendly

Whipped cream and grated chocolate

A couple of drops of peppermint extract, whipped cream and a little crushed stripy candy cane

1/4 tsp cinnamon per serving

1/4 tsp ginger per serving

A couple of drops almond extract, cream and toasted almonds

Whipped cream and crushed smarties

marshmallows, drizzled with warm chocolate sauce

Whipped cream and drizzle of warmed salted caramel sauce

Vanilla extract and a grating of nutmeg

Adults Only

A tablespoon of your choice of liqueur per serving, some of my favourites include:

Tia Maria, whipped cream and crushed coffee beans is delicious

Cointreau, cream and grated Terry’s Chocolate Orange

Baileys, whipped cream and chocolate flake

Whisky and a sprinkle of ginger

Amaretto, cream and crushed Amaretti biscuits

And so we begin again…cheers!

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When I first started this blog, several years ago, I wanted to focus purely on food. As a food writer I wanted to share my recipes, thoughts, recommendations…however, at the time it was not to be and I have admittedly been rather sporadic with my posts (although feel free to read through them). Life has been a bit up and down over that time but now I’ve think I’ve discovered happiness, Hygga, contentment, Cwtchiness (as we say in Wales). For a long time I lost myself and now I realise I was there all along, I just refused to accept myself. Now I am on a new journey.

I ultimately chose one thing ‘To Find Happiness” – if I had to write a list, now, of things which make me smile, it would be extremely long. This blog is going to be packed full of those things, whether physical items, days out with memories attached or photographs. Negativity is not good for the soul, it can always be counteracted, though. This is where mindfulness come in (I do try but I’m not really a kale smoothie drinking, flexibly yogic, life coach-type); I just believe that a happy, positive thought has far more power than a dark, negative one.

I cannot leave my roots though and there will be a fair amount of foodie related (and boozie related) content but alongside this I want to introduce you to some of the ‘lovely things’ in my life that make me smile and yes, some of them are commercialised indulgences and most of them are food and drink! These make you feel good inside just as much as the walk after the rain down by the river, under the trees where the light shone just so. Sometimes a pretty cup or stupidly expensive cake is exactly what’s needed, sometimes new shoes or picking up a lost feather does it. I’m afraid that I am not a ‘back to nature’ blogger who’s wardrobe is capsule and mostly made by indigenous peoples from natural fibres (although I do like a bit of alpaca of a winter), and just sometimes (ahhhhhhh) I even go to McDonalds.

I do subscribe to the ‘buy quality and it will last’ theory and I try to buy British as I believe it is important to support these industries especially  as we approach Brexit. And yet, I always seem to turn out a little scruffy.

I never compromise on my annual Smythson diary, rather enjoy wearing pearls and silk scarfs as well as drapey linen ‘Toast” numbers for days when I want to feel ‘yummy mummy’ and I own a pair of Birks. I am not of a type, I am me and am finally proud to be so.