Fast Days & Feast Days with Elly Pear

Last October I won a competition with Harper Collins for a cookery class with Elly Curshen, better known as Elly Pear, at The Bertinet Kitchen in Bath.

But what did I know about Elly Pear?

Firstly, she owns Pear Café in Bristol, serving up the most jazzy looking fritatas, soups and hoofin' sarnies (the Chicken and Avocado Caesar with Chicken Crackling was listed as one of Buzzfeed's 17 Must Eat Sandwiches Before You Die). So I'm told, they also make the best brownies in town - Butterscotch & Plain Chocolate! 10 years it's been open, and sadly I've not tried any of the above because the café's only open Monday - Friday... I'll make it one day!

Elly is friends with all the good food folk, and will often be seen hanging out with them at the coolest bars and restaurants in London/elsewhere. Well jel.

She used to run the Basement Supperclub with her mate Dan (@essexeating - who manages Grillstock in St Nick's Market and has his own BBQ book out).

Elly loves sherry. Fino shez and salty snacks are her fave, and Tio Pepe's where it's at.

When not in her chef's apron, she's usually spotted in a Boden striped breton and Grenson shoes.

Decent bread, avocados, pickles, radishes and a runny egg always feature on Elly's colourful Instagram feed. There's lots of fish too (she's not a meat eater), and tofu... Don't ever say a bad word about tofu.

Probably the most important thing to note is that she's the queen of the 5:2; that "diet" - though lifestyle choice is probably more apt - where you can eat what you want for five days and restrict yourself to just 500 calories for two.

Despite always being conscious of weight, I've never been one for counting calories. Slimming World was my diet of choice in my late teens; it was all red and green days - no calculations involved. I managed to lose 3 and a half stone, and even with all my current eating adventures, thankfully it's not crept back.

My parents and a few friends have dabbled in the 5:2 with some great results, so I was interested in trying it out. But it wasn't until I went to Elly's class that I realised how easy it could be. You don't have to skip meals and starve yourself all day, you've just got to be clever about it.

The following Monday I was inspired to do my first ever fast day, and I've stuck to it ever since. I'm not doing it to lose weight, rather to balance out all the food and drink I like to indulge in. Also, having been diagnosed with an IBD a few years ago, I've found this to be a great way to give my stomach the break it needs on a weekly basis. It has helped me out no end!

So last week saw the publication of Elly Pear's Fast Days and Feast Days; a book full of fresh, uncomplicated food to get stuck into. A collection of more than 100 of Elly’s favourite recipes from both fast days and feast days, her home kitchen and her café. With good advice on how to shop better, cut down on waste, and stock your fridge and cupboards more sensibly, this isn't just a book for those doing the 5:2. It's more like a guide for a new way of eating delicious, nutritious food all year round – whether you're fasting or feasting.

At the class back in October, a group of us got a sneak preview of some of the Fast Days and Feast Days recipes, which we vowed not to share until the book was released. We had such a fun day cooking, assembling, eating, drinking, and we all went home with epic doggy bags!

Fast day wise, we made the Raw Winter Veg Salad (pg 67), Smoked Salmon & Radish Salad (pg 74), and the Courgette, Chilli and Herb Salad with King Prawns (pg 77, though in the book it suggests feta).

For feast days, we made Root Veg & Halloumi Fritters with Frying Pan Flatbread (pg 137), Roasted Cauliflower & Butter Bean Salad with Orange & Olives (pg 140), Impatient Rainbow Pickles (pg 225) and Chocolate & PX Pots with Cream (pg 253). Oh, and we got the secret Pear Café Flapjack recipe, which isn't in the book - score!

As a testament to how great Elly's recipes are, since the class I've made a number of them over and over again - particularly those halloumi fritters, flapjacks and chocolate pots!

In the run up to the book launch, her In Style column teased us with a few recipes; I've batch cooked a load of Courgette Dhal (pg 101), and I make the Beetroot Soup with Wild Garlic or Spinach (pg 116) almost every week. Her free Amazon E-Short contained a now fast-day-fave of mine too - All-Day Breakfast Polenta - along with some other dishes that didn't make their way into the book.

Basically, if you hadn't already guessed it, I've been fan-girl-ing over Elly Pear for flippin' ages. And since Fast Days and Feast Days landed on my doorstep last week, I've looked at nothing else.

Saturday I made Tahini Noodles with Greens & 6-Minute-Egg (pg 127), Sunday saw both the Salmon Rice Bowl (pg 166) and Jen's Banana & Apple Loaf (pg 261), and tonight is calling for the Sweet Potato, Lentil, Kale & Coconut Curry (pg 134).

Tomorrow is a fast day, and with so many exciting options for breakfast, lunch and dinner, pimped out with Elly's sauces and pickles, I know it's not going to be boring...