Three Days of Kindness with Kindness & Co

It's cold. It's grey. It's wet. Ugh… January blues. It's easy to look past the rubbish weather as you near the end of the year; all the twinkly lights and dazzling decorations are a good distraction whilst you count down the days until there's "NO MORE WORK." Get your coat, you're on holiday.

Christmas is all fun and games - fine foods and festive drinkies galore - but you don't come out the other side unscathed. It's the extra glug of brandy and the extra pour of cream - 'cause Christmas - not to mention the mountain of chocolate that could be rationed for the entire year (definitely won't), the never-ending cheese board (not another cheese sauce?), and the open bottles of port and sherry that demand to be drunk before they go past their best (yes, that's a thing).

And so we find ourselves in The New Year Awakening. The merry mischief's over and you're noticing a few more of those unwanted lumps and bumps. "Curse you mince pies!" *shakes fist* Thankfully, Cheltenham's health food gurus Kindness & Co are here to prise you out of that post Christmas gluttony rut with their new food program.

Branded as Three Days of Kindness, the town centre café prepares you three days of nutritious breakfasts, lunches and dinners, with snacks to curb those hunger pangs. Everything is made fresh daily, boxed up in recyclable packaging, and you can either collect or have it delivered.

Health kicks are all the rage at this time of year, and as we see the back of dry January - phew - it's about now that people give in to their fad diets. Whilst you're encouraged to avoid caffeine and alcohol over the three days, Kindness & Co's package is more of a focus on wellbeing rather than restricting yourself. The time you'd normally spend planning, shopping and cooking meals is now free to concentrate on your own health, and taking the decision making out of eating means you're more likely to stick to the plan (the £105 price tag is a good incentive too).

They say that by eating three balanced meals a day - no coffee, sugary snacks or post-work glasses of wine - and drinking 1.5-2 litres of water a day should not only help you get a better nights sleep, but you should feel lighter, energised and more alert. So before Kindness & Co officially launched their plan, I got the chance to test it out to see if it was as good as it sounded.

I'm no stranger to these kinds of programs, I've done juice cleanses with Jay Halford at The Core before (who's coincidentally now working with Kindness & Co) and also with Applebar in the centre of town (which I'd highly recommend). I'm used to cutting out the crap when I need to, and in doing the 5:2 Diet, I can feel satisfied on not a huge amount of food. And that's the first thing I noticed; there was quite a lot of food! Here are my Three Days of Kindness menu boxes:

Breakfast: Muesli, yoghurt, fresh fruit
Lunch: Quinoa Tabbouleh with coriander, mint, tomato and red onion
Dinner: Veggie chilli served with roasted sweet potato

Breakfast: Raspberry smoothie bowl with nuts and banana
Lunch: Butter bean puree, tomato salsa, wilted kale and roasted courgette
Dinner: Sweet corn fritters with baby spinach and tomato salsa

Breakfast: Fresh berry overnight oats
Lunch: Baked cauliflower, chickpea, rocket and cranberry salad with tahini dressing and pistachio
Dinner: Garden pea and mint soup

Snacks each day: A piece of fruit, a pot of nuts and two Kindness Energy Balls... I'm a sucker for an energy ball.

I looked forward to picking up each day's food; there's something exciting about being cooked for (The Chap should take note). And not having to think about meals for a few days felt like I gained some freedom (because I basically think about food 24/7). What a luxury. 

None of the boxes contained those free-from substitutes or lengthily-named ingredients, they were all just packed with familiar, inherently healthy foods. The cauliflower, cranberry and tahini salad was a joy to eat - I'm going back to Kindness & Co to get my hands on some more - and there was no chance you'd miss meat in the spicy bean loaded chilli. 

I tend to eat a lot of these things at home anyway, so for me it's not something I'd splurge on, but for those that want to hit the ground running, it's a great way to get a head start. That said, I was inspired to make a big batch of overnight oats for the rest of the week's breakfasts, and tomato salsa has been creeping into our dinners much more than it did before.  

I personally didn't lose any weight, but Kindness & Co isn't really about that. I did, however, feel more in tune with myself and really enjoyed having some "time off". Healthier and happier; that's what it's all about, right?

If you're interested in the Three Days of Kindness program, then check out Kindness & Co's website or pop in to chat to them. It's £95 if you collect - they're pretty flexible - or £105 to be delivered within a certain radius of Cheltenham. Easy.

Seeing Out 2015 Pt.1

So, as the year draws to a close - when I'm feeling particularly guilty about my lack of efforts on the blogging front - I thought it was prime time to catch up on all those exciting things that I've been up to.

Truth be told, it's been a mightily crap year for The Chap and I; with families somewhat falling apart at the seams on both sides, it's not surprising that I haven't found the motivation, nor the hours in the day, to keep up with my posts. Still, despite not feeling particularly upbeat over the past couple of months, we've had some fun along the way.

Supper with Richard Turner on Thursday 12th November was a meaty highlight. Held at No. 38 The Park, this Lucky Onion Club event was one we really couldn't miss; the Hawksmoor, Pitt Cue and Meatopia legend lived up to his reputation by cooking the most epic menu (and drinking a lot of Bourbon).

Starters were Wild Sea Bass Sashimi with Chilli and Ginger, Fillet Steak Tartare topped with a shed load of Parmesan, Roasted Bone Marrow with Sourdough Toast, and Roasted Scallops with White Port and Garlic... I managed some self restraint and didn't eat everything in sight, but the sheer volume of food could have filled us all up, and I'd have been content just hitting dessert! FYI I still don't like Bone Marrow.

Main was Charcoal Grilled Rib Eye Steak and Chips with Bibb Lettuce Salad and Stilton Hollandaise. Pink, juicy, salty, charred - and seemingly endless - there are no words that can describe how good it was. And that Stilton Hollandaise; if I'd had a heart attack after eating it all, I'd have died very very happy. Sticky Toffee Pudding with Clotted Cream and a glass of Sherry finished us off, and we rolled ourselves home.

In contrast to this, I went along with a friend (K) to The Core Cheltenham's 4 Course Evening Special, which was full of vegan veggie goodness. Greeted with a heathy 'martini' of pomegranate, hibiscus and sumac, we then hit the gin (it was BYOB). Canapés were a shot glass of Pea and Mint soup served with "Cheesy" Polenta Chips, then we could choose our other courses out of three options. Watermelon and Kalamata Olives with a Pistachio Crumble, Capers and Watercress was my starter. K's was much more exciting; Carrot and French Beans with Tomato and Hemp Tabbouleh, Daikon Radish Ribbons and a Coriander Dressing.

K chose the best main too; Red Lentil Dahl, Spiced Sweet Potato Purée, Pickled Carrots, Crispy Shallots, Balsamic Onions and Chilli Enoki Mushrooms. That said, I definitely had the best dessert; Citrus Tart made with a Homemade Almond Yoghurt, Lime Curd and Chocolate Candied Pecan Nut Crumble. 

If you've not experienced raw, vegan foods, then going to something like this is a great introduction. I had a fabulous night, but I think visiting The Core for breakfast/lunch, or for your juice/smoothie fix is the best way to do it, especially after a heavy night! See my previous post on their 5 Day Juice Programme.

As with every month - *cough* week - November saw a lot of wine drinking, and none more special than The Super Fine Wine Tasting at The Grape Escape. Ten wines were opened from The Grape's reserve list, adding up to over £1000 worth of wine! Starting off with one of my favourite Champagnes - Krug Grand Cuvée - we drank Riesling, Chardonnay, and the best/most unusual Sauvignon Blanc I've ever experienced (the Silex pictured above).

With the reds, we worked our way around the globe; Spain, South Australia, Italy, USA and the two big Frenchies; Burgundy and Bordeaux. Needless to say, we were all bowled over by the wines, (which is probably not so great for our purse strings), and in true Grape Escape fashion, the best wines of the night were both Californian! If you're feeling flush, go and buy yourself a bottle of Kistler Chardonnay 'Les Noisetiers' 2013 or Corison Cabernet Sauvignon 'Kronos Vineyard' 2006; you won't be disappointed.

... Part 2 coming up!...

A Health Hit with The Core Cheltenham

A couple of weeks ago I was suffering with a hangover from hell. It may or may not have involved me being sick at work *hangs head in shame*. Stuffing myself with biscuits to give me that much needed sugar, it sure was a low moment.

That night, after I shuffled my way into bed at a stupidly early hour, I scrolled through Facebook and spotted an offer for a High Veg Juice Programme courtesy of The Core in Charlton Kings.

My eating with good intentions went awry after my Birthday; naughty habits of having a piece of cake here and there, and drinking midweek wines seemed to become a regular occurrence. A juice programme, therefore, sounded like the perfect opportunity to put me back on the straight and narrow... Probably and irrational hungover decision, but with £30 off, it was worth a try.

I've done a couple of one day juice cleanses before (with Cheltenham's Kin Juicery - also great), and I'm used to making smoothies for breakfast every morning using my Nutribullet, though a five day juice-fest felt like throwing myself into the deep end. Still, I'd visited The Core a number of times, and I absolutely love their menu, so I was sure that I could trust them to get me through my working week.

The High Veg plan follows the same recipes as the main Core Juice Programme, but is technically a bit healthier due to the drinks being split into 70% veg and 30% fruit. At 8am on Monday morning I went to collect my first day's goods, consisting of two 500ml juices and two 500ml smoothies, with a raw snack to eat at some point throughout the day. Being a bit of a control freak with regards to food/where I eat out/looking up menus/etc, the element of surprise made this whole thing more exciting.

I can't quite remember what drinks I had on which day, but the varieties were as follows:

• Refresher (J) carrot, apple, mint 
• Roots (J) beetroot, parsnip, carrot, apple, lime
• Cleanser (J) carrot, apple, lime, pineapple, mint 
• Vitality (J) parsnip, mint, spinach, pear, apple 
• Energy Boost (J) cucumber, celery, kale, lime, apple 
• Mineral Magic (J) carrot, ginger, parsnip, pineapple, apple, lime 
• Total Tonic (J) cucumber, celery, apple, ginger, lemon
• Blood Booster (S) beetroot, carrot, apple, lime, avocado 
• Super Greens (S) apple, ginger, lemon, kiwi, cucumber, spinach, avocado 
• Calcium Kick (S) spinach, cucumber, pear, apple, celery, lime, ginger, avocado 
• Carotene (S) carrot, pineapple, celery, lemon, avocado

Monday: Drank the first smoothie (my fave - Blood Booster) at the suggested time of 10am, it's probably more than I'd usually have with my Nutribullet, so I wasn't desperate for the next one at lunchtime (1pm). I sipped it throughout my lunch hour, and as a result, I really wasn't feeling another juice at 3pm. Instead, I ate half of my snack - the tastiest raw flapjack known to man (I'd even swap it for a regular one!) - and drank my third juice en route home between 5-6pm. I had the last one at 8pm, then snuggled on the sofa with a herbal tea and the other half of my flapjack, making sure I didn't miss a crumb! I went to bed feeling incredibly full and pleased that the first day was a breeze. 

Tuesday: I'm pretty sure I had the best night's sleep I've had in ages, and I felt full of energy despite not having any caffeine in me. I followed the same routine as the day before - 9/10am, 1pm, 5pm, 8pm - leaving my snack to have as 'dinner' whilst The Chap ate his evening meal. My Tuesday snack was a Nutty Bowl; muesli, cashews, vanilla, cinnamon, almonds, banana, pineapple, with a topping of pecan halves, maca powder and coconut blossom nectar.

Wednesday: Another really good night's sleep, presumably from the detox, and the day whizzed by. The snack of the day was a kale salad, which gave me that much needed texture I was craving. As soon as it hit 9pm I was falling asleep in front of the TV, so I headed to bed for an early night.

Thursday: I woke up super hungry, and was desperate to crack into my first juice - there was no way I was holding out until 10am. I was in serious need of more salty foods, and the savoury gods must have heard me; Thursday's snack was a pot of quinoa salad. Me and my mum have had this at The Core before, and we flippin' love it! Can't quite pinpoint the flavours in though; perhaps soy/tamari? It felt like I had quite a lot to eat, so I didn't finish my juice until late, which resulted in me not being able to sleep straight away (I got some reading in, so I wasn't bothered).

Friday: I MADE IT. I was a little sad going to collect my bag of goodies, knowing that it was the last day; the guys in the cafe are so friendly and supportive. I was still full from yesterday, so drank my juice between 10 and 11am, then 1pm, 5pm, and 8pm. My final snack was a Protein Bowl combining muesli, blueberries, banana, almonds, oat milk, apple and hemp seeds, topped with flaxseed, pecans, mixed nuts and coconut nectar. It was sweet (leaving it sitting all day in the fridge probably didn't help - bananas don't fare too well), but had enough texture and nuttiness to balance it out. A herbal tea, and a feeling of achievement, and I went to bed whilst the rest of Cheltenham seemed to be out partying.

The next morning I anticipated being excited for a breakfast of peanut butter and banana on toast (my go-to weekend treat), but surprisingly I fancied a smoothie.. You'd have thought I'd be sick of liquids! 

The 5 day High Veg Juice Programme was much easier than I imagined - probably down to the fact everything was so bloody tasty - and the support that Jay Halford and the rest of The Core team offer gives you that extra boost if and when you need it. You can still eat extra snacks if you want (bananas, nuts, carrot sticks and hummus) whilst on the programme, but I didn't think it was necessary; herbal teas kept me sane! 

At the end of the five days I felt great (and still do); I have much more energy, I don't feel the need to have a cup of coffee every day, and I even managed to lose a couple of pounds too! It honestly felt like luxury being given my treats each day, and now, feeling smug and slightly more streamlined, I'd say I'd definitely do it again... 

Interested? Visit The Core website for more info, and give it a go!