So What's Willow All About Then?

Philosophy

I believe that being a plant-based chef goes beyond just cooking; it’s a way to honour the hard work of the farmers, respect the Earth’s resources and encourage a deeper connection to the food we eat. I believe that together, we can create a balanced existence, protect our health and our planet if we:

Take what we need - Use what we take - Give back what we can.

None of us are perfect but if we try to be better than we were yesterday then people, animals and our planet have a chance.

Ingredients

Ingredients are a balance between health, taste, cost and global logistics.

Promises:

Never anything from the 'dirty dozen' list (click picture)
No seed oils
No refined sugars
No artificial additives
No 'fake meat'

I’m lucky enough to live just 10 minutes away from two organic farms. This gives me access to a diverse range of seasonal, organic vegetables, and with that, the freedom to create a menu that celebrates the abundance of each season. By using locally grown produce, I am able to keep our food miles low, contribute to the sustainability of the environment, support the local farming community, and use seasonal vegetables that are at their best for flavour and nutritional value.

I've built a strong personal relationship with the farmers. I love knowing where my ingredients come from, and understanding the effort that goes into the growing process. This enhances my appreciation for the produce, which inspires me to make the most of every ingredient for the time it is available.

Background

I’m committed to using natural, unprocessed, wholefood ingredients with an emphasis on seasonal, organic vegetables. I have an intuitive cooking style, which means I don’t rely heavily on strict recipes. Instead, I listen to my senses, adjust to the environment and seasons, along with my physical, mental and emotional needs, memories, and gut feelings. It’s about having the confidence to not always measure out but to follow these senses.

About twenty years ago, I fell in love... with outdoor cooking!

Creating quality food in a field with a few battered pans, someone to hold the sieve and a campfire. I loved this. More recently I have been working as a hired private chef for dinner parties (or any party!). I’ve set up pop-up cafés and catered at local wellbeing, social and environmental events whilst creating and developing recipes from my home kitchen. I still love to cook outdoors and the numbers I can cater for now have increased significantly. It’s lovely to turn up to a fully equipped kitchen, but if this isn’t available, 20 years of experience and some upgraded equipment means I am now extremely adaptive to any working environment. Rain, wind, or shine!

Bio-Individuality

The wellness industry brings a lot of contradictory information into our lives, from carnivore to raw, keto, paleo…fruitarian?

These eating styles can all play a valuable part in a person's life at different times. The key here is bio individuality and intuitive eating.

We live on a cycling planet. The seasons, tides, all of nature and life itself cycle in and out in a balanced harmony, and we would do well if we aligned ourselves to this way of living…

The thing is, what works for one might not work for another…and what serves you today may not serve you tomorrow, and that’s ok (we’re cycling humans!)

I encourage people to look past the trends that are the ‘path’ to wellness and instead listen to their own inner guidance… if we listen, our bodies tell us what it needs. As we build and sculpt our relationship with food, our intuition becomes clearer, and this will evolve over time. I understand and embrace the connection between food, intuition and wellbeing and so I

take extra care to accommodate guests with specific dietary requirements, restrictions or preferences during their stay.

Gut Brain

Our health and happiness are made from the inside out, and what we put into our body matters. There are certain foods that are out of alignment with us from an evolutionary standpoint, our microbiome just doesn’t like them.

Our gut modulates our mood and impacts the balance of hormones and neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine. It's our second brain, the seat of our mind and soul...

The gut and brain are inextricably linked by the vagus nerve; our mental health is not separate from our physical health! The human body is designed to adapt; we should turn within and honour that, we become stronger when we do this. By using fast/feast cycling as a tool in our lives we gain access to ancient healing methods within us. When we tap into this innate intelligence something powerful begins to happen.