For the last 20 years, I’ve been obsessed with River Cottage and its self-sustainability. I have watched every episode at least a hundred times, and own nearly all Hugh’s books. Homemade food just tastes so much better, and when you produce all the ingredients as well, something truly magical happens. When my firstborn Mia joined our family I fell off the wagon. I was determined to be the best mother I could be and sacrificed everything for her.
I was sent to A&E by the midwives and GP several times after giving birth due to my very high blood pressure, crazy headaches, inability to sleep for days and depressed moods. I gave up on proper cooking to hold my crying baby for hours and cried with her. I couldn’t connect the dots at the time, that the way I was eating, thinking and living was having this effect on me. Help was very limited and the doctors wanted to put me on medication for life. Something told me there was another way. I started to research, and watched every documentary about food, listening to all sides of the stories and reading countless books. I knew that with the right food, the right exercise and the right mentality, my body would do what it’s meant to do….heal. It wasn’t only my body that needed healing, but my thinking and attitude too. I decided to try a juice fast, but by the end of day 2, I ordered a large pizza and ate it all! Oh well - a minor setback…but that didn’t stop my determination and once I had made up my mind, nothing and no one could stop me. I decided to feel better. So I did!
I am not on medication, I practice yoga almost every day, I meditate and I try to stay in tune with nature and all its energies. We grow whatever vegetables we can and don’t use any chemicals in the process. We are creating healthy soil, which is the key to producing the right nutrients in your veggies. Yes, sometimes I talk to my plants! I love snacking and have a sweet tooth. I had to change the way I make and bake sweet snacks in my home. I replaced sugar with natural ingredients. My favorite snack is granola. I was shocked to read that the ingredients in many of the brands available were bulked up in different forms, and full of sugar and artificial flavourings. I just wasn’t happy with what I found. In more recent years, brands with more natural ingredients have become available. Unfortunately, these products are sold in some form of plastic packaging. Even the ones in boxes will have a plastic bag inside. I’ve been making my own granola for many years now and gave it as presents to everyone who came my way. The feedback has always been amazing. I’ve created 5 different granolas - well one is a granola porridge to be fair so I can trick my kids into eating seeds and nuts too haha. All contain only natural ingredients, no secret additives, and the granola is sweetened with only a drop of maple syrup.
Most importantly all the packaging is eco-friendly: fully compostable or fully recyclable. This was something I insisted on. From the bag to the label, from the box filler to the tape. It was a challenge, but hey ho….this is in alignment with my ethos so it had to be done. All granolas are homemade by me to make sure I can add that special pinch of Love. Whether you enjoy the granola sprinkled over your yogurt, or just with milk, or even pouring it straight from the packet to your mouth –talking from experience-, I hope it will help you as much as it helped me.
Rest assured, I make sure each granola is good for your body and the Earth too. At the end of the day, these are the only two places we have to live so we better take care of them properly. In other words: "You, you may say I’m a dreamer But I’m not the only one. I hope someday you will join us And the world will live as one” Okay okay… I stole that but you know what I mean…
With all my love,
Andrea
