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Disclosure: This is a paid partnership with EPICA by NORAC FOODS UK. All opinions expressed in this blog post are my own and I was in no way influenced by the company.

Like so many of you, I too have been practicing social distancing, living in self isolation with my family and contributing as much as I can to the shared goal of flattening the curve! Cooking during these crazy times, where news about the coronavirus is everywhere, has been my way of escaping the chaos and controlling the few elements in my life that I can. Furthermore, for me cooking is an act of love and one that brings me so much joy especially now, when things feel uncertain. It’s why I’m delighted to be able to share a delicious vegan recipe as well as some healthy quarantine cooking tips with you today, in partnership with EPICA.

As some of you long term readers might know, I qualified as a nutritional therapist back in 2016 and much of the knowledge I obtained during my 3 years of studying nutrition are coming in rather handy during this COVID-19 crisis. Want me to share my top 3 quarantine healthy eating and cooking tips with you? Then please read on….

Disclosure: This is a paid partnership with EPICA by NORAC FOODS UK. All opinions expressed in this blog post are my own and I was in no way influenced by the company.

They say that the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach and as someone who loves food, I couldn’t agree more. Going out for a romantic meal is lovely, but what really makes me feel special is when my other half cooks for me from scratch.

Seeing that Valentine’s day is around the corner, I thought I’d bring you a deliciously romantic recipe, in partnership with EPICA’s red pepper tapenade. Today, I’m sharing a vegan, eggless pasta dough recipe that will allow you to create one of the most romantic meals ever from the comfort of your own home. This vegan homemade pasta recipe is given a beautiful twist through the addition of EPICA’s red pepper tapenade, which has won The Great Taste Award, so you know it’s good.

Disclosure: This is a paid partnership with EPICA by NORAC FOODS UK. All opinions expressed in this blog post are my own and I was in no way influenced by the company.

I love January! Sure, it’s dark and cold, but the month holds a promise for better things to come and offers an opportunity for new beginnings. It is a chance to leave behind what no longer serves us, to embrace all the things that do and make space for exciting adventures. Perhaps in the spirit of new, fresh and better your January is about welcoming more plant-based foods into your kitchen, having a play with the concept of Veganuary or simply nourishing yourself and your family with quick, easy, flavourful meals everybody can enjoy.

Disclosure: This is a paid advertorial with Breville. All opinions expressed in this blog post are my own and I was in no way influenced by the company.

Christmas is - hands down - my most favourite time of the year. I love the cosy feeling of sitting in front of the fireplace and drinking endless cups of tea. I also love hanging out with my family and finding an excuse to finally arrange that get together with my besties. Of course, Christmas is also baking season; I mean Christmas - Baking, they are practically one and the same, wouldn't you agree ;)?

But let’s be honest, Christmas can also be a bit hectic, which is why Breville created their brand new HeatSoft™ Hand Mixer, helping you save time in the kitchen by bringing all baking ingredients to room temperature 12x times quicker than usual. The aim is to take the stress out of baking and make it the joyful experience it was meant to be. Breville also promises to give your bakes a fluffier result, which got me even more interested and intrigued. So to see if Breville’s HeatSoft™ Hand Mixer is up to the intensity of Christmas baking and does all it promises, I put it to the test whilst developing the perfect vegan Christmas baking recipe (vegan gingerbread muffins anyone?) just for you.

Ever 6 months or so I check my cookbook shelf to see if there’s a book that needs a new home. My criteria for passing a book on to a new owner consists of some pretty rigorous soul searching not unlike Marie' Kondo’s does-this-spark-joy-? method. The questions I ask my greedy cookbook-hoarding self are:

Have you actually cooked from this book in the last 6 months?

Flicking through it now, do you feel like putting on your apron and making magic happen in the kitchen?

Is the writing and/or photography so beautiful that - despite not cooking from the book since, like, forever - you JUST can’t let this one go?

If I answer ‘no’ to 2 or more of these questions, it’s time to part ways and create space for new cookbooks. One of those new arrivals, which I can tell you now I’ll NEVER let go of, is Mandy Lee’s debut cookbook THE ART OF ESCAPISM COOKING. Why? It’s stunning and the writing incredible and because I’ve been a fan of Mandy’s since I can remember.

What’s super cool is that Mandy generously agreed to send a copy of the book to one lucky winner. Yup, that’s right, YOU can WIN a copy of the book on the blog this week and find out for yourself why this one’s a keeper.