Getting back into the saddle...

This weekend was the big overnight cycle ride and despite really wanting to do it, for once I listened to my body and realised that just over two weeks from surgery is probably not the best time to cycle for nine to ten hours with no sleep.  I am constantly telling athletes that they should not train if they are not at the peak of health, and this was a prime example of that!
Luckily there are always other options that are less stressful to the healing process - a quick burst of dragon-boat racing last Sunday (each race only lasted 1 minute, so not too much strain on the body, and with a fairly novice crew I knew my stamina would not be put under too much pressure!).  It was a great event, organised by Dragon Boat Events, with 48 crews taking part and although it was for charity clearly we were all out to win it!
My other form of gentle cross-training has been to head out to the Chilterns and hike up and down the hills, which I find is not only great for the legs but also for the mind - escaping London is a great way to de-stress.  Luckily it's not a busy place for walkers, despite it being so close to London, not many people realise what a great area it is, with rolling hills, great little country pubs and hundreds of miles of well-marked footpaths.

Tempting your Taste-buds

I am constantly asked if, after a hard day of cooking for photography shoots, I cook myself dinner when I get home.  My answer is always the same - I want to eat good, tasty food, so that naturally involves cooking great ingredients from scratch, which thankfully I find extremely relaxing anyway.
But something else that struck me this week is how important making food look good actually is, not only for a photograph.  Your digestion starts by food being broken down in your mouth by chewing, and by the enzymes in your saliva.  So getting your salivary juices flowing is very important, and this will not happen if you quickly open the fridge, put the box in the microwave then shovel the food in your mouth whilst standing leaning against the kitchen door.
There has to be a build up to the event, and cooking can do this.  But also how you present the food may help.  Often on shoots we get caterers to provide lunch, and nine times out of ten they provide paper plates and plastic cutlery.....instantly I am put off eating the food.  Transfer that food to a beautiful serving dish or plate, and it is transformed....it's a bit like respecting the food by serving it on something special.
This was brought home to me even more this week when we were shooting on location in a house that was full of French antiques, including crockery and kitchenware (the photograph on the left was taken in the kitchen).  Serving food on the crockery felt like I was making a piece of art!
And the other delight of a photography shoot - an abundance of food!  This time beautiful red peppers, which are one of my favourite things to eat.  Such a simple ingredient and so easy to turn them into something delicious - halve the peppers and take out the seeds and stalk, lay in a roasting tin, sprinkle with sliced garlic, chopped parsley, seasoning and olive oil and cook for about 20-30 minutes until softened.  Delicious served with grilled fish or a salad and nearly as quick as placing the box in the microwave!!
For more beautiful French antiques, go to www.josephineryanantiques.co.uk - the owner of the stunning house we were shooting in.

An extremely quick recovery!

Well, if some of you are wondering why I haven't been on my travels, or up-dated my blog recently, it's because I had a few days away in sunny.............Hammersmith Hospital!  A little lump that I had known about for a few years, suddenly started to grow a little bigger than I liked, so it had to go.  Unfortunately it was in my neck, so I am now sporting a rather dashing 8cm scar across my throat - very attractive.
But what was so interesting is how quickly I have recovered - everybody is amazed (me included) and obviously I put it all down to a healthy diet and lifestyle.  Don't get me wrong, I am not a saint living on broth and water, never leaving the safety of my home.....far from it (ask anybody that knows me!).  BUT, I do believe in feeding my body everything it needs to support the lifestyle that I do want to live and, as I am constantly telling the athletes that I advise - you can't expect your body to perform if you don't give it what it needs!
So, now it's summer at last and I am feeding myself with lots of healthy herbs - the garden is full of them (if you don't have a garden they will grow perfectly well in a window box!).  Not only do herbs add great flavours to dishes, they also have health giving qualities, so incorporating them into your daily diet is a great idea.
The recipe I have cooked up today includes parsley (diuretic), oregano (anti-microbial), mint (soothing for the digestion), garlic (anti-microbial) and lemon balm (calming) - all of that in one dish!

Quinoa and Feta Salad
Serves 4-6


450g sweet potato, peeled and chopped into bite-size pieces
seasoning
2 tbsp olive oil
120g brown basmati rice
150g quinoa
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1 tsp cumin seeds
juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped mint
1 tbsp chopped oregano
1/2 tbsp chopped lemon balm
175g feta cheese, crumbled
2 tbsp flaked almonds


1.  Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/ Gas mark 6.
2.  Place the sweet potato into a roasting tin and season well before sprinkling with 1 tbsp of the olive oil.  Roast for 15-18 minutes, until tender.
3.  Cook the Basmati rice and quinoa according to the pack instructions then drain and place in a large bowl.
4.  Heat the remaining olive oil and over a gently heat cook the garlic and cumin seeds, just enough to give a good aroma.  Take off the heat and squeeze in the lime juice and stir in the herbs.
5.  Spoon the herb mixture into the bowl with the rice and quinoa, then add the sweet potato with any oil from the roasting pan.
6.  Finally, add the crumbled feta and flaked almonds and gently stir to mix well together.
7.  This salad is great served warm or cold.


Happy Eating!  Jx