Operation Hungry Hippo!

And there was me thinking that the Row Zambezi madness would not start until we left for Zambia at the end of July.  How wrong I was!
Operation Hungry Hippo was to be a team building, survival training weekend, and it certainly turned out to be just that.  Despite the fact that we were in the most beautiful part of West Sussex, there was no time for relaxing and enjoying the scenery.
The day started with a 'small' run to the camp area, followed obviously by a few exercises and stretches, before setting up camp and being shown the 'facilities' (and very plush they were too!!).
Things we may find useful when out in Zambia included the importance of team work, how to build a good camp, fire-lighting and general first aid.  I certainly learnt a few new things, for instance, how easy it is to start a fire with a Pringle!  Or a mobile phone!
On top of that there was the more physical stuff, like running up and down hills carrying heavy logs, wading across a river to fetch the previously mentioned log (now I know how a dog feels!), and obviously lots of press-ups for any reason that our PT guy could think of.

The bit I was not so keen on was how to skin and joint a rabbit - the main reason I turned vegetarian was when my father fed me a rabbit I had previously cuddled each day (not realising the concept of a small holding being that you eat everything you produce!).  I watched with interest whilst everybody else got very hands-on.  I did manage to add a little finesse to the day by finding fresh water mint for a nice cup of mint tea after our meal!
It was interesting to see what they cooked for us (disappointing too that they didn't make us do it, as I was dying to get cooking over an open fire).  I am hoping to be a little more adventurous once out in Zambia - we have a long, hard trip ahead of us, and I think moral will need to be kept high with as much good food as we can muster.

Chocolate Heaven

So, having worked liked a demon for two weeks to cycle the length of the country and get myself toned, slimmer and fitter, I then return to a week of forced chocolate intake!  OK, so maybe it wasn't forced exactly, but some people just have no willpower where chocolate is concerned, and when it's some of the best chocolate money can buy my willpower definitely goes out of the window!
The first chocolate obstacle was a day of photography for the front cover of Observer Food Monthly magazine.  The feature we were to show covered small food producers and included The London Honey Company and Duffy's chocolate - my sweet tooth went into overdrive!  What a fun day, 'playing' with such great ingredients - be sure not the miss the mag when it comes out next month.
Last night I organised for a few friends to join me in a chocolate tasting at the very innovative Artisan du Chocolat in west London - what an experience.  If you want to be cured of eating chocolate for a while this is the event to attend - every single one of us reached a point of being unable to taste more chocolate, despite the amazing morsels being offered!  Not only did we learn about the varieties of cocoa, chocolate flavours and how Artisan make their chocolates (they conche and refine their own beans), we were also treated to cocktails (bellinis, made with pulp of the cocoa pods, and gin fizz made with matcha white chocolate  - these recipes can be found on their website).  If that wasn't enough, we were given a 'break' from chocolate eating, which involved us eating a chocolate fondant with salted caramel ice-cream!
I think it may be a while before I reach for the delicious chocolate covered stem ginger I bought just before we left!

LEJOG

Wow, what an adventure, I can't believe we've made it back in one piece!  967 miles of peddling, with only a couple of wrong turns and one puncture - how lucky were we.
But a bit of advice for those intending to attempt this madness - the prevailing winds from Cornwall to Scotland did not exist.....at all!  We pretty much had a head wind for 75% of the trip.  And to be honest, finishing in John O Groats is not that great - there is nothing there, not even a pub within free-wheeling distance.  So my advice would be start at the top and cycle down - that way you will also avoid all the obvious comments of 'why are you doing it uphill?' - very annoying!

As for food along the way - for the first couple of days we ate constantly.  I think our bodies went into shock with all the exercise and we craved everything.  Luckily that started to wear off after around 4-5 days and we settled into a more sensible eating plan - good breakfasts (with eggs for much needed protein), then snacking every hour before stopping for a good lunch.  And we did find some great places too.  One that has to be mentioned is The Wellington, an award winning pub in the village of Wellington in the beautiful Herefordshire countryside - well worth a diversion.
Our snacks consisted of Mule Bars, Trek Bars and other similar healthy bars, but we soon got pretty bored with those every hour, and on reaching Scotland switched to wonderfully sweet Scottish tablet and shortbread!
Once our support vehicle joined us in Oswestry things became much easier on the catering front and with the catering being done by our support man Dave, we could control much more what we ate (i.e. we could cut down on chips!).  We were hoping to try a few regional foods along the way, but did struggle to find them - we passed many oyster beds along the Scottish Lochs, but didn't spot a restaurant along the route where we could sample them.  Cullen Skink soup at the Kilmartin Hotel was creamy and delicious, but perhaps not the most sensible choice when having to cycle another 30 miles over steep hills into Oban directly after eating it!
My favourite part of the whole trip has to be the stunning Isle of Arran, which is lucky really, as the sea conditions were so bad we got stuck on it for longer than anticipated!
I would definitely recommend the trip to anybody who wants to really see our great country - there is no better way.

We're off!

Well the training really is over now.  I finished off with a couple of laps of Richmond Park with my panniers full of books for added weight!  To start with it felt like I was pulling a trailer behind me, but by the time I was on the homeward stretch, I forgot they were there. Let's hope it feels that way when we make our first ascent on the very steep hills of Cornwall!
We've had lots of great support on our JustGiving site, which really helps us want to achieve our goal, knowing that there are people out there keeping tracks on us.
I will try to add a few blogs along the way, so do keep checking in to see how we are getting on.  I will also send daily tweets @Enjoynibbling.

Easter Treats

One week to go before we make the crazy trip, cycling from Lands End to John O'Groats, climbing the highest peaks of Wales, England and Scotland along the way - will my legs (or bottom!) make it?
In preparation I have been eating a little more than normal, thinking that it will be impossible to eat enough to sustain the amount of exercise we are going to be doing on a daily basis - apart from anything else, there will just not be enough time!
Easter being the week before we set off has been perfect, no holding back on the chocolate and hot cross buns.  It also meant I had time to escape to Norfolk to train with Jon, who is joining us on the ride - he assured me he could find us some hills to train on - he has no idea that in comparison the 'hills' of Norfolk are just little pimples!
The only problem with making my own hot cross buns is that I make far too many and, despite giving lots away I still have more than I can eat.
Having made bread and butter pudding with Panettone for a Christmas twist, I figured hot cross buns would also work a treat - and I was right.

Hot Cross Pudding

Serves 6-8

4 hot cross buns, halved
25g unsalted buter, softened
100g dried apricots
8 egg yolks
175g caster sugar
400ml double cream
200ml milk
1 vanilla pod, split
sugar to sprinkle

1.  Butter the halves of hot cross buns and place them in a buttered oven-proof dish.  Sprinkle with the dried apricots.
2.  Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl.
3.  Pour the cream and milk into a small pan, add the split vanilla pod and bring to a simmer.
4.  Pour the cream mixture through a sieve into the eggs and sugar, and whisk well.
5.  Pour the custard over the hot cross buns and leave to soak for 20 minutes.  Pre-heat the oven to 180C/Gas mark 4.
6.  Cook for 20-30 minutes in a roasting tin half filled with water. Sprinkle with sugar when it comes out of the oven before serving.

Row Zambezi boats are launched!

Wow, what an exciting weekend!  The boats for the Row Zambezi trip arrived at Eton Excelsior rowing club on Saturday morning, and they are beautiful!  But not only that, they are also gorgeous to scull in - smooth, balanced and really easy to steer.  The only draw-back they have is their weight which makes them hard to lift when we have to carry them over the undergrowth to avoid rapids etc.  But luckily we have a great man on the case - Dan, who appears to love such a challenge is making carrying straps as we speak!
The weekend was spent rowing them in different combinations of people, with and without a cox, and finding out how to change things, which spares will be needed etc.  It was valuable time spent getting to know how everything works and now we just have to train as much as possible in them.  It was very strange getting back into my little single scull this morning - it will be hard to keep switching between to two, but hopefully I will get used to it!
As the Team Nutritionist I am also taking on board what the team will need to keep them energised but not bored with the food, so have been experimenting with ways to make our own energy bars (this may be impossible on the trip, but I'm having fun whilst at home!).  My first attempt was greeted with positive remarks, so it's looking promising.
Making your own energy bars is great - dried fruit gives the sweetness and also helps to bind the bars or balls.  Nuts and seeds are needed for protein so always include those too.






Energy Balls!


120g pecan nuts
120g walnuts
50g ground linseeds
110g dates
40g coconut oil
40g desiccated coconut
grated rind of 2 oranges
juice of 1/2 orange
2 knobs stem ginger and a little syrup
100g dark chocolate, broken into chunks


1.  Process the pecans and walnuts in a blender until they are crumbs.  Mix in a bowl with the linseeds.
2.  Place the remaining ingredients in the food processor and blitz until they start to come together.
3.  Add the nut mixture to the food processor and blitz again until the mixture is a stiff dough.
4.  Using wet hands, take about 2 tsp of the mixture and roll into a ball.  Repeat with the remaining mixture then place in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes.
5.  Melt the chocolate in a small bowl over a pan of simmering water.  Gently roll the balls in the chocolate, then leave to set on a cooling rack.

A Healthier Alternative to Ice-Cream

This amazing weather has got me in the mood for ice-cream.  But rather than overdose on fat I thought I would help myself a little by using natural yoghurt, instead of rich cream and eggs.  Once you have the base of a creamy natural yoghurt, the rest is easy - just add your favourite ingredients!

Be warned though, because there is less fat and less sugar in these recipes the iced yoghurt will freeze very hard if left too long (I ate mine before this happened!) and will need to be left to soften again before eating.

Ideas to help inspire you include;  figs and honey (chop the figs, cook in a little orange juice and honey and leave to cool before blending until smooth and stirring into the yoghurt before freezing), chocolate (I made a thick sauce using Willie's 100% with water and a little honey to sweeten.  Leave to cool, stir into yoghurt and freeze).  Other delicious ideas include stirring in rich marmalade or good home-made lemon curd, or crumbling  ginger biscuits and adding with chopped stem ginger.

I could go on, but I have to get outside and eat some more iced yoghurt before the sun disappears!