Seasonal Nutrition for a Healthy Gut

You will meet your host and settle in with a seasonal smoothie as you get an overview the benefits of starting your day with a nourishing drink.

You’ll start the day with a tour around the farm to gather seasonal ingredients before heading back to the kitchen to make a fermented pickle as you learn about the difference between probiotic and prebiotic ingredients and how to incorporate more of them into your diet. You’ll also whip up a fermented gluten-free flat bread dough which you’ll be making to go with your lunch.

You’ll learn all about sprouting and easy-to-grow micro greens and how they boost flavour, texture and nutritional benefits of your meals. You’ll taste an exciting palate of delicious flavours and take home a sprouting and micro green project to start at home.

In the morning you’ll all gather some wild foods, whilst learning why they have the nutritional edge over annual vegetables. You’ll use your foraged finds to make a falafel which will also feature sprouted pulses and a rich blend of spices to boost digestion.

We’ll whip up some dips featuring garden produce, herbs and spices to go with your falafel as you get an in-depth understanding of why seasonal and local produce can really boost your health. You’ll also learn about food combining, pick up some clever knife skills, and other tips and tricks to maximise digestion and nutrient intake.

Lunch will feature a colour array of delicious flavours made with River Cottage garden veg and local ingredients like ferments, pickles, pulses, nourishing grains, and a micro green herb oil. Alongside lunch will be a huge garden salad with a probiotic dressing and prebiotic ingredients, and to finish the meal off you’ll make an herbal tea and some tahini fudge with dried lemons.

After lunch we’ll discuss the Blue Zones, which are regions of the world which a have a higher than usual number of people who live much longer than average.

In the afternoon, we’ll take a deeper look into our how our microbiomes work and how to improve digestion and ease inflammation (and what causes it) before making an alimentative broth, which we’ll turn into a seasonal veg soup, some activated seed crackers and a healthy treat to take home.

There will be time to chat to your fellow cookery course scholars and the River Cottage team before heading back up the hill for 5pm.

You’ll take home a bounty of different creations and a recipe pack laden with the nutritional wisdom.

An award-winning author who has worked in food, health & sustainability for more than 20 years. She teaches nutrition, fermentation & wild food courses and was Course Director of the College of Naturopathic Medicine’s Natural Chef diploma course. She’s worked as Head of Food for Abel & Cole and was Commissioning Editor of Waitrose Food Illustrated. She’s studied sustainable food systems at University College London and was instrumental in setting up the Crystal Palace Food Market.