Wealden Times | WT204 | February 2019 | Wedding supplement inside

Wellbeing
Natural wisdom
Lea Tierney is co-founder and chief maker at Rosemary & Robert
Chocolate, producing artisanal products from highest grade cacao, wrapped
without plastic and sold only in small independent outlets and online
What one piece of seasonal wisdom
helps you in winter? I think what we
see in nature reflects best what we most
need in the changing seasons. I tend
to feel the cold and suffer with SAD
(Seasonal Affective Disorder) during the
darker months but building fires, sitting
and drinking hot chocolate next to them
and eating lots of spiced foods really
helps me cope with the transition into
winter.
What one self-care ritual do you
never skimp on? Cacao –I eat it every
day. Whether that’s in my smoothies,
product testing or cooking with cacao
butter, chocolate plays a huge role in
my self-care. Chocolate has become
pretty essential to my wellbeing as the
nutrients it possesses help me maintain
balance during my cycle making it a
lovely meditative and mindful process
that helps ground me. Every month
(usually with a New or Full Moon
depending on how I’m feeling) I’ll light
some candles, mix up some ceremonial
hot cacao and set some intentions for
the month ahead.
What’s cooking in your kitchen this
month? A lovely comforting favourite
of mine has been a spiced squash and
sweet potato soup with ginger for
added warmth and white beans for
added creaminess. I often get soup-forbreakfast
cravings during autumn and
winter, so I tend to make double the
quantity I need. On busier days I get the
soup maker going in the morning and
pour it out into a stainless steel Stanley
flask for a quick, no fuss lunch.
What always brings a smile to your
face? Our rescue cockapoo puppy
Georgie always brings a smile to my
face. There’s a good reason he’s Chief
Happiness Officer at Rosemary &
Robert. He’s a little ray of sunshine
and he simply loves life. Even on the
gloomier days he’s sure to make us
appreciate the outside more with his
exuberance during walks and his ecstasy
in damp grass and muddy puddles.
Plus, getting back from a walk to a
steaming cup of tea, a cuddle with
the dog and a good book is just
heaven.
What are the best treatments you’ve
had locally? I booked in for an hour’s
flotation pod therapy at Simply Float
in Tunbridge Wells simplyfloat.co.uk
which was so relaxing and reminded
me how much I need to spend time
in and around water to feel peaceful.
That was followed by my first ever
Reflexology session with Jane De La
Haye at Neal’s Yard in Tunbridge
Wells nealsyardremedies.com and I felt
so much relief after that treatment
it was amazing. I had brunch at The
Plant Base in between treatments so
it was a proper all-round treat of a
morning theplantbase.co.uk.
rosemaryandrobert.com
Shelf Help
I have so enjoyed reading Buddhist Monk
Haemin Sunim’s Love for Imperfect Things,
£9.99 (Penguin Life), which is filled with
the simplest ideas to spark better self-care
and get us thinking of ourselves as just as
important as all of the other loved ones
in our lives. These lines, from a Korean
saying counselling against thinking and
worrying too much before doing something:,
stuck out for me: ‘Lengthy deliberation often leads to a
terrible decision. Your boat goes to the mountain instead of
the ocean.’ Note to self: don’t overthink it!
Health and beauty tips
Discover a wealth of wellbeing advice
wealdentimes.co.uk/wellbeing
This month
Eminé is trying:
Flower Remedies
Bach’s Rescue Remedy was a
staple remedy of mine as a child
– particularly during exam time
and as I’ve grown, I have become
increasingly interested in flower
essences and remedies. I now try to
support smaller producers and love
to learn the back story of the flowers
used. I particularly like Alexis Smart
Flower Remedies (now in Liberty;
libertylondon.co.uk) and Wildflower
English Flower Essences (based in Surrey,
wildfloweressences.co.uk).