Viva Brighton Issue #85 March 2020

RECIPE
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Roasted roots happy salad
Gemma Ogston makes plant-based
food to boost your mood
Gem’s Wholesome Kitchen started about three or
four years ago, when we were living in Barcelona
and I was cooking plant-based food for a few
friends. Then we came back to Brighton and the
business slowly grew. I started making breakfast
pots for Smorls, then energy bars and granola for
HISBE, and that became The Nourish Package
where we deliver prepared meals daily for the first
week of the month. It’s not a diet or a weight loss
programme; We’re offering nourishing food and
inspiration for plant-based meals that you could
go on to cook at home. You don’t have to be
vegan or to eat this way all of the time, but eating
more plant-based food does make you feel better,
both physically and mentally.
I post pictures of my food on Instagram but
I’ve never thought to post the recipes. My posts
caught the eye of someone at Penguin Random
House who asked if I’d ever thought about doing
a book. I’d always wanted to write about mood
boosting foods, so that’s how The Self-Care Cookbook
came about. It includes around 60 recipes
and wellbeing suggestions curated into sections
to help you restore, rebalance, reflect and renew.
They are all really simple to follow and pretty low
budget, so the food is accessible to everybody.
I love this roasted roots happy salad. Most people
have some root vegetables in their fridge and you
could use any here. I quite often make this the
day after a roast when I’ve got left over veggies.
Importantly, there are nuts in here and I talk
about nuts quite a lot. Walnuts and brazil nuts in
particular are very high in the mineral selenium,
which has been proven to help reduce anxiety.
Nuts can really help to boost your mental health.
Another thing that’s important in food is colour –
that alone makes you feel happy. This salad looks
beautiful, it’s super easy to make and I just love it.
Recipe: Quarter 2 carrots and 2 parsnips lengthways,
quarter 2 red onions, cut 2 raw beetroot and
1 red pepper into chunks. Toss them all together
in a bowl with a glug of olive oil, 1tbsp of honey
and salt & pepper. Spread them on a lined baking
tin with 4 unpeeled cloves of garlic and roast at
200 degrees for 35-40 minutes, until tender.
Meanwhile, gently toast 200g of walnuts in a dry
frying pan over a medium heat until they turn a
darker shade of brown. Don’t leave them or they
will burn! Set aside to cool. Prepare the dressing
by whisking together 1 clove of peeled and
chopped garlic, 1 tbsp of mustard, 75ml of raw
cider apple vinegar, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 100 ml
extra virgin olive oil, 1-2 tbsp of honey and salt &
pepper to taste.
In a salad bowl place 100g of spinach, a bunch
of chopped parsley and the walnuts. Add the
roasted veggies along with the juices from the
roasting tin. Toss well, sprinkle with 1 tbsp of
pomegranate seeds and drizzle over the dressing.
Garnish with edible flowers like primrose and
chive if you have them. As told to Lizzie Lower
Insta: @gemswholesomekitchen
The Self-Care Cookbook (£14.99) is published
by Vermillion and is available locally from City
Books, Cookbookbake, and Hold (as well as all
major booksellers).
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