In the UK bread has always been our staple, be it office sandwiches, kid’s parties, picnics or a quick lunch on the go.

It used to be a good and tasty food source, before the advent of the white sliced loaf, stuffed with preservatives – I remember keeping one for a couple of weeks as an experiment – at the end it looked and tasted just the same – white, bland and unpalatable – even the mould seemed to have given it a wide berth.

So how lovely that we are reawakening our love of true artisan bread – and turning to experts like Jason Geary. As a fourth generation master baker he’s skilled in the traditional (and not always straightforward) art of making a good sourdough.

Sourdough has become very popular over recent years, but what actually is it? It’s been around a lot longer than yeast-risen bread – since several thousand years BCE. A mixture of lacto-bacteria and wild yeast called a Starter is used to make the bread rise. This is clever, as the bacteria digest what the yeast cannot, and vice-versa – so they work together to produce a slow and effective rise. They also weakens the gluten in the bread, making it more digestible for us humans and the starter is more effective than pure yeast for raising rye grain. Starters are saved batch after batch and are prized for the distinctive breads they produce.

Jason sent me his Olive and Basil Sourdough to try – all I can say is, ‘WOW’. They say we eat with our eyes, and this loaf looked so attractive, with swirls of bright green, emulating extra virgin olive oil. In fact the green was a mixture of spirulina concentrate and safflower – both considered to have health benefits. Checking out the other ingredients – just wheat and rye flour, Nocellara olives, basil, sourdough starter and salt. It contains no artificial preservatives or flavourings.

The bread itself was simply delicious – I tried it fresh with San Manzano tomatoes and then later, toasted with butter – both worked extremely well. In fact it tasted just as if I’d added fresh olive oil and basil to the bread. And yes, it was more digestible – despite eating rather more than I should have (it’s downside is it’s impossible to stop at one slice) I had no unpleasant bloating afterwards.

The other big plus with Jason’s sourdoughs is that you don’t have to travel miles in search of an artisan bread maker – they’re available at Asda, Ocado and M & S. I strongly suggest you add this to your shopping list.

By Dr K Thompson, award-winning author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q

http://faitobooks.co.uk

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.

We have talked previously of automatic pilot, which we can spend up to 46% of our time stuck in & of our innate negativity bias.

But did you know that we also spend approximately 50% of our time ruminating on the past or worrying about the future? Couple this with the time spent in automatic pilot there’s not a lot of time left for the only moment that really matters, the present moment, right here right now.

Many of us ruminate on past events but there is little point – the past has already gone we can’t change it. Similarly, obsessing about & trying to control the future is also as pointless. A certain degree of planning for future events such a big meeting is certainly beneficial. But how often have you churned over an important meeting going over every detail only to attend the meeting & for it to not go exactly as you planned it? I would hazard a guess at more often than not.

Something else to consider. Our brain is a product of our past experiences. These experiences also create emotions. If you experience a highly charged emotional event, good or bad, that moment becomes neurologically embossed into your brain as a memory. If you continually obsess about a certain event this hard wires your brain for the same patterns. By obsessing about the past you are in effect hard-wiring your future for the similar circumstances that produce the same emotions that you have already experienced.

Energy flows where your attention goes, so if you are continually ruminating on past event, your energy is in the past. If you then start obsessing about all the things you have to do & people you have to see, you are directing your attention & energy into a predictable known future that is based on your past. You are continuously keeping your life the same by keeping your attention (thoughts) & energy (feelings) the same.

This is why learning to be present in the here & now is so important. If we are constantly distracted by the past or obsessing about the future, we are directing our creative energy away to the outer world, leaving little energy for our inner world to create new something new in your life. And you will keep repeating the same patterns.

But by turning inwards, staying present, then we really have the potential to create, heal, grow & take action & that’s where our true power lies. Meditation allows us to take our attention away from all that’s going on in our outer world & turn inwards to change our internal state, which is where true healing occurs. Bringing your attention inwards as you stay grounded in the present moment, free from the constraints of your past & limitations of a future that is determined by past events & emotions, builds the energy you have available to create something new. And this is where the magic happens!

This week’s meditation is a past & future meditation – a visualisation, this meditation gives us the opportunity to release our past & our future & enjoy the liberation of being grounded in the present moment. To obtain your copy email Alex at alex@alexbannard.com quoting FROSTP&F.

Alex is based on the edge of the stunning Cotswolds & has been sharing her love for all things yoga & mindfulness for almost a decade, not just in the UK but also around the world. Her mission is to help everyone discover a more mindful way of living & to encourage them to embrace regular self-care practices for a happier & healthier way of being.

If you would like more information on how to practice mindfulness, meditation & yoga message her at alex@alexbannard.com.

For free resources check out her Facebook group: Mindfulness & Yoga for Self-Care, here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MindfulnessYoga4Relationships

Alternatively please check out her website: alexbannard.com

In the city of Bristol, young women are dying in mysterious circumstances. The deaths look like suicides – but are they something more sinister?

Honor is terrified that her daughter might be next. But as she looks for clues as to what really happened to the girls, she stumbles upon a link to a dark secret in her own past – one that she’s kept from her daughter.

Now Honor has the chance to avenge her child for the terrible events of years ago.

I am a West country girl through and through and a ginormous bookworm, so how did I feel when I discovered a amazing new book is set in my beloved beautiful Bristol. Well let’s just say excitement was an understatement.

I am very rarely absorbed by a book within  the first sentence, but this one had me hooked. In this one sentence  the scene has been set on one of the most iconic landmarks of the Westcountry, in the British weather we know and love and the hint of something dreadful is about to occur.

Mel Mcgrath creates several in depth characters, each relatable in their own way and as the story advances the reader bounces from character to character, which can be slightly confusing to begin with but i soon was used to switching between the characters. The plot is compelling and thought provoking, fast paced and gripping.

I would recommend Two Wrongs to fans of; Louise Candlish, T.M. Logan and Peter James.

Pub date – 24^th June 2021

Available in – Paperback, Hardback, eBook and Audiobook

Does it put you off when you see a sticker on a book cover proclaiming it has won a literary prize? I’m guessing it doesn’t for most people or the publishers wouldn’t do it, though my book group always groans when we see the Booker Prize Winner sticker, even if we end up loving the book.

However The Mermaid of Black Conch, which won the more accessible Costa Book of the Year 2020, is now out in paperback, and is well worth a dip into.

A fisherman called David waits for a catch off the island of Black Conch in the caribbean. Instead of the expected red snapper, he is surprised by a mermaid, red skinned with black hair hanging with anemones and conch shells. They seem to have an instant connection and they meet at sea many times until by mistake she follows a different boat.  The mermaid is captured by American tourists who treat her like an animal and plan to exploit her.

David rescues her and slowly gains her trust as she metamorphoses back into the woman she once was before she was cursed. But she is spotted by one of her captors and curses don’t disappear…

I love books like this which make you wonder – how did the author think of that? From the title I expected a timeframe at least a couple of centuries back like the legends that inspired the story, but instead it is set in 1970’s, just close enough to be in living memory for many readers but far enough away to have perspective.

The same originality is shown in the way the tale is told three ways – by the narrator, in excerpts from David’s diary, and from the poetic inner voice of the mermaid herself which is beautifully written and gives a way into an otherwise difficult to reach character with little language.

The painful, difficult transformation back into a two legged woman is also brilliantly captured, as is the complicated relationship between the island’s past and future, encapsulated by relationship between Aycayia, the descendant of Victorian Anglican clergy and owner of most of the land, and Life, the poor local boy she has known from childhood who is the father of her child.

It’s a bittersweet story, but imaginatively told, and well worth spending time with over a cup of coffee.

The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey ISBN 978-1-529-11549-9 £8.99

Joffe Books’ Book of the Week, sounds fantastic. Get THE UNIFORM, a first-rate crime thriller debut by Jodie Lawrance!  99p/99c

Helen Carter has just landed her first case as a detective: a murder in an abandoned cinema. A mysterious clock-like symbol is drawn on the wall . . . in blood.  Stranger still is what the killer left behind: the business card of an ex-cop.

Since being promoted from WPC, Helen is having trouble making her mark in the male-dominated Edinburgh CID, working under Inspector Jack Craven. He’s not happy about having a woman on his team. Witnesses won’t talk to her, her colleagues don’t take her seriously.  And now a body turns up in a sweet shop with a pocket watch shoved in his mouth.

The clock is ticking to stop a serial killer.

The Night Hunter     by Caro Ramsay    99p/99c

Elvie’s sister, Sophie, is missing. She went out for a run — and never came home.

Then one night when Elvie is driving home, a body of a young woman crashes onto an oncoming car. Where has she been this whole time and why was she running for her life?

Elvie teams up with Anderson and Costello to find out what happened to Sophie and the other missing girls.

The Bisley Wood Murders by Biba Pearce  99p/99c

Katie is missing. Her pink backpack is found weighed down in the local reservoir.

Time is running out to find her, but strangely the disappearance has a striking resemblance to another unsolved mystery from twenty years ago.
It seems a killer has been haunting the area for years — can Detective Jo Maguire bring them to justice?

The Taste of Murder by Brian Battison

Out now 99p / 99c

DANGER LURKS WHERE YOU’D LEAST EXPECT IT . . .Someone’s contaminating the food in the local supermarket.Shards of glass are found in the baby food. Bleach in the bottles of ginger ale.  Can Detective Jim Ashworth stop the ruthless criminals before they harm anyone else?

I do think smell is the least appreciated sense, and yet, how it can change our mood or even our physical state. An unpleasant whiff can ruin our day, whereas an unexpected waft of sweet flowers can raise our spirits and bring us joy. An aroma can conjure up a childhood memory, or the image of a loved one in a flash. Not surprising that fragrances have been used since ancient times.

I was blown away by ARRAN Sense Of Scotland beauty products, so I didn’t need much persuasion to road-test their home fragrances.

ARRAN Sense Of Scotland is a family-run company, which began as a small soap-making business in an old dairy farm for Brodick Castle and has created vibrant, evocative scents for three generations. Despite having grown significantly, it’s held true to its island heritage.

What I love about ARRAN Sense Of Scotland is that somehow they bottle the wildness and beauty of the Isles. Their fragrances are quite different and distinctive, with depth and bite. As their hair products make your hair smell of a walk in the mountains, their home products bring those mountains right into your home.

I chose to try Jasmine and Philadelphus (I remember my mother calling it Mock-Orange Blossom – as a child I’d bury my nose in it for hours just to inhale the sweet smell). Both pack a surprising punch for such delicate white flowers.

I was not disappointed. Even as I opened the beautiful presentation tube of the Reed Diffuser, the fragrance hit me, as if I’d walked past a flowering bush.

Everything about ARRAN Sense Of Scotland exudes quality and thoughtful design. The glass bottle and extra long reeds create elegance and style – staying fresh for up to six months.

For a burst of aroma, the Room Spray, also beautifully presented in matching glass bottle is perfect when unexpected guests arrive.

And after a trying day you can enjoy real hedonistic pleasure, with a good book, a glass of wine and an ARRAN Sense Of Scotland beautiful pure white candle within a pretty glass holder – calm and comforting.

ARRAN Sense Of Scotland bring you the whole experience and I love their idea of using different fragrances in different rooms.

Just Grapefruit – mood-boosting citrus for any room, it uplifts, refreshes and rejuvenates.

Bergamot And Geranium – brings the outdoors in, for open plan areas and hallways. Keeping you motivated and energised, it’s great for a home office too.

After The Rain – as featured previously in Frost, a fresh, floral scent reconnects you with nature. Rose and sandalwood are soothing and stress-relieving, thus it works well in your lounge or bathroom.

So experience different moods in different rooms with a combination of ARRAN Sense Of Scotland reed diffusers, room sprays and candles – a novel way to enjoy a staycation in your own home perhaps?

By Dr K Thompson, award-winning author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q
http://faitobooks.co.uk

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.

A vegetarian for over thirty years, I must confess to suffering from FOMO (FEAR OF MISSING OUT).

Back in the old days, the only place to get a burger, was a Wimpey Bar and they did not offer takeaway.

Then along came McDonalds and Burger King, to join Kentucky Fried Chicken (now better known as KFC,) and soon no high street was complete without one, or all three. Friends would wax lyrical and have long conversations about the relative merits of each. Everyone it seemed had their favourite. I would listen in silence because there was nothing for me, the lone vegetarian, and even the advent of the Beanburger felt like an after-thought.

How times have changed, Vegans and Vegetarians are now so mainstream that most food outlets are clamouring for our attention, so I was delighted to be invited to taste the menu of Ready Burger, based in London’s Crouch End.

Fortuitously, I took along a younger colleague, who is exactly the market that Ready Burger is seeking to attract, and an aficionado of all things Burger.

Ready Burger opened in Park Road, Crouch End in May 2021, and if the constant queue of eager customers on the night I visited is anything to go by, this will be the first of many. Already plans are advanced to open in Finchley Road, followed by other venues in London and beyond.

Ready Burger presents a 100% plant-based menu offering a compilation of the world’s most popular burger favourites and classic sides at everyday prices, with inclusivity at the core. It is this inclusivity that appeals to vegetarians and vegans, people who care for the environment, and people who only eat Halal or Kosher meat.

The staff at Ready Burger are warm, friendly, and clearly passionate about their menu. Customers seeking advice are given time and as much information as they need to order, but from my tasting of the entire menu (I know, I know, I suffer for my art, but you’re worth it.) You really can’t make a bad choice, as it was all delicious. My colleague assured me that the food on this menu more than matched the more well known high street offering and we both raved over the careful seasoning of the fries and the chicken nuggets. Special mention to the vegan bacon and ‘cheese’ in my Cheeseburger, vegan cheese is notoriously difficult to get right, but Ready Burger have done it and then some.

Oreo Swirlee, is a tasty soft whip, providing a welcome desert and an utter steal at £0.99p. I can see why Ready Burger is so popular.

The brand is believed to be the first value driven, fully plant-based, quick service restaurant on the UK high street and Ready Burger’s signature ‘The Ready Burger’ (£1.99), is thought to be the only plant-based burger of its kind on the market for under £2.

A Ready Burger uses 70% less water to make than its beef burger counterpart. It also emits 92% less greenhouse gas emissions than a beef burger and requires 93% less land to produce.

The Crouch End Ready Burger is now open for collection via a hatch and digital order point kiosk, with a full menu of flavoursome plant-based burgers alongside classic sides, with premium and saver choices, as well as a range of premium value meals. Options range from; The Saver Menu Ready Burger (£1.99), to The Big Ready (£3.59), to The Chicken Challenger (£4.29), to the Saver Menu Double Cheeseburger (£3.39)

Ready Burger serves 100% plant-based fast food at affordable prices, using high quality proteins to create great tasting versions of the world’s favourite fast food, burgers and classic sides.

FOMO no more for yours truly, I will be heading back to Ready Burger whenever I need my fix of fast environmentally friendly, vegan food.

Ready Burger is now open at 16 Park Road, London, N8 8TD, open Monday – Sunday, 12 noon – 12am.

https://www.readyburger.co.uk/