January’s Five Foodie Must Haves

This is January’s five foodie must-haves, brought to you by Velvet magazine

Cook It

Mind food

Described as a “a delicious and revolutionary invitation to nourish our mental health using whole foods, inspired by years of research around how food can make us happy”, new cookbook Mind Food is just what we need to boost us through January’s grey days.

The brainchild of Lauren Lovatt, the chef behind East London’s PLANT ACADEMY, it contains more than 70 spirit-lifting seasonal dishes, all of which explore the power of plants, whole grains, healthy fats and tonic herbs to support emotional balance.

* Mind Food: Plant-Based Recipes for Positive Mental Health by Lauren Lovatt is out in eBook on January 18 and hardback on February 1, published by Leaping Hare Press and priced £20.

Order Mind Food

Eat It

The Green Room – Sawston

Whether you’re brunching, lunching or dining out, there’s a new (and reportedly delicious) destination in Sawston. Called The Green Room, the independent cafe/bistro opened its doors on the High Street at the end of last year and is already finding fame among the area’s foodies for its all-day menu, spanning “house waffles, our take on eggs Benedict, Royale and Florentine” through the signature “slow-cooked hot salt beef on rye sandwich” to “salted cod brandade on toasted Grain Culture sourdough”.

Eat at The Green Room

Shop It

Pinch in Cambridge

Wishing you could escape the UK’s grey January days? Head for Pinch, the new deli and cafe bar on Cambridge’s Rose Crescent, and soak up some sun-drenched Spanish vibes. . . Created by the team behind the city’s sister cocktail bars and bistros La Raza and Ta Bouche, Pinch takes its name from ‘pinxtos’, the small tapas-style plates signature to northern Spain which also star – both hot and cold, to either eat in or take away – on the venue’s menu.

Treat yourself at Pinch 

Order It

Gracefully Free. Credit: Suffolk News & Mark Westley

After eating a bacon sandwich left her in bed for three days with crippling stomach cramps, Risby’s Grace Beckett was forced to accept her intolerance to gluten – and inspired to set up her own online food shop, Gracefully Free. Spanning staples through to little luxuries, her virtual shelves are now stocked with more than 100 items from brands such as Pep & Lekker (plant-based and all-natural baked snacks from Milton Keynes) and Savoursmiths (hand-cooked and naturally flavoured crisps, based just outside Cambridge).

Order at Gracefully Free

Do It

Primal 8. Credit: Suffolk News & Mecha Morton

Get your year off to a mindful start and pop into Primal 8, the new health and wellbeing cafe in Bury St Edmunds, to reboot in the Zen Den, a relaxation area complete with comfy sofa and soothing water feature. Opening at the end of last year on the town’s Risbygate Street, Primal 8 is the brainchild of local couple Alison Turner and Chris Pask. Inspired by their own wellbeing journeys – healthy living helped her overcome medical issues and him lose eight stone – it’s part cafe, part shop, stocking everything from CBD-infused body balms and seaweed supplements to kombucha and bone broth.

Follow Primal 8 on Facebook

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