introduced NOURISH, a new menu created by international health, beauty and nutrition expert, Karen Cummings-Palmer.What will be a continually updated menu will use only locally sourced, seasonal and organic ingredients. Dishes are carefully curated with a strong focus on offering health benefits, yet without forgoing flavour and satisfying hungry appetites.
Karen divides her time between London and LA and has an extensive list of celebrity clients, so it was a testament to her first class service that she not only hosted the event, but generously gave every guest a 5 minute consultation for any health issues they were willing to share. Karen is extremely beautiful, charismatic and has a professional confidence that had you surrender yourself to her with ease. She volunteered a plethora of useful tips on eating(*over-eating for a day once in a while -yes, Christmas is forgivable!- can actually help speed up the metabolism and benefit the body, PROVIDED you do only do it once in a while and do not continue to do so for some days in a row) and how to get the most out of your ingredients(*putting your mushrooms into direct sunlight to absorb extra vitamin D before you cook them) and made her feelings on health very clear: “We must not stop experiencing life’s great pleasures in pursuit of perfection”(taken from her website). So while we tucked into some organic popcorn made with coconut oil and seasoned with Himalayan salt, we were reassured that even snacking could be seen as ‘supportive’.
The starters were a seasonal chopped salad of cavolo nero, avocado, radish and beetroot with a dressing which danced just inside the edge of being too tart, ideal to counterbalance the greasy, creamy, sweetness of December’s Yuletide and wintery fodder; and a kale winter veg and quinoa salad, where the oh so trendy sprout tops made an appearance, all cooked as they should be done: perfectly crunchy and al dente.
To follow was a piece of crispy-skinned fried mackerel(*omega 3, found in mackerel, is worth trying to ease backache, because it also works as an anti-inflammatory) served with fermented root vegetables, beautifully complimenting the oiliness of the fish, a pastiche of a dish we would expect on an in-vogue Scandinavian dining table. The meat dish on offer was a loin of venison, surprisingly rich for such lean meat with caramelised onions, shiitake mushrooms and black rice that was hearty and no man could complain was unsatisfying.
A selection of puddings followed which included 80% dark chocolate chips, wheat free and sugar free oat cookies and an almost toothache-inducingly sweet dairy-free ice cream made from coconut milk and bananas which did not compromise on flavour and was enjoyed with a feeling of ‘naughtiness’.On that note, it should be mentioned that red wine was offered with the meal as well as a deep red beetroot juice, cleverly served in a wine glass for anyone detoxing and having red wine withdrawal…
The prices are surprisingly reasonable too. At £8 for the salad starters and around £16 for a main, this meal was incredible value considering the range of ingredients used and the menu is carefully curated to balance health with flavour. Karen Cummings-Palmer as a nutritionist has a refreshing approach to eating, tailoring the NOURISH menu to real people who don’t want to be told to give up everything to be healthy and who might like to have the opportunity to eat in a venue which offers health-boosting dishes but which friends, who have an aversion to healthy food, won’t also mind going to.
The NOURISH menu can also be part of the The Nourish Package, which will include an overnight stay for two at Sanderson, an in-room carrot, beet, kale and ginger juice per person, 80-minute Hot Stone Massage and NUXE Booster Facial at agua spa and a three-course lunch or dinner from the Nourish menu at The Restaurant at Sanderson. The package starts from £639 and will be available now until 31st March 2016.
