

From Instagram
PostHome-grown oats!
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Back in spring, when Silvia at @lebarbarighe sent me some of her naked oats (so I could sprout them for ale), I had the crazy idea of planting some.
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Crazy because I have no garden; no soil…just a collection of pots squeezed together on a patio. Crazy because I no *nothing* about growing grain. Crazy because I knew I would be away for 5 weeks with no-one to care for them.
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But I couldn’t help myself!
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And look at these! They are one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen for ages. I literally can’t stop looking at them and smiling. The experience has given me just a tiny, tiny taste of how my ancestors, who subsisted on oats, whose calendar was built around them – who literally grew up with all their smells, tastes routines and rituals – must have felt.
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I feel joyful and amazed and humbled and connected. ‘Just’ by a grass.
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Next task (if I can bring myself to do it) is to thresh them and get the grain out.

1:1 Mentoring: Get Going with Ancient Grain Sourdough
ProductWant to make ancient grain sourdough a part of your kitchen but struggling to actually make it happen? Feel overwhelmed by all the sourdough information out there and want a simple, clear way to bring wholegrain ancient grain bread to … Read More

7 Ways to Stay on Track with Your Gut Healing
PostAs ancestral foodies, gut healing is something that, if it didn’t bring us to this way of eating in the first place, plays a very large part in our consciousness. I first became aware of the concept of healing the … Read More
Spelt Videos
PageBelow are videos that’ll help you with the recipes in Sourdough Spelt Everyday: How to tent your loaf tin with aluminium foil (this video comes from my course Rye Sourdough Bread: Mastering The Basics) Whole Spelt Pizza: The consistency of … Read More
From Instagram
PostStruggling with milk kefir?
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Me too! Turns out it wasn’t me…it was my grains. Listen in to hear why.
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How’s your milk kefir? Have you experienced this before?
Kitchen Table Chats #27 – Pastry, Liver Capsules & All About Wales
PostThese are the show notes for a podcast episode recorded especially for patrons of my main show (Ancestral Kitchen Podcast). These patrons pay a monthly subscription to be part of the podcast community and in return receive monthly exclusive recordings … Read More
From Instagram
PostYou can make rye bread kvass with old rye sourdough and use the same bread for batch after batch. It’s simple, fizzy, delicious and doesn’t need much attention.
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I like it flavoured with fresh mint (which is going crazy in the garden!). If you’re a kvass fan, I’d love to hear how you flavour yours.
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My method is in my profile (it’s the first one under the recipes sections).
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If you are interested in expanding your fermented drinks repertoire, have a listen to @ancestralkitchenpodcast #60 ‘”What Fermented Drinks Can I Make?’
#65 – Our Birthing Stories
PostJust like the Ancestral Diet is so different from the standard American diet, so the ways our ancestors birthed bears very little relation to how modern industrialised communities bring the next generation into the world. In this intimate episode, originally recorded for patrons of the podcast, Andrea and I share our birthing stories.… Read More
From Instagram
PostMace is my favourite spice. Last week, I stumbled on it whole in my local herbalist shop.
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Italy has a herbalist (‘erboristeria’) in most towns. Some of them have almost been taken over by ‘products’ (i.e. the plastic-encased things you can spray or squeeze!) but usually, at the back, there are shelves and shelves of herbs and behind the counter there is an extremely knowledgeable person who can help with a myriad of things…including getting me some whole mace!
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So back to the mace. I love it with sweet potato, add it to my fermenting beet kvass and often plop some into my stock pot at it’s bubbling.
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Here I’m grinding it with all spice berries, black pepper and sea salt to make a spice mix for beef liver pate. The pate will also include onion, mushrooms, red wine and lots of butter/lard. Mace mixed with all spice brings wonderful warm tones to the pate, making liver-eating a really pleasurable experience (my 9-year-old loves it).
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Have you tried mace? What do you use it for?