OAK EATS ALL THE RASPBERRIES

Yeah, I know this place has been a little dead for over a year, I had a kid and my final year of university to contend with, but I've been diligently shooting away and not posting anywhere beyond a private place for my family and I (our dropbox).

But! But. I've decided that video could be an interesting medium to try, after all I've been watching YouTube since 2006, before the internet now what a vlogger was and they say understanding what works is half the battle. Expect more, we're back to Canada for xmas 2015.

GASTOWN, VANCOUVER, BC

Lets not talk about how long its been. Instead lets talk about Gastown, Vancouver a bustling hub of everything Hannah and I love. We enjoyed a month on the West Coast last Christmas (I said lets not talk about how long its been) and got to explore Vancouver and Seattle to our hearts content.

We knew Gastown was a must after a huge cluster of interesting finds centred in this tiny little area and we made it our first outing there, wondering around making sure to drop into a few of our must-see spots, the first was Old Faithful Shop a space stocking plenty of quality items. They even had a frenchie to snuggle as we had to leave Eggs with my parents!

After browsing and buying a few select items that would fit in our cramped suitcases we headed for a caffeine fix at Revolver Coffee, I ordered an AeroPress with beans from Bows & Arrows based in Victoria, BC. I think about this coffee a lot as it was delicious and I've tasked Hannah to bring me some back when she takes Oak to meet the extended family before Christmas.

I loved Revolver, it was a very chilled atmosphere with perfectly finished details that scream attention to detail, like the plywood shelving cut at precisely 45° angles to match with the uprights in two angles! I found myself taking photos of the shelves in their toilets (yep, I'm that guy) for inspiration on unique storage solutions. I'll be glad to go back there one day, to drink their coffee and enjoy their space.

We strolled around Gastown for a little while longer, dropping in and out of shops we liked the look of, some honourable mentions include One of a Few, East Van Roasters, Nelson the Seagull, Neighbour and countless others I've failed to recall!

Our final stop of the day was Bestie, while its technically in Chinatown it is a must visit! Hannah's sister Sophie's friend started this little spot, serving high quality, well sourced Currywurst at insanely reasonable prices and their space is AMAZING.

I don't think the photos quite do it justice but this is everything I look for in a quality restaurant and the food was superb, I enjoyed a standard currywurst and a hardcider from Left Field Cider Co. again sourced from BC. Gah I love this place, I think we went back at least twice more before we left and it will be top of the list when we get back in the future!




 It seems Gastown is crammed with small businesses run by people that really care about their brand, and give all the attention they can to fellow creators based in BC, be that roasters or designers or wood workers. I feel this is how our world should be, good people helping good people do even better work.

Next up is our few days in Seattle!

THE PRIMAL KITCHEN

Suzie from The Primal Kitchen and I have been chatting during #paleohour for quite some time, talking all things diet and lifestyle with loads of other UK folk, and realising she only lives up the road from Hannah and I, AND she is a member of Crossfit Wycombe. A place I want to start frequenting when Hannah and I's schedule is slightly more normal & the garage gym has lost its appeal or after the baby is born and the house is finished.

Suzie and her team have been very busy over the last few months creating the UK's first truly Paleo Bar, made from whole, real ingredients, and of course not containing any grains, gluten, refined sugar, soya or any of the other nastiness found so readily in our snack food these days. Each bar contains less than five ingredients, is cold press and super delicious. My personal favourite is the Brazil Nut & Cherry!

I have huge respect for Suzie and the Primal Kitchen in being a part of the UK community, she has been there from the beginning talking real food. The bars are appearing in countless Crossfit gyms across the country and the Facebook & Twitter  pages are promoting plenty of reviews from all over the internet including the GAPS, SCD, WAPF & JERF communities. Its great to see!

Also, the packaging is amazing. Its so refreshing to see a modern, interesting take on design that conveys perfectly what these bars are. I've tried to match this with my photography as after Suzie DM'd me about doing a review of the bars I knew I had to step up my game and create a photo I could be proud of, thankfully this idea hit me square in the face and I ran to the shop to buy piles and piles of nuts, cherries and coconut to capture my idea.

Seriously, give these bars a go, you won't be disappointed.

MY FITNESS, UNIVERSITY, A NEW HOME & OUR BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

Its been quiet around here, and that is putting it very lightly. 

I'll say I have a valid reason, or reasons, but in all honesty I don't. Life just gets a little crazy sometimes and you have to prioritise only the most crucial aspects of the ride. For me that is keeping active, eating & sleeping right and trying to enjoy some form of social life and I can say I have managed this over the last four and a half months. Sure, it meant my camera didn't come everywhere with me, and I didn't make the time to photograph what I've been cooking, but its been happening - I actually have two blog posts drafted that may see the light of day at some point.

You see after Hannah's mum visited in September I began the last two years of this crazy 7 year ride called getting a degree in Building Services Engineering on a day release programme, which meant coursework & revision and a ten hour day at London Southbank once a week book ended with a two hour commute each way.

During this crazy period we started looking for a home together and moved out of our little flat at the end of November to stay with my parents until everything was sorted. I'm thankful to say we are almost there and I can't wait to get back into our own place, though it needs a ton of renovations before we move in. I'll be documenting all that work here as I think the before and after will be very shocking to remember in a few years. Also, the dream shed gym is already planned for the end of the garden along with internal drawings of the entire house! We spent a lot of time working on that stuff during our Christmas break.

We had a lovely month long trip to Vancouver & Seattle over the Christmas period, but more on that in the very near future when I get around to editing some photos. Lets just say there was a lot of coffee, food and family. Just the way a holiday should be.

Of course I've also been lifting a lot of heavy things, getting out of breath regularly and trying to achieve my goals for 2014:

120kg Back Squat

80kg Bench Press (bro reps don't count)

40 Unbroken Butterfly Pull-Ups (floating somewhere around 32 at the moment)

Improving my mobility through the overhead squat/snatch (I've seen huge gains here already)

I'm doing about 5 hours a week at the moment and If I can hit these goals at a weight of 68kg I'll be very happy!

Hannah and I have been celebrating our biggest news of the year and probably our entire lives:

I can't wait to begin our biggest adventure yet, as a team and linked in the most real way.

Each night we lay in bed and talk about our boy, whilst feeling for the kicks he so generously provides, like he knows we are talking about him, or to him. I love Hannah's excitement when buying baby clothes or her attention to detail when finding products she loves and wants, that will support our boy in the best way possible so he can learn and develop.

I think I'm most excited about watching him move, watching him enjoy the world whilst getting him ready for a life of optimal health and movement and teaching him to be the man I want him to be, the same way my father has done for me, and still does to this day.

I'm just excited to get started, in our family home, doing the best damn job I can do to bring our little man into the best world I can muster.

There will be more to come on this. The camera is primed and ready and the inspiration is flowing.

SANDY LANE FARM, TIDDINGTON

Over the weekend we got the chance to visit Sandy Lane Farm in Tiddington. Thanks to British Food Fortnight they are hosting a plethora of events over the next two weeks and I'm sure Hannah and I will enjoy the benefits (we may even go to the Seasonal Supper!).

As we walked into the main court yard of the farm on a rather chilly Saturday morning I knew we were in for a treat.

With the farm house tightly nestled between ancient wooden barns and new born piglets running around a spacious pen as their enormous mother idly slept certainly re-enforced for me, the family's commitment to providing local organic vegetables and pasture raised animals bred in an ethical manor. 

As you can imagine it was the perfect farm for any member of the Paleo community to visit and makes this whole journey worth while as finding these little patches of perfection takes time and effort, and to find one 30 minutes from my door was so gratifying!

We also had the pleasure of buying their freshly picked produce direct from the barn and I happily filled a box with various squashes (its finally squash season!), potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, apples and of course some pork chops and a huge chunk of pork belly! I was a child in a candy shop, touching everything, enjoying the mix of scents emanating from the ancient wood, freshly turned dirt and perfectly ripe veggies.

Thankfully our day wasn't over as we joined Farmer Bennet  for a tour of their organic fields and an introduction to the larger scale methods of organic farming on an 8 year cycle starting with 2 years of nitrogen building and followed by differing vegetables depending on their needs. Super interesting as it certainly opened my eyes to growing sustainable on a larger scale with their 25 acre plot split into 8 sections meaning they are always producing differing vegetables for market.

Remember the pigs I mentioned? Eggs LOVED them, I'm convinced he thought they were frenchies and was desperately trying to get under the fence to run around with them, or whining incessantly with his tail in the air just hoping one would escape. It was adorable on both accounts as the piglets would get more brave until Eggs gained an inch and they would scurry off only to return two minutes later trying to discern what this black storting animal trying to play with them was.

BLUEGRASS BBQ, HIGH WYCOMBE

Bluegrass BBQ has been on Hannah and I's radar for a few months after Hannah saw the Ten Mile Menu guys tweeting about a new BBQ joint opening up in Wycombe, we patiently waited and followed along on Facebook & Twitter until Tuesday last week rolled around and their doors opened.

As we walked in and took our seats I was struck by the décor, a simple retro American theme with custom decorated wall panels throughout helping set the scene for a genuine American BBQ joint and with the place settings and simply presented sauces I was reminded of my last real BBQ experience at Grillstock in Bristol. Also, the restaurant was surprisingly busy for 7pm on a Tuesday night, who know Wycombe was screaming out for good independent restaurants? Oh yeah, EVERYONE! (micro rant, over.)

I went for a pulled pork & brisket whilst Hannah opted for a simple pulled pork. The meat was perfectly cooked, still juicy and very tender, in fact I'd have to say it out did Grillstock for me and I'll definitely be going back shortly to try some more of their sauces and sample a few other items on the menu.

I didn't sweat about the non Paleo fries, sometimes life gives you BBQ and who would I be to say no?

P.S - Please go and support another indie restaurant in Wycombe - Mom's Diner. They are going through some tough times after their fire last year and need our support to get back on their feet. I'll be popping in for a coffee sometime this week!

 

BLOG'N'BAKE'S DAY @ STREET FEST LONDON - PALEO LEMON POUND CAKE

After the crazy baking rush at the end of last week Blog'n'Bake braved the torrential downpours pounding London and headed to Dalston Yard for #BloggerSaturday at Street Feast London to present our much blogged baked goods to the world.

I baked up some of my favourite Paleo Brownies, Lemon Pound Cake & Lemon Bars, Hannah had baked up her Naniamo Bars (soon to be made Paleo), Giulia had made her famous Carrot Cake & Chocolate Cheesecake whilst Wendy bought along her Tart au Citron and a few very special Kaya Jams she had slaved over the night before.

I really enjoyed chatting with people about the benefits of a Paleo lifestyle and describing how the baked goods came together, thankfully only a few people turned their noses up when I told them everything was gluten, grain, diary & refined sugar free but plenty of other people had heard of Paleo and were interested to hear what treats looked like in my world. This was of course great to see in London

Definitely an awesome day and I'm really looking forward to some more Blog'n'Bake outings in the future!




We definitely had awesome day chatting to the other vendors and trying their fantastic food with a few highlights being a bunless burger from Honest Burger and some amazing Scallops from a fellow food blogger Pork and Salmon. After Saturday I'm really looking forward to some more Blog'n'Bake outings! And so, onto the Lemon Pound Cake:

This lemon pound cake is truly spectacular, the glaze is a must and if you bake it right it comes out so beautifully moist it doesn't feel you're giving up anything but not packing it with crappy sugar and faux lemon juice. Unfortunately I can't claim credit for how awesome it is as I pretty much stick to Civilised Cavemen's recipe but reduce the honey to 1/2 a cup, leave out the lemon zest as I feel it gives the glaze a very strange texture and bake it in a loaf tin to increase the thickness and keep the centre more moist.

BLOG'N'BAKE @ STREET FEAST LONDON - PALEO LEMON BARS

Phew, I feel like I've been cracking Eggs and juicing lemons for hours, its worth it though!

They've all gone into the Paleo Treats I'll be selling at Street Feast London on Saturday as part of the Blog'n'Bake collective and the #BloggerSaturday event Street Feast are hosting! I'll be there from Noon with Hannah, Giulia & Wendy selling a variety of our favourites including my contribution of Paleo Lemon Bars, Lemon Pound Cake and Blueberry, Banana & Chocolate Brownies. 

These are recipes I make and enjoy on a regular basis and all of them are Paleo friendly meaning no gluten, grains, diary or refined sugar. So if you're at all interested in trying some Paleo baked goods please come down as I'd love to meet some UK Paleo folks. 

They'll be plenty of other not so Paleo options thanks to Giulia making her Carrot Cake (I can confirm it is amazing and definitely part of my 20%), Hannah making the Canadian classic of Naniamo Bars and Wendy crafting her Lemon Tarts.

The Lemon Bars above are based on the recipe by the uber talented Danielle from Against All Grain. If you're interested in making them yourself check out the recipe here: http://www.againstallgrain.com/2013/05/10/luscious-lemon-bars-nut-free/

If you haven't already, check out her amazing recipes and order yourself a copy of her book!

MY PALEO BOX & BANANA BREAD

Last week I received the first My Paleo Box and I'm mighty impressed, the range of products in the box was diverse and after a quick spot of online window shopping the value proposition is clear. The box has plenty of staples of the Paleo diet including coconut oil, coconut flour & almond butter as well as some treats from Naked Ape, Nakd (my latest addiction), The Raw Chocolate Co and a few surprises like Paleo Powder, Avacado Oil and some Himalayan Salt

Although is quite an investment each month I think I'll stick with it, in hopes I'll get to experience new and different products each month along with the staples I use on a daily basis and its great to see the UK Paleosphere surging forward thanks to this box, plenty of conversations taking place during #paleohour (Tuesday 8-9pm, if you're interested) and an ever growing list of bloggers and companies offering real food any aspiring caveman can enjoy.


The box also come with a recipe card for Paleo banana bread and banana leaf to line the tin. Of course I had to bake and photograph my favourite paleo treat using the recipe and thankfully it turned out great!