SLOW-ROASTED HAZELNUT MILK

“Thank you so much for the cooking workshop, Wow I have been buzzing ever since! It was great to be able to meet and talk with you, and fantastic to see the integrity that you approach this whole area with. So exciting to be thinking about sustainability and local at the same time. And to see your approach to keeping it affordable for families and people on a budget.”

I share this with you because there is a reason I do what I do, and to receive this feedback affirms I am on track. Firstly, I hope to approach the often confusing subject of nutrition from a place of balance. There are so many diets and ways of eating, and there is certainly not one size fits all. My hope is to share ideas and recipes that can be varied to suit each individual. Because we are all different.

However, it was the words ‘sustainability and local’ that delighted me to read. Particularly as this year I have been making more of an effort to source what I can locally. We are by no means perfect and still have a long way to go. But I love that we can purchase a large majority of our food direct from the person who makes/grows it. I will admit we are incredibly lucky in Nelson with the quality handmade food we can access. I haven’t been to the supermarket in weeks, almost everything we eat, besides some spices and dry goods, I buy direct from the grower/ producer at the Farmers market. In one round of the market I can fill my bags with fruit, veg, avocados, raw honey, dried beans, nuts, sourdough bread, fresh pasta, eggs, free-range meat, cheese, and even locally made chocolate (yes the cacao is imported but from a traceable single origin).

The recipe I share here today is a gratitude to my hard-working local growers and producers. Many of you I have got to know by name, some have even become good friends welcoming my family into your homes to share our passion for eating well. This is why I started this website, to honour those food heroes whose products compliment what I grow in my own garden. I mean, why would I buy imported nuts when I can purchase freshly cracked hazelnuts for the same price direct from the man who grows them 20km away from where I sit. Buy local!