Chef Naturelle

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Chef Naturelle

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Naturopathic chef based in Hertford and specialising in delicious and nourishing plant-based whole food cooking offering cooking lessons, retreat catering and pop-up events.

30/10/2024

If you’ve been carving pumpkins, then using up the flesh to make a pumpkin pie is a delicious way to use what would otherwise go to waste. I went to a local pumpkin farm for the first time in my life this year - my 16month-old son loved it and the sight of all the different squashes and pumpkins on a sunny Autumn day was magical, but I got sadden at the sight of hundreds of rotten pumpkins in the field… and also worried about how many more would go to waste, unpicked.

For those who haven’t been carving, I would choose red onion squash and kabocha squash for their dense and flavourful flesh. Butternut squash offers a more subtle and fresher taste but it’s too wet so I would avoid it.

Making the squash purée from either roasted (bolder flavour) or steamed (fresher taste - personal favourite) squash delivers the best taste, texture and nutrition.

I add freshly grated ginger to a gluten-free crust for a spicy lift, and serve it alongside a cream flavoured with freshly grated nutmeg.

Perfect dessert for the celebrations of the harvest season! 🍂 🎃

26/10/2024

One of those slow autumn days. The golden seasonal light. A rare and delicious day when I don’t cook. I couldn’t help myself but capture the meal my friend cooked which I thought was perfectly composed. It’s about the food, but also about the plates, the table, the colours, the textures 🍂

19/10/2024

“We first eat with our eyes”

As chefs, how we plate a dish is a way to express our creativity and to tell a story. As a guest, that first impression is going to impact our whole experience of the dish.

There’s no right or wrong way of plating, but it needs to be considered whether the aim is to create a sophisticated or a rustic look and whether we serve food to clients or loved ones.

Thank you to the lovely group of students today who used their creativity, love and skills to create beautiful looking plates.

Hazelnut financier, crème pâtissière and blood orange gel made at today’s Food Photography and Presentation class taught alongside the one and only

15/10/2024

In my kitchen during the Autumn season, one of the dishes I love to make on repeat is this creamy butterbean mash with rose garam masala butternut squash and green oil. Good to make ahead for everyday lunches as part of an Autumn abundance plate, or to serve for a dinner party as a dip with fresh sourdough bread. It’s a warming, pleasing and satisfying dish.

If you would like to make it, the recipe is in the Autumn e-cookbook, link in my biog!

24/09/2024

Autumn is here 🍂 As the days get shorter, baking cookies, biscuits and other tastebuds ticklers becomes a recurring soothing, contemplative and creative activity. This is the season of harvest, and with harvest comes sharing. Even if you don’t have a garden, allotment or a farm to harvest from, you can gather ingredients, bake something you love, wrap it nicely and gift it.

Photographed are some (seriously addictive - both the smell of them baking and the taste!) golden tahini cookies gifted to the wonderful

19/09/2024

Oh the joy of cooking again for this family! Last time was May 2023, before baby Joshua arrived. I planned on going back a lot sooner but if there’s one thing that I have learnt in the last year, it is that motherhood creates the biggest changes in a woman. What hasn’t changed however is my love of cooking for others. If anything, it has expanded.

My time in their kitchen, uninterrupted by a curious little man, was meditation. Connecting with the beautiful produce from , working in harmony with knives and pans, the cooker and oven as my co-workers.

First up on the menu was a last hurrah for nectarine with a nectarine and chamomile chia pudding.

As a snack, a beautiful wild mushroom and walnut pâté, with thyme and homegrown tarragon weaved through, ready to be spread on super think super crunchy seeded buckwheat crackers.

The salad was a mix of bitter leaves - red dandelion, nasturtium, pea shoots and laces of the fragrant shiso leaves, maple and tamari roasted Kabocha squash, fresh and grilled figs, toasted Piemonte hazelnuts (the very best), to be generously drizzled with a creamy courgette, lime and basil dressing.

The warm main - a plant version of a Peruvian dish called cau cau with potatoes, green beans, Romano peppers served with golden quinoa and fresh coriander and mint.

30/08/2024

COURGETTE RIBBONS & WATERMELON SALAD / Crunchy, refreshing and with an umami dressing, this is the salad I like to make on those last warm days of late Summer, served as an accompaniment to a tomato tart + a buckwheat and rice salad. I wrote this recipe for last year and it is accessible on their website.

26/08/2024

JOYFUL PANCAKES / My cooking these days is without gluten due to my auto-immune condition, including when I cook for clients as I need to be able to taste the recipes. Instead of seeing it as a limit and a frustration, this limit feeds my creativity - I love experimenting with ingredients!

I wanted a protein rich recipe, so for these pancakes I used quinoa, brown rice and red split lentils which I soaked overnight before blending with filtered water to form a batter. A sprinkle of sea salt, et voilà! The result is a super flavourful, protein rich and slightly chewy pancake, delicious eaten plain or served with coconut yoghurt, a sprinkle of bee pollen for energy and B vitamins, fresh berries making the most of the last weeks of their season and a generous drizzle of maple syrup for good measure.

I also like eating these for lunch or dinner, they can replace a piece of bread or some crackers!

24/08/2024

LATE SUMMER PLATE / Pea hummus, boiled beetroot, juicy tomatoes, caramelised red onions and an aromatic dressing made of EVOO, brown rice vinegar, mustard, mint and tarragon.

I wished you were in my kitchen to smell the aroma of the onions as they were caramelising, in my garden to feel the soft leaves of the tarragon as they were picked and at my table to share this dish as we tucked into it.

A good dressing is often the answer to make a good dish a great one. No recipe for this one, put all the ingredients in a dish and blend using a hand blender. Taste, season and add more of one ingredient or another as you taste until you are happy with it. Follow your instincts, and have a delicious time!

21/08/2024

RASPBERRY, CHOCOLATE & FENNEL / After reading an earlier post from , I decided to flick through my camera roll too. There are thousands of photos in there (which really need sorting, storing and editing!), just in the last year, almost equally split between baby Joshua and food in all its forms - ingredients grown, foraged, dishes cooked, dishes eaten out.

When this photo came up, it transported me back on a hot August Sunday when I made a cake to celebrate my sister-in-law’s birthday as Joshua was 7 weeks old.

A gluten-free sponge slightly citrus scented, topped with a chocolate ganache, raspberry coulis, fresh fennel seed pods and calendula flower petals. A sweet memory indeed.

15/08/2024

PRESERVING / Ah, late Summer! The season which is as much a time for preserving than it is about enjoying. When the light is deliciously radiant, the evenings cooler and the garden abundant, we are beckoned to preserve some of that golden time and store it for the darker months to come.

10/08/2024

GARDEN LEAVES / I gathered a few leaves and flowers in the garden to make a simple, delicious and attractive plate. Dandelion leaves, nastartium leaves and flowers, calendula petals mixed with purple frills.
I always have leaves at the end of a meal, something left from my French upbringing - salad is always served just before cheese and dessert, this salad being perfect to end a meal thanks to the digestive properties of bitter dandelion and nastartium leaves.

28/07/2024

WATERMELON ICE LOLLIES / An easy, satisfying and crowd pleasing way to stay hydrated and refreshed in the Summer heat ☀️ 💦

27/07/2024

MANGO CHIA BOWL / with all the toppings. I finally feel ready to move away from a warm start to the day to enjoy this beautiful sunshine! A smoothie bowl, thick enough to eat with a spoon and lusciously creamy. I soak the chia seeds overnight in the fridge in a clove infusion, then blend it together with frozen mango, coconut milk or yoghurt, flaxseed and a pinch of sea salt. You can add cashew butter before blending to increase the protein content and make the texture even more heavenly. I tend load it with whatever I have on hand - seeds, nuts, some goji berries and of course homegrown flowers petals, dried from last year.

You could swap the fruit with any seasonal fruits, it is beautiful with berries and cardamom, peach and chamomile, strawberries and raspberries with rose.

23/07/2024

PURPLE SUMMER / I love the deep and rich purple colour that comes with Summer. Aubergines, blueberries, blackberries, cherries, açai , blackcurrants, plums, pomegranate, beetroot. The colour means the presence of anthocyanin in the food - a power antioxidant contributing to heart and brain health while tackling inflammation in the body, which we all need less of!

I am intrinsically drawn into choosing more purple at this time of year and when I received my weekly shop from , I made this all purple salad showcasing cherries, beetroot and turnips on a bed of radicchio leaves. I find the flavours and rich colour in this salad are perfect, with the natural sweetness of the veg balanced by the saltiness of the sea purslane and the dish coming together with a creamy, garlicky and lemony pine nut dressing.

The salad comes together relatively quickly as the chicory is bathed into cold water to keep its crunch, the beetroots and turnips are steamed and the cherries simply pitted. The dressing is a matter of blending, although if time allows it could be made in a pestle and mortar.

I can see how this salad will become my new Summer go-to. Who else out there is a purple fan? 💜

17/07/2024

SUN KISSED PICKLES / with a hint of fennel and celery.

Acidity was always my palate’s favourite and now is also the most important flavour in my cooking. I have had a love affair with vinegar since I was very young, dipping bread in my dad’s homemade wine vinegar until my lips turned white. Without needing to be that extreme, vinegar adds acidity which in my opinion brings a dish together.

Whether cooking for a private client, at a retreat or for family and friends, I tend to add pickles to any plate of food - from salads, tarts and sandwiches to stew, curries and soups. They add layer, complexity and a delicious crunch. The way I pickle, the quick method as I call it, doesn’t require any heat meaning that the pickle stays very crunchy, and uses raw and unpasteurised apple cider vinegar (mostly homemade) which not only tastes delicious but also contains those friendly bacteria which our gut flora loves so much.

Pickled red onions make one of the most attractive pickles as they become this gorgeous pink along with the vinegar they are bathing in and which I like using as a dressing ingredient later. The plants growing around me being my muse, I added fennel fronds and celery flowers from the allotment garden to give a herbal touch.

15/07/2024

FENNEL AND PLUMS / 14th July doubles up as a French celebration and my long gone grandmother’s birthday. I always think of a tart as a very French dessert, and a reminder of my grandmother. Seeing her walking out of the kitchen with a freshly baked apple tart in her hands on a Sunday is one of my most cherished memories. So in memory of my grandmother, in celebration of Bastille day, and in having friends over for lunch, I made this tart.

I thought I would try a new flavour combination, inspired by the fennel fronds from the allotment and the yellow plums from so made a sweet pastry filled, filled it with a fennel custard and topped work glossy juicy plums. It is a great match which my friends loved - I wonder if Mamie Aurélie would have liked it too.

13/03/2024

// NEW EVENT // French “Nid De Pâques” Easter Bake Sale

Thursday 28th March - 1pm to 3pm (or sell out) at , Hertford

Dear friends, I am pleased to announce that I am gently back with offerings! I’ve been playing around with cake mixes, textures and flavours lately and I couldn’t resist sharing these delicious cakes with you. I usually only make bespoke cakes to order but with Easter approaching and the Spring energy, I thought it would be fun to do a bake sale!

If you are not familiar with « Nids de Pâques”, they are the traditional cakes we have in France for Easter: layered genoises filled with flavoured buttercream, topped with same buttercream to form a nest and traditionally garnished with chocolate or sugar eggs. A real treat!

There will be three different flavours - the traditional and ohh so gorgeous chocolate, pecan praliné (my favourite) and for Asian flavour lovers out there a delectable Yuzu and matcha. As always the cakes are plant-based, free of any refined sugars and flours, made with organic nourishing ingredients and plenty of love. This time, they are also gluten-free and there’s a nut free option too so I am hoping that everyone will find something in this lovely mix of flavours and ingredients.

* Double Chocolate (NF)
* Pecan praliné and blood orange (pictured)
* Yuzu and matcha

Each cake serves 8 to 12 and costs £45.

There will be very limited cakes available on the day so if you want to ensure you’ve got yours, just message me to reserve it. There may also be some bags of pecan praliné filled chocolates 🤤

Come and say hi and walk away with your very own Nid de Pâques to enjoy this Easter, I can’t wait to see you again!

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RETREAT // See you soon dearest friends and food lovers! For retreat and event catering, fridge fills and cookery workshops, I will be back answering enquiries in 2024. In the meantime, I wish you well and to stay nourished 🌱 I will still be sending my monthly letter, so you can signup to it if you would like to hear about food, nourishment and receive updates on more e-cookbooks as I release them. With love and smiles ✨Stéphanie

PLANT-BASED FRENCH PÂTISSERIE WORKSHOP // Our Plant-based French Pâtisserie workshop is now available ONLINE and ready to book! If you missed or couldn’t attend the in-person Chester workshop a few weeks ago (more about that day on my stories), this is the opportunity to learn the art of French pastry at your own pace. You will learn to make a tart in two different ways: using whole foods with myself and the classic way with @vegartemis . The workshop is divided in easy to follow video lessons to which you have access forever and Diane and we are both on-hand should you have any questions or want to share your fabulous bakes with us! There is a Free Preview which you can watch - I have included the link in my bio. —————————————————— Thanks so much to the magic hands of @she.is.yle and Sam Bushby for the photography/videography and video edits. Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/sensho/glow License code: C6P0TRJHIRTY6UJE

These cookies! Made with oats, sweetened with maple syrup for gooeyness and brown rice syrup for crispiness. As the syrup cooks, it becomes crisp and this makes my favourite cookies - crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. And eaten warm of course, so that the chocolate is still melting. When you want a snack, when you need a little pick me up, make your own. Cravings are either linked to a deficiency or an emotion, learn to listen to your body and what it needs. When a craving is linked to an emotion, the sole act of eating isn’t enough - it is about honouring how we feel and making ourselves that food for a therapeutic and fulfilling outcome. Giving ourselves what we need, spending the time we think we don’t have to be in the kitchen and ultimately nourishing ourselves in the most profound and lasting way. Now, off to those cookies! 🍪😋 #chef_naturelle #nourishyourbody #nourishyoursoul #nourishyourheart #therapeuticfood #foodastherapy #foodasmedicine #healing #wholefoods #wholesomefood #healthyhabits #vitality #connectwithfood

Miso mayonnaise. It’s great with everything: little drops on a fennel and beetroot salad, as a dip for sourdough bread or carrot sticks, it works beautifully with leeks (as we’ll see in next week’s workshop) or added to a celeriac velouté for an extra « je ne sais quoi »!

I do love a sandwich, when its made with fresh sourdough bread and filled with loads of wonderful flavours. I had some fun recording a video of sandwich making with freshly baked sourdough loaf, kimchi, pickled beetroot, beetroot pickled tofu, oriental leaves and a little extra Virgin olive oil. ~ Sandwich anyone? . . 🇫🇷 J'adore les sandwichs, quand ils sont faits avec du pain au levain frais et remplis d'une foule de saveurs merveilleuses. Je me suis amusée à enregistrer une vidéo sur la préparation d'un sandwich avec du pain au levain frais, du kimchi, de la betterave marinée, du tofu mariné à la betterave, des feuilles orientales et un peu d'huile d'olive extra vierge. ~ Un petit sandwich pour vous aussi ?

Medlar Kombucha ~ I fermented medlars in the same way as I do apples in the views of making a vinegar but something quite incredible happened instead. ~ After 6 weeks, I strained the fruit and tasted the beautiful liquor. It has a very subtle flavour, a tiny bit sweet, and a little sour and acidic. I can’t quite describe it as I have never tasted anything like it but it’s really lovely! It definitely is not as sharp as you would expect from a vinegar. In fact, it tastes more like a kombucha (without the fizz) and makes a very fantastic Winter soft drink. . . 🇫🇷 Kombucha de Nèfle ~ J'ai fait fermenter des nèfles de la même manière que des pommes dans l'idée de faire un vinaigre, mais quelque chose d'assez incroyable s'est produit à la place. ~ Après 6 semaines, j'ai filtré les fruits et goûté la belle liqueur. Elle a un goût très subtil, un tout petit peu sucré, et un peu aigre et acide. Je ne peux pas vraiment le décrire car je n'ai jamais goûté quelque chose de semblable, mais c'est vraiment délicieux ! Il n'est certainement pas aussi acide qu’un vinaigre. En fait, il a plutôt le goût d'un kombucha et est une boisson d’hiver parfaite !

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