Yes, I know that they don’t necessarily ‘fit’ with a soup/nutrition blog but they are so very hard to resist! James of the Portugalist website sums it up very nicely… “This pastry is quite simply perfection in two bites.” I am going to let him tell you about the history of pastéis de nata because he grew up in Portugal and he tells it way better than me!

You have really got to try one, it has got to be a Portuguese-owned bakery and it has to be baked fresh that very morning - no ‘second day’ pastéis de nata - no way! And best ever, those that are still warm, straight from the oven - heaven in two bites (or perhaps three!)

And if you are in Lagos in Western Algarve look no further than Gomba Pastelaria on Rua Dom Vasco da Gama (just past the back of the bus station, two doors past the equally-fine butcher’s shop - Talho Lusitano). And btw: they also do a Coffee and Walnut Cake to die for!

Ideally, the purpose of a snack is to keep us nourished and ‘on our toes’ until our next meal - SO - it should be occasional, small, tasty, nutritious, filling, fresh, transportable and quick - and preferably, it should NOT be a response to a sugar craving, an answer to boredom or a totally mindless moment! That’s when most of us come undone and somehow or another, the pounds start accumulating around our waistline!

To get the maximum nourishment from the said snack, perhaps you might like to download my suggestions, stick those you fancy on your mobile phone which may become your ‘go to’ and hopefully never find yourself in that place where a packet of crisps or a chocolate bar are the only options!

Now… the way I see it is … if grilled flat, fresh mushrooms, just-ripe avocados, smoked salmon from fish so fresh even through the smoking you can detect it and a runny, free-range organic egg are your thing - you have just happened upon the very best combination - ever!

I played around with this recipe for some considerable time and my premis was to have ‘no bread of any sort ’ to pile the other delightful ingredients upon (I suppose I must have been appealing the the ‘paleo lot’ or the ‘intermittent fasting lot’ or the ‘gluten intolerant lot’ - or dear alone knows who else!) But I certainly was not appealing to those that somehow or other believe that those foods that are rich in Omega fats (particularly Omega 3 fats) are ‘fattening’ and should be limited! Honestly, you can almost feel your nails growing, your bone mass intensifying, your heart strengthening, your hair taking on a beautiful shine and your power and energy spilling over as you savour every bite!

It has to be said - I am rather pleased with this wonderfully-filling and really health-giving dish and I would love you to try it and let me know if you have any further variations on my theme. Sometime I substitute smoked ham for the smoked salmon AND balance two poached eggs on top! - risk-taker or what??

Spinach is a vegetable that belongs to the Amaranthaceae family of plants and is closely related to beets, swiss chard and quinoa and if any of you have purchased any of my books, you will note that my recipes include rather many of the Amaranthaceae family!

They all boast a high amount of vitamin A, vitamin K and folate, along with a number of other important vitamins, minerals and antioxidants for a low amount of calories and they can help improve a number of health conditions and have been shown to boost immunity, defend against heart disease, keep your skin healthy and preserve cognitive function. Nice one!

This recipe, my Quinoa Vegetable Bake has been a real hit with my readers and my friends and includes both spinach and quinoa. Most also tell me that it is a serious crowd-pleaser and has become a real regular in their diet as it is so very easy to cobble together and is fabulously tasty - you may want to join the list of growing fans!

I remember people used to make French Onion Soup as part of a dinner party menu - it was terribly ‘in’ in the 60s, egged on no doubt by Robert Carrier, the showman chef ‘that launched a million dinner parties’! Difficult to imagine how the dinner guests got through the remainder of the courses - it’s a darned good soup when it is made with loving care and attention but boy, is it filling!

This Onion Soup Gratinée is taken from Margaret Costa’s masterful Four Seasons Cookbook. A mighty tome but the millions of Margaret Costa fans around the world simply couldn’t live without this book - it is a true classic.

This is one of her very many inspirational quotes. “Fine cooking is as different from day-to-day meal-providing as delicate embroidery is from darning socks - but not so difficult. It doesn’t demand a very high degree of skill and expertise - except, perhaps in the highest reaches of the confectioner’s art - but it needs enthusiasm and imagination, time, patience and practice. To set aside a few leisure hours each week in which to enjoy cooking, to prepare an interesting new dish or bake an unusual cake with all the care it deserves, will reward you as this sort of loving care always does, and it will improve your everyday cooking out of all recognition”.

I have a cupboard in my office which is crammed full of cookbooks and nutrition books! So I have decided to go through my very many cherished cookbooks and focus on soups! There is something about the beginning of a new year that appears to make many of us do the ‘clear the decks’ thing!

There will likely be many soups I have made previously and forgotten, many which I intended to make but didn’t get around to and others which, for some reason, passed me by. It’s going to be quite a task but I am already getting stupidly-excited about refreshing my memory and making vat-loads of soup!

Here one I haven’t made for years! A ridiculously-easy Carrot, Honey and Ginger Soup which was one of my Mum’s staples from Tessa Bramley’s The Instinctive Cook. Of course, there are plenty of soups that involve carrot, honey and ginger but to my mind, this is one of the best - I think it may be the 10 minute infusion with the bay leaf - but who knows!

Now, this was a massive study (actually 3 studies) over 30 plus years involving over 5 million people! Nut consumption was assessed and was updated every 4 years.

THE RESULTS? Consumption of peanuts and tree nuts (2 or more times per week) and walnuts (1 or more times per week) was associated with a 13% to 19% lower risk of total cardiovascular disease and a 15% to 23% lower risk of coronary heart disease.

Pretty powerful stuff when it comes to getting into a regular nut habit! Commiseration to those who have a tree nut allergy... but it may be that there is no indication of an allergy to certain seeds so hopefully you can still benefit.

FENNEL & ALMOND SOUP

Nuts and seeds are simply crying out for a bit of roasting in the oven, keeping in a dark jars in the fridge (so they lose as little of their freshness and fat goodness as possible) and grabbed as a snack, to top salads or stews AND of course - soups, soups and more soups (hot and chilled)!