27th November, 2015
We've been getting some superb feedback for the food served up at Sharpham.
And it's informed our Programme. We're running two new retreats in 2016 called Moments to Savour - Conscious Cooking & Mindful Eating
So we'd like to celebrate our cooks - including Janet Bird, whose mouth-watering vegetarian & vegan meals have been satisfying visitors' appetites at Sharpham.
Janet uses produce grown here in our 18th century walled garden to create meals that are a feast for the eyes as well as the bellies.
"My favourite thing is to see what is growing in the garden first, then pick and eat it," says Janet. "If I can see the produce, then I can create food that way. And I love Sharpham’s produce. It makes such a difference. It’s alive.
"It has to be visual for me to be able to create and walking around the garden here inspires me...It’s got to be visual. We are nourished by visual, which nurtures another place in us.”
Janet not only creates food that looks good. She's intent on feeding people healthy meals too. “I make clean food. My dressings aren’t full of mayonnaise," she says. "I use ginger and tahini, lemon juice and olive oil. They are light. I want to make people feel good when they eat, not as if they’ll never move again!”
Simplicity’s important to Janet too: “Good food doesn’t have to be elaborate. So often I can cook something in 10 minutes that is good.”
When Janet's not in the kitchen, she's still making people feel great through her work as a massage therapist. “My whole life has been about nurturing and nourishment on all levels – through touching and bodywork and through cooking a meal. It’s my thing to look after people,” she says.
Here's what retreatants have said about Janet's food:
The food was...beyond amazing
The meals were fantastic and prepared with great love, care and attention. Even as a meat eater, I loved the vegetarian food and did not miss meat at all.
Delicious, healthy food in a setting so heavenly