We’ve been developing and growing the H+H way of eating for over ten years, through research, study and self-practice. It’s been six years since we turned this knowledge and passion for good food into a bespoke service to help people improve the way they eat, enjoy their food and understand why digestive health is so important.
We believe in back-to-basics nutrition. Avoiding processed, refined or sugary foods, we instead enjoy a wide array of vegetables, as well as good-quality meat, fish, legumes and pseudocereals. Here you’ll find easy and delicious recipes for everyone, whether you eat meat, are vegetarian, vegan or on a Paleo, primal or raw-food diet, and for those with allergies or intolerances we suggest alternatives to nuts, dairy and eggs where possible (see here).
Our motto is ‘Good food, good mood, good digestion, good health!’ and we are always telling our clients to ‘get with your gut’ because gut health translates to overall health. Our secret weapons for nourishing the gut are bone broth – a frugal and time-honoured food that’s packed with protein, vitamins, minerals, collagen and keratin – and probiotics that we culture cheaply and easily ourselves, such as sauerkraut and other condiments. Combine this with our principles of low-stress and low-chemical living, chewing well and basic food combining and you have a recipe for optimum digestive health.
Using natural fats (including animal fats), being thoughtful about the ingredients you buy and keeping even natural sweeteners (including fruit and raw honey) to a minimum are other key principles of the H+H philosophy. Most importantly, our approach has to work for you – it has to be practical in the kitchen, fit with your schedule and, of course, make you look and feel your very best.
FAST FOOD THAT’S GOOD FOR YOU
What are our go-to recipes when we’ve had a day of it? Running our business means we have no set routine. We don’t get to eat the food we make for other people(!), so, just like everyone else, we have to put some effort into planning ahead. In this book, we share the recipes that we return to time and again, from our old faithful standbys – soups and stews – to quick 10-minute suppers, as well as the easiest snacks for food on the go.
For those who don’t really enjoy vegetables, or struggle to eat enough of them, we say: Soup! Stew! Spiralize! The three ‘S’s are our way of packing plenty of nutrient-dense and refreshing veggies into meals. They are an easy and affordable way to feed friends and family with real wholefoods from one day to the next, with leftovers for tomorrow’s packed lunch.
There is a misconception that healthy food is boring: it is anything but! Even when keeping things simple, we use different flavours and textures to make a recipe interesting. We love to try out local dishes on our travels, experimenting with new ingredients and traditional techniques, and have fun in the kitchen reinventing culinary classics – from pasta and pizza to cakes and sandwiches – using wholefood alternatives.
Our clients and readers also like to challenge us to recreate their favourite takeaways or childhood meals. Our advice is to combine variety with a fuss-free kitchen routine and a methodical approach to cooking to keep it enjoyable and never a chore, especially when life is busy enough anyway.
Only a few generations ago, meals conformed to more of a weekly schedule and nothing went to waste: roast chicken on a Sunday, leftovers on a Monday and a pot of nutritious bone broth for making other dishes later in the week. This made preparing food easier and more economical: you know what to shop for – no need to dig deep for inspiration after a full day at work. These days we’re spoilt for choice, but getting back into a way of eating that looks ahead and uses food economically – from the fridge and store cupboard – will help you plan and eat well every day.
With this in mind, we have put together some mouth-watering and simple weekly menus, including shopping lists, to help you plan ahead so that you’re always prepared when hunger strikes (see here). You’ll find a section on our favourite ingredients and useful kitchen equipment, tips on how to stock your kitchen, and how to make our philosophy work in a variety of situations, from work lunches and late-night suppers, to on-the-go snacks and packing food to travel.
Planning ahead needn’t be a chore either; it’s empowering and makes life easier and more enjoyable in the long run. And of course, if plans change, dip into your freezer – our freezer is our best friend! Eating well every day does not mean having to cook every day.
As you kick-start this new way of eating, things will take a little longer initially, but you’ll very quickly get the hang of it; you’ll soon feel the difference and find you’ve made positive changes to last a lifetime.
For those who want to hit the ground running, we’ve included our top ten recipes to get you started (see here) and a one-week restorative reboot to reset your taste buds and relationship with food (see here).