When Harvey Nichols invited me down to their Supper Club with Madeleine Shaw I jumped at the opportunity. Having followed her on Social Media for a while I'd actually planned on getting her book, Get The Glow, that day. I waited, of course, so that I could get it signed by her on the night, and what a night it was.
We were greeted with a Cocktail and the Menu for the night, perfect. Of course I went for a Mojito, nothing else gets considered when it's made with Golden Rum, yum! There was a small group of us bloggers and a couple of representatives for Voir Magazine there. We waited anxiously for the arrival of Madeleine herself, armed with a list of questions to ask. Having a group Q&A was a brilliant idea, we all had loads to discuss and people asked questions I'd have never thought of! I've written up a number of answers that I recorded but that would make this post far too long, anyone interested in a Q&A post of the Interview with Madeleine?
I'm not going to pretend I wasn't a bit starstruck when Madeleine sat next to me. She was so lovely, friendly and I adored her accent which switched between a British and Australian. She told us all about her digestive problems and travelling to Australia where she began cooking in a Health Food Cafe and fell in love with it. I discovered cooking through my Gluten Intolerance so I related completely and loved hearing about all her nutritional advice. I learnt so many new things and it was brilliant to see someone who honestly knows about nutrition and loves it. Let's just say, her skin was perfect and glowing, definitely walking evidence that her book works! With all the talk of healthy eating and cutting out sugar I did start to feel slightly guilty sipping my cocktail, oops!
After a drinks reception with the rest of the attendees for the supper club, we sat down for food. Madeleine began by thanking everyone for coming and introducing herself, her story and the book. After a quick look at the menu I couldn't wait to start trying the food! Madeleine had already told us a bit about each dish we would be trying and why she chose them. I must admit I was pretty hesitant about all the Avocado as I'm not a huge fan, but the rest of the food sounded perfect!
First up, The Green Goddess Bowl. Kale and Spinach served with a Cider Vinegar and Mustard Dressing, topped with the most perfectly runny boiled Eggs and Avocado, covered in Sesame Seeds. I can't even believe to explain how incredible this was. I even LOVED the Avocado. It has the most perfect combination of tastes and textures and is definitely something I'd make myself for a summer lunch.
The second dish was an Autumn Salad: Mexican BBQ Grilled Corn and Quinoa, with Chilli Salsa. This dish was definitely different. Despite being Gluten Free I don't think I've ever had Quinoa before and the texture is something you need to get used to. It went really nicely with the corn, which I love, and was just a really fresh meal. This has far more ingredients and seems more complex to put together, but would be lovely to make at a BBQ (if you ignore the Autumn Salad name of course).
Our tables were cleared and soon the next two dishes were served. As a meat/fish lover, I preferred these to the Salads, but these were more dinner style meals so were more hearty in that sense. I ADORE salmon, I love smoked salmon and salmon fillets and it's honestly my favourite fish so the third dish was right up my street;
Spicy Salmon with Cucumber and Yoghurt. This looks super simple to make and there's just 10 ingredients needed (including the standard Olive Oil and Salt! Most of it you'll already have in your cupboards). This is in the 'Speedy Suppers' section of the book (definitely my favourite kind of supper). The Yoghurt was amazing, made with Paprika, Lemon and salt. This is used as a marinade for the Salmon and is also served with it. The Salmon was perfectly cooked and was lovely and juicy, falling apart, combined with the crunchy cucumber it was amazingly balanced and tasty.
The Fourth Dish had to be altered for me as I don't eat whole nuts, so here's my personal portion. (Can you tell I was STUFFED by the end from all this food?!) This course was a Thai Beef Salad (mine served without the Salt and Pepper Cashews). The beef was perfectly cooked medium rare (just how I like it) and was so tasty. The Salad was pretty standard but I'm sure this was far more interesting with the contrast of texture of the Cashews! Definitely one I'd recommend!
And last, but certainly not least, one of the most incredible puddings I've ever eaten, and I eat A LOT of puddings. Raw Chocolate Cherry Fudge served with Vanilla and Coconut Dairy-free Ice Cream.
One word, WOW. Apparently my face lit up when I had my first mouthful. It was so yummy. Not overly chocolatey, but enough to satisfy any cravings. If this is what healthy eating tastes like then sign me up!!! This is going to be the first recipe I try from the book. The fudge is made from just 7 Ingredients and you literally mix them all together in a Food Processor (there is an order, but there's nothing complicated about it). Serve it up, stick it in the freezer for 30 minutes then swap it to the fridge. It'll keep in the fridge for 1-2 weeks, perfect for when you're craving a tasty treat!! Definitely the highlight of the whole night.
A huge thank you to Harvey Nichols, Leeds for inviting me along and to Madeleine for all the advice and the amazing recipes! You can even try a selection of Recipe's from the book yourself! They're running the Get The Glow menu at Harvey Nichols, Leeds in their Fourth Floor Restaurant until the 31st May. I'd highly recommend all of the dishes I tried, especially the Raw Chocolate Cherry Fudge, obviously.
You can find all these recipes and more in her Get The Glow book (£20), including her six week programme which she is starting LIVE tomorrow (join her here)! I'm going to give it a go too, but just cutting down on sugar without cutting it out entirely, not sure I should start my new job next week going through the moody sugar withdrawal process!! Fancy joining me?
Laura xx
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