after the festivities .....

I love the Christmas merriment; turkey and all the trimmings, Christmas cake, mince pies, brandy butter, biscuits and chocolates .... chocolates, did I mention chocolates?
And as far as I'm concerned, a little festive over indulgence is okay.
But come January, I'm ready for something more simple.
A return to more wholesome, healthy fare.

I think we are only just beginning to understand the profound effect diet has on well-being and I am even more determined as a new year begins to maximise the nutritional content of our meals.
Both lovely daughters share this interest and with one recovering from cancer and the other with a small mouth to feed, it is of vital importance to them too and we often share tips, ideas and recipe successes.

And this dish, a sort of warm salad is just the sort of thing we love to eat chez fenland lottie.
Versatile, delicious and nutritious.

It uses as its base two very nutritious ingredients: buckwheat and pearled spelt.

Buckwheat is a seed from a plant related to rhubarb and being a seed rather than a grain, is gluten free. It is also rich in minerals such as magnesium and copper as well as

a good source of B vitamins and of fibre and bound antioxidants. If you want to read more about buckwheat this article is very interesting.

Spelt is an ancient type of wheat, high in fibre, thiamin, copper, manganese, niacin and vitamin B2. Though a grain and therefore not gluten free many people with gluten intolerance find it easier to digest than other grains.


Both are very easy to cook. Just boil in a large pan of water as you would rice. Consult the packet for cooking times as the spelt will take a little longer than the buckwheat. 

When cooked drain and add olive oil, lemon juice, harissa paste and seasoning to taste.

Then add herbs of choice- I used lots of parsley and coriander and some toasted pine nuts and pomegranate seeds.

I then topped it with chunks of squash roasted in the oven ( add olive oil and a little smoked paprika if you wish) and some crumbled feta cheese.

annjenny x