Hi there,

Welcome to The Life Larder! This weekly newsletter serves up a bite-sized menu of stories and ideas about making food that’s not only delicious but also healthy and sustainable.

Each issue is packed with inspiring articles, flavourful ideas, and voices from across the vibrant food world. Think of me as your friendly guide, helping you create meals that nourish your body, delight your taste buds, and care for our planet. Treat this newsletter like a personal larder—always stocked with something you’ll love.

This week we’re talking all things gut healing with Polly from Jolly Allotment, and shining a light on Cegin y Bobl - a food education charity in Wales who need your help to continue their brilliant work. Polly also shares one of her favourite recipes to cook outdoors (or in!) at this time of year; Buckwheat Risotto with Winter Vegetables and Field Mushrooms. 

Bites

The most enjoyable food stories and insights that I’ve read this week

• Your morning coffee COULD help your heart

• Why broccoli and cauliflower will be in short supply over spring

• Gene edited food edges ever closer in the UK

Main Menu

Stories and insights from experts and yours truly

Healing Through Food and Fire: Rebuilding Health and Inspiring a Community

Polly from Jolly Allotment shares her inspiring story.

When illness left Polly bedridden, she found hope in nourishing foods and the transformative act of fire cooking. Her journey to health sparked the creation of The Jolly Allotment and her current work with Cegin y Bobl, where she teaches children and communities to reconnect with food, sustainability, and each other. Here she shares how her workshops are shaping a new generation’s connection to seasonal eating and mindful cooking.

Buckwheat Risotto with Winter Vegetables and Field Mushrooms

A gluten-free hug in a bowl.

You can make this as Polly does over fire; giving you a magical smoky, umami-ness that you just don’t get on the hob (though it’s still delicious if you’re making this on a weekday night in a heavy-bottomed pot in your kitchen). By cooking over fire you have the perfect excuse to get outside in the garden this month - an often neglected time for our outside rooms.