How are you? It has been a while since I blogged. No excuse really other than there are not enough hours in the day and my day has been taken up by life, energetic puppies and testing food out for my Summer edition of Grub. I am really proud of this edition. I have learnt a lot about what food can do for you and how important it is to feed your body correctly (I did have two slices of Chocolate Caramel Tart yesterday though, washed down with some rose - but that's ok - treats are good).
This edition focuses on a fantastic Charity, Riders Minds, with £1 from every purchase donated to support the incredible work they do. Over the last few years I have lost my sister and close friends to mental health, so raising awareness of the help which is available to us is a subject very dear to my heart. Horses are my thing. The place I'm at my happiest, I guess you could call my therapy to get through the brilliant and the tough days. My sister knew that all too well and she rode very well in her childhood. I also know how tough it is out there in the Equestrian world and I'm surrounded by so many wonderful people who seek happiness in their horses too, so with the two subjects added together, Riders Minds seemed the perfect choice of charity to support.
Mental Health is such a complex confusing subject which people find unbelievably hard to deal with and understand. Whether you are the person with the problems or the family/friend trying to understand and help, I think it is crucial to have a support system out there for people to turn to when they need it most. I still don't understand why my sister, who was a very beautiful, loving, talented, funny girl with a family who absolutely adored her found life so hard and there is not a day that goes by when I don't think about her, miss her and have a million questions in my head to ask her. I wish she could answer all my unknowns. If one person who reads this relates, then I have helped one person which to me means an awful lot.
Riders Minds provides a support system to people who need to talk - it is a hard thing to do. Apparently the two hardest things humans find difficult to do are 1. Chat about their feelings and 2. Saying no as you don't want to let anyone down. If you can pick the phone up and vent your feelings to a friend or someone that will listen you do feel a lot better. I'm always at the end of the phone if you need support. But sometimes we all admit it is easier to talk to someone who you don't know. The friendly team at Riders Minds are simply wonderful and will hold your hand every step of the way - https://ridersminds.org. Thank you for all you do!
I hope you all get inspired by Summer Grub and enjoy reading it and using it as much as I did writing it. I worked really hard so hope you get some good tips, learn a few recipes/ideas and I help you through the summer feeding frenzy. I am excited at the idea of my children cooking once a week - bring on the sunshine, feet up and rose wine!
I have no idea what plans we have this summer, nothing fixed in stone yet as we don't know what travel restrictions will be in place. Whatever happens I am endeavouring to make it the International Summer of Fun 2021. Firstly we are Devon bound to see my family, I have butterflies even typing those words. My nephews from Spain are coming over - CAN NOT WAIT. There may be a trip to see our lovely friends in The New Forest, there will be a load of pony fun, surfing lesson and coasteering in the North Sea, which is an amazing thing to do. It was freezing, I went blue, but had a blast. Camping is on the agenda too and general chaos with lovely friends. And work - that'll have to be squeezed in somewhere. I will be giving out recipes throughout so keep following on social media and I will blog when I have some juicy info for you.
Please do let me know your thoughts on my recipes/your recipes and if there's anything you'd like to learn, ask away - it'll give me a great excuse to escape from the mad house for an hour or two.
Happy Summer everyone, I hope you all have a lovely time. I think we all deserve some fun so take time for you, recharge your brain and make it happen. I'm now off to cuddle our Patterdale puppies before they head on to their new homes. Wow! They have been fun, how lucky we have been.
Thank you for all your support, it means the world to me.
Clara x
