Liz Bygrave
Chocolate & Dessert Workshops
Holistic Treatments

 

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1.9.08
Sweet Sensations is on the front page of the latest issue of 'Foods Matter' magazine, as it's byline says 'The ONLY magazine for allergy problems - and solutions!'. It's a great article, with lots of information about the various ingredients and sweeteners I use.
The magazine itself (and the website) are full of useful information for people with allergies and food intolerances - go to www.foodsmatter.com to browse all the articles and if you want to buy a subscription to the magazine.

Sweet Sensations will be at the London Vegan Festival next Sunday. This is being held  at Kensington Town Hall in Hornton St W8. For more information go to  www.vegancampaigns.org.uk/festival

I myself attended a 'cacao ceremony' in South London last Saturday. It was facilitated by Keith, a shaman who normally lives in Guatemala but is over in the UK for a few months. There were about 9 of us and it involved drinking one or two mugs full of a specially prepared raw chocolate drink - this is a lot! This amount would normally have me spinning form the stimulants present in raw chocolate, but interestingly this didn't happen. Keith then  spent the next few hours helping each of us through our various emotional/mental/spiritual processes. It was a very safe space and Keith is one of those rare souls - a healer with considerable gifts but without ego or agenda. Keith doesn't have a website but you can contact him on glowtogo@yahoo.com. He is only here for a few months though, so catch him while you can!

 

22.10.07

It's been quite a week – a root canal treatment a week ago which got infected, with the result that my face swelled up like a balloon. It looked impressive but didn't feel that great.  Despite my allegiance to natural health I was downing the painkillers like nobody's business (not good – most of us know the effect painkillers can have on the stomach but apparently they also inflame the liver). 

I didn't want to take antibiotics if I could possibly help it and luckily this amazing practitioner I know – Monique Stone – came to my rescue and treated me with something called Scenar.

This is a hand held device created for use in the Russian space program in the late 1970s.  It emits electrical impulses which mimic the electrical discharges of the nervous system to stimulate the body to heal itself.

Well it was great – after two treatments on Friday and Saturday I was 90% better. The swelling went right down and by Sunday I was on top form – even got some work done!

Monique uses the Scenar mostly for musculoskeletal problems, although it is effective for a wide range of problems, including pain relief.  Earlier this year, she treated a couple of my clients for back problems with great success so it was good to get a taste of it for myself. (For more info, visit Monique's website – www.holistic-care.co.uk).

Anyway, on Sunday, because I felt so much better, I got stuck into some chocolate-making, including some Tutti Frutti Truffles (pictured above).  This has a white chocolate base (I say white chocolate but of course it's dairy-free) mixed with dessicated coconut, goji berries and nuts.  I think it will make a great Christmas recipe as it looks very festive somehow. It's one of the recipes I'll be teaching at my next workshop in November (date TBA).

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9.10.07
I've just had my 40th birthday with a wonderful party last Saturday (courtesy of my kind brother who graciously and bravely lent his flat as the venue for what must have been at least 50 people). What you might be interested in hearing about is the sweet part of the buffet, so here goes:

I made a lemon cheesecake, raspberry mousse cake and a chocolate fudge cake, all from the same basic cashew and coconut recipe which saved a bit of time (although it took a lot of elbow grease as I don't have a food processor). I also made lots of chocolate truffles (of course!). There had to be several different varieties to cater for the eating habits of my various friends: those who will eat anything with chocolate in it, those who only eat raw food, those who wanted to eat chocolate because it's a great party food as it keeps you awake and on a high, those who didn't want to eat raw chocolate as they didn't want to risk a sleepless night. By the time it got near to the start of the party I was slightly cursing my rash promise to cater for all, but it did work out well in the end. I made some soft squidgy chocolates, some with raw chocolate powder, some with ordinary cocoa powder – both groups loved those. I made white chocolate – some with agave for the strict raw food people, some with xylitol for the rest (personally I slightly prefer the latter but both are good), and some fudge which I just whipped together quickly as an alternative but which got the thumbs up from lots of people (just wish I could remember the exact recipe I used).

Then a couple of people brought some dishes – my friend Janet brought along a delicious carrot cake and Rob from Funky Raw had made a gorgeous chocolate cake complete with complicated decoration, which went down a storm with the partygoers (a significant number of whom I suspect of never leaving the kitchen at all).

And of course, although you'd never suspect it if you didn't know, all this was completely free from sugar, dairy or wheat! How could it get more perfect than that!

The only down side was that I was too busy having a good time to think of taking photos so you'll have to use your imagination…

4.10.07
In the last month or so I have been busy giving demos (one at the Funky Raw Festival in Cornwall and one at The Festival of Life in Islington, London). Summer Pudding, Strawberry Mousse, Millionaire Shortbread and Chocolate Chewy Almond Cake were among the recipes on the menu.

The first ever Chocolate Workshop was held on Friday 28 September in Muswell Hill - we learned how to make Chocolate Truffles, Triple Layer Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Chewy Almond Cake and Chocolate Raspberry Milkshake.

The next workshop is Deluxe Desserts on the 14 October.

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next workshops:

Chocolate
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Deluxe Desserts
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