Rachel de Thample - Five: 150 Effortless Ways to Eat 5+ Fruit and Veg a Day

Eat more fruit and veg, the easy, healthy way

Most of us arent getting half the fruit and veg we need in a day. In Five Rachel de Thample makes delicious food effortless, offering over 150 easy, flavoursome recipes that will boost your daily intake.

Rachels inspirational treasure trove includes such dishes as Fig, Almond and Orange Blossom Water Muffins, Moroccan Beetroot Soup, Wild Spring Spaghetti and Carrot Cake Scones, as well as themed and seasonal menu suggestions. Whatever you choose to eat, each dish is clearly flagged with the number of portions of fruit and veg each serving contains some even offer a full 5 portions. So you always know youre eating both well and happily.

Rachel de Thample has worked in the kitchens of Marco Pierre White, Heston Blumenthal and Peter Gordon. She is the author of Less Meat, More Veg, and is currently the Food Editor for the organic box scheme Abel & Cole. She lives in Crystal Palace, London.

Five is the bare minimum when it comes to how much fruit and veg we need to eat each day, but most of us are barely even eating half of this. We all know that eating more of the stuff keeps us healthy and alive, helps battles colds, ward off flu, increases cancer protection and makes us feel and look vibrant. So why arent we eating more of the stuff? One of the key culprits is convenience.

I cant tell you how many times Ive been walking around London on empty, craving what I know is healthy and good. The options are exactly opposite to what we need: sugary muffins, milky coffees, buttery croissants, pre-packed sandwiches, chocolate bars and fizzy drinks. How often do you see mounds of fresh fruit or punnets of veg? Perhaps Im the only person in the world whod do cartwheels along a train platform that had a fruit and veg vending machine. One day In the meantime, youll find me waiting for my train in Balham with a punnet of cherry tomatoes or tucking into a bag of peas the perfect healthy portable snack. Just throw some into your bag before you leave the house. You can easily get two portions of veg simply by snacking. Rather than having a post carb crash, youll have a sustained surge of energy.

When youre not out and about, I hope this book will provide you with heaps of inspiration to eat more fruit and veg than you ever have before. I have started with breakfast and taken you right through to dessert, with really simple but delicious recipes. Nearly every single recipe offers at least 1 portion of fruit and veg. Some dishes even give you five portions in a single serving.

While not a vegetarian book, the slant of the recipes is most certainly less meat, more veg, and there are many vegan options. Ive also tried to cater to dietary requirements. Half way through writing the book, I had to start a rigid detox programme because Id picked up a pesky parasite. I sought help from a nutritionist and she gave me a list of foods I needed to cut out (wheat, dairy and sugar). She also gave me a list of food TO EAT. A mountain of fruit and veg was at the top of her prescription, and it worked. Many of the dishes in the book were born out of my detox not all, mind. Im a firm believer in a healthy balance. We all need a slice of cake sometimes.

Using this book can easily help you eat far more than five portions of fruit and veg a day. Here are just a few delicious examples.

Breakfast

Fig, Almond and Orange Blossom Muffins (1 portion)

Clementine and Saffron Tea (1 portion)

Lunch

Coconut Crab Coronation Slaw (2 portions)

Weekend dinner

Cauliflower Couscous with Coriander and Orange (2.5 portions)

Warming Tunisian Stew with Smoked Fish (3 portions)

Plum and Liquorice Jelly (1 portion)

= 10.5 portions in a day

Breakfast

Summer Berry Crush (2 portions)

Fig, Rose and Coconut Breakfast Truffles (1 portion)

Lunch

Moroccan Beetroot Soup with Mint Labneh (3.5 portions)

Sassy Cherry and Watercress Salad with Crushed Pistachios (2 portions)

Dinner

Summer Tomato and Bean Curry with Cumin Dosas (4 portions)

Saffron Ice Crme with Strawberries (1 portions)

= 13.5 portions in a day

Breakfast

Apple Strudel Galette (2 portions)

Lunch

Sticky Ginger Pumpkin with Butter Bean Dal (5 portions)

Dinner

The Zingy Tahini Dress with a selection of dipping veg (1 portion)

Chard Dolmades with Little Fish (2 portions)

Mulled Figs with Mascarpone (1 portion)

= 11 portions in a day

Breakfast

A Coffee Date (1.5 portions)

Lunch

Honeyed Parsnip Quinoa with Chilli, Cardamom and Orange (4 portions)

Dinner

Winter Roots and Leaves Salad with Tropical Dressing (2 portions)

Alis Caribbean Curry with Coconut Crusted Fish (2 portions)

Rebels Hop Banoffee (1 portion)

= 10.5 portions in a day

WHAT EQUALS A PORTION?