Chefs Corner

Health Kicks and Kale – Trends for 2015

BY Steve Walpole

For me, the biggest trend recently has been food that’s ‘free-from’ and suitable for a range of allergies. That all falls into place now, as January is the month for people on a detox. It is also the perfect time to plan ahead.

The ‘free-from’ trend has made chefs think about the fresher side of things. People are starting to go to back to basics, with cleaner cooking – taking a lot of the extraneous ingredients out and keeping things more natural.

I recently tried a kale pesto recipe and I’m using it for lots on food and drinks because of its high iron content. The pesto was lovely. The kale has a slight bitterness you have to offset.

In regards to using an under-utilised member of the cabbage family it’s proof that people are a lot more open to trying doing different things. Although I am sure a lot of Italians are turning in their graves.

Kale is higher in iron than beef (per calorie) and high in Vitamins K, A and C. It is rich in antioxidants, folates and fiber. At this time of year, we can offer curly green, curly red, Cavolo Nero and even special coloured kale as in the picture above.

I’ve just been developing a sauces range for one of the supermarkets – proper back to basic recipes, using fresh rather than frozen produce.

I have done about 25 different sauces over a week and we have it narrowed it down to 3. That’s how development works. You start off blue sky thinking of everything that is popular, quirky or in season or quirky – it can be a dip, a pesto, a sauce. For example, I’ve been trying both a roasted pumpkin pesto and a beetroot and goats’ cheese pesto.

There’s a danger with the increasing number of people following health fads. When designing gluten-free products, it’s a fact that if you take something away you have to put something back. People are eating the healthier lifestyle choices because they think they are better for you but sometimes they are no better.

Because of social media people are sometimes more excited about the short term gains that can happen to their body. But there is a more natural and less aggressive way of changing your eating style and habits and getting the same results. I am all for making changes – but a little bit of dairy and certain animal flats and a few indulgencies are good for you.

I do believe that there are a lot of fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices that do naturally help to cleanse the body but I don’t necessarily believe in some of the diets and stuff that claim to take all the toxins out of their bodies. You can do yourself harm by stripping away some of these thing in a short, aggressive way.

Steven Walpole is a leading chef and food consultant, working with a wide range of clients developing menus, recipes and other products. See www.stevewalpoleltd.com for more detail. ____________________________________________________________ Steve's CV includes stints at some of London’s best eating establishments including Browns Hotel, Home House, City Rhodes, Quaglinos, The Four Seasons, The Lanesborough, The Intercontinental, Le Champenois, Lloyds of London, The Boulestein and the Waterside Restaurant at Bray. He has been a finalist and medal winner in countless competitions including UK Parade de Chefs Olympia, Toque d’Or, Roux brother’s scholarship, Nestle Grand Prix Masterclass, Academy of Culinary Arts. Born in Essex, Steven has been passionate about cooking since he started a Saturday job in a local restaurant at the age of 15 – a whole host of college qualifications, diplomas and awards followed in rapid succession and he became a full time lecturer at the famed Westminster College in London. In 2000 Steven was the highest performing candidate in the Kitchen category at the Academy of Culinary Arts Awards and in 2003 came second at the grand final in one of the most prestigious competitions on the competition circuit – the Roux Scholarship Finals making him the youngest ever lecturer to do so. He is considered to be one of the finest young chefs in the country. Having co-presented a 10 part television series (Kids Fit Squad) with Jane Wake (fitness guru Celebrity Fit Club) for Discovery Health, Steven appeared at The Vitality Show and also at The Homes Show at Excel in London. Steven also lectures on childhood obesity, and healthy eating for children is a subject that he is passionate about. He ran a Junior Chefs Academy for children at Westminster College and held nationwide workshops teaching children how to cook. He is chef consultant to the charity HOPE (www.hopeuk.info) producing healthy recipes and inspiring children and adults to get into a healthy eating scheme and well balanced diet and worked recently with Weight Watchers UK. He is a member of the Academy of Culinary Arts. Steven has appeared at food festivals worldwide including Karachi, Pakistan and the Gourmet Food Festival in Johanesburg and Capetown, South Africa and he is part of www.celebritychefsuk.com. Looking good is equally as important and Steven regularly trains in a gym; his other interests include extreme sports and he recently participated in a parachute jump for charity – an experience he can’t wait to repeat!

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