Awesome Rawsome

If you’ve not had a single whiff this year’s biggest food trend then you’ve not been paying attention to either the cookbook that’s topped the bestsellers’ list for weeks - Deliciously Ella - or her fellow food bloggers who collectively dictate what you’ll be finding on the shelves of your local deli or supermarket as we head through 2016.

Raw Food – or No Cook Cooking – is not only a key trend for 2016, it’s one your body will thank you for as it has emerged from the world of natural health and good nutrition.

I spent over a decade writing exclusively about natural health and so what I can see here is a new, second generation wave of cooks, chefs and food bloggers discovering the themes we were exploring back then – I am referring, of course to the ‘free from’ themes such as gluten free, dairy free and sugar free.

Back in the day, I must admit, this could all be a little bit dry and dull. Yes, it was good for you and yes, you would often tuck reluctantly into your ‘Free from’ meal whilst looking longingly at the celebration of gluten, dairy and sugar your partner was tucking into.

Happily, those days are gone and healthy eating has been revolutionised not least thanks to that wondrous device called the Spiralizer. It may come in different shapes and sizes (I like this one pictured from ProCook because there’s no danger of a spiralised finger tip in which your carrot & courgette and this is the one I gave all my friends for Christmas) but all the spiralizing devices do the same thing which is to elevate the humble vegetable to a spiralized thing of great beauty.

I can’t think of a single better way to improve the appeal of a raw carrot salad than to spiralize it and then serve tossed with seeds (various) toasted in fiery Moroccan spices and drizzled with a little world class olive oil. Try it, serve it and see for yourself.

The ProCook spiralizer costs £27 from procook.co.uk

This is also the kitchen gadget we presented to the five finalists in our Devon Life Home Cook of the Year competition last year.