I’m a big advocate of the Mediterranean diet simply because it’s both nutritious and delicious. Whilst olive oil and tomatoes may spring to mind, pomegranates are also integral to Mediterranean cooking, yet they receive little attention here in the UK. A type of berry, they consist of an inedible ...

Another of the major league medicinal mushrooms, reishi or 'Ganoderma lucidum', is native to several regions across Asia, such as Korea, China and Japan and can currently be found growing on hardwood trees worldwide in tropical and subtropical climates. "Reishi" is the Japanese word for this ...

October, my favourite month. It’s a chance to indulge your inner child by crunching through fallen leaves on your walk to work and carving pumpkins for Halloween (interesting we have a particularly orangey sky in the UK today) somewhat of a tradition in my household. Now is also the time when I ...

Potentially the most powerful member of the fungi kingdom, the chaga mushroom or 'Inonotus obliquus', contains possibly the greatest medicinal properties of all herbs. It's a parasitic but also symbiotic fungus that grows primarily on birch trees in cool climates and has been used for its profound ...

Perilla (aka, shiso, beefsteak plant, Chinese basil and purple mint) originally came from China until migrating to Japan in the 8th century, Perilla quickly became one of the essential spices to the Asian palate. Before being used in cooking, it was originally used as fuel for oil lamps, but this ...

Lemongrass (also known as Cymbopogon) is a genus herb derived from a tall grass plant native to tropical Asia. Lemongrass is widely used in medicinal forms, as well as being harvested for its culinary purposes. It has a fruity, citrus taste and can be used in food, tea and also ...

Cordyceps (caterpillar fungus) is a medicinal mushroom that is a wild fungus and has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for over 5,000 years. There are numerous species of cordyceps, however the most researched and popular is Ophiocordyceps sinensis. It is found at high altitudes of ...

Native to the Mediterranean region and one of the most commonly found herbs on the spice rack, Rosemary is probably one of the most popular herbs on the planet. It has a welcoming, homely aroma and provides a lovely, subtle taste to almost any dish. But, did you know that it can also be used to ...

Commonly believed to be a grain and prepared and eaten like one, quinoa or 'Chenopodium quinoa', is in fact a seed botanically speaking and is a relative of spinach and chard. The plant is indigenous to South America, originating in the mountainous area surrounding Lake Titicaca in Peru and Bolivia ...

Matcha tea is certainly among the new wave chiefs when it comes to hot drinks with some folks drifting away from coffee to get their caffeine kick by drinking matcha shots. For some of you who don’t exactly know what matcha tea is, it is a special form of Japanese green tea which has been at ...