Life In The Saddle

Hannah Grant has fast become one of my idol chefs. I love good simple food and I also love bike riding—riding far and riding fast. Hannah's recipes combine the two adorations perfectly: great simple food, made to be the perfect fuel for endurance sport. 'Eat Race Win' is her latest book release. ' The Grand Tour Cookbook ' was the first cycling-orientated recipe book released by Hannah Grant. I reviewed it, and it would be accurate to say that it has become an almost biblical reference whenever we are looking for tasty and wholesome dishes in our household. 'Eat. Race. Win.' is the sequel to 'The Grand Tour Cookbook'—supplying a new bank of superb recipes to try. The book is beautifully illustrated and holds some interesting and inspiring insights on both cycling and cookery. This is a cookbook worthy of being placed on your coffee table. The recipes themselves are the real talking point though... whether it is the ride-fuelling breakfasts,...

I am a big fan of Hummus (a.k.a. Houmous). It is a great source of vitamin B6, manganese, dietary fibre and protein; as well as copper, zinc, iron, folate, and phosphorus. Made of just a few simple and natural ingredients—it can be a quick and easy lunch or snack, and it will help keep you healthy and aid recovery. A lot of shop bought hummus uses oil or thickener to give it consistency. However, after a bit of experimentation I have found that this recipe—made in a Nutribullet —is super easy and even tastier than most. Ingredients (2 large servings) 400 gram tin organic chickpeas (in water) 175 gram tin black olives (pitted) (drained) 1x tbsp tahini paste Juice of half a lemon 1 clove of garlic 1 tsp paprika ½ tsp chilli powder ½ tsp black pepper ½ tsp salt Method Drain the water from the tin of chickpeas and place it to one side in a cup (you will need it later) In the small Nutribullet cup—add the drained chickpeas, olives, tahini, lemon juice, ...

Afternoon munchies are a frequent problem for bike riders. Those morning rides set your metabolism buzzing, then come mid-afternoon your stomach is rumbling. This crumble cake recipe is from Rude Health , and is the perfect comforting solution! It is made using whole sprouted spelt flour, which is rich in nutrients and enzymes, and leaves you feeling satisfied but not bloated. The wintry cinnamon sponge, with its crunchy nut topping, is filled with juicy chunks of apple and pear. It is great as an afternoon snack, or a dessert! Ingredients For the crumble topping: 80g ground almonds  50g grated cold butter  40g brown muscovado sugar  50g toasted chopped hazelnuts  For the cake: 200g Rude Health Whole Sprouted Spelt flour   3 eggs  2 small pears, diced into small cubes  1 small eating apple, cut into small cubes [Addition: 1 large handful of raisins]  60g maple syrup  60g honey  2 tsp baking powder  1 t...

Suz is a colleague of mine, and a keen 'natural nutrition advocate' too. I passed a few Rude Health  bars her way to test out... Suz: Rude Health is known for creating virtuous, healthier-than-healthy cereals and snacks. Their approach is nothing artificial and nothing refined. Just pure, wholesome goodness! I was lucky enough to be given the chance to try out two of their snack bars: The Beetroot and The Peanut. Here’s how I got on... The Beetroot Bar The Beetroot Bar is literally just beetroot, dates, nuts, seeds and a weeny bit of oil. My first impression was that it looked and felt like a Nakd Bar – nice and dense, yet fudgy in texture. Thanks to the beetroot, it’s also got a curious pink hue. Beetroot can be bitter unless it’s mixed with something else so I wasn’t sure what to expect! The addition of dates to the mixture made sure that it was love at first bite! There was a slight earthy aftertaste but it was needed to offset the sweetness of the dates. T...

I've always been a fan of dried fruit, nuts and seed mixes. Whether you're snacking after a hard morning training session, or you need something to break up the monotony of energy bars and gels on a long ride; dried fruit and savoury nuts are an ideal source of energy and protein. MuleBar have clearly tapped into this idea with their new Nosebag products; handy jersey pocket-sized bags of dried fruit, and savoury nuts and seeds, which provide a great alternative energy source . There's nothing particularly revolutionary about the contents of MuleBar's Nosebags, but they do taste great. First up, there is the Fruit Avalanche. This is a mix of raisins, dried apricots, dried cherries, cape gooseberries and goji berries. Much like a good dried fruit mix, it's a riot of flavours, and will certainly add a bit of interest for a palate that has been numbed by sugary energy gels. There's a great mix of textures too, so you can enjoy gently chewing on that goji be...