One of the most frequently asked questions i've been getting is, "what can you eat for breakfast thats local?".

I certainly asked myself that question when I first did the challenge back in march, and sort of learnt as I did it, and found that although a banana smoothie which I so often had was off the list, I had quite a few other tasty and healthy options available!

So here are my top five Local Jersey breakfast, which canters to vegans and non vegans alike!

Hash browns 
For vegan, make it with jersey onion and garlic, potato, gurnesy mushrooms (techiancally local), and parsley. 

I'm not very experienced with these, as I prefer a cold breakie, but loads of recipes online, which are super simple. which I'll give a go and post about.

(I could easily live off all the jersey figs for breakfast)

free range egg on Jersey toasted loaf
If you eat eggs, then theres no shortage of breakfast to choose from.

Have them poached, fried, scrambled on your favourite jersey baked bread. 

Juicing or smoothie 
This is my go too, as it fits perfectly with my diet and life style.

I personally don't eat dairy or meat but love fruit and veg, and juicing or making a smoothie makes the best use of them to give me what I need in the morning!

I like cucumber, carrot, celery juice, or cucumber juice smoothied with strawberries, theres loads of different combos. 

Jersey yogurt with berries and honey.
Great summer breakfast, as all berries are out, and of course plenty of yogurt to choose from.

also with some jersey melon would go down a treat.

​If your not keen on dairy, then why not put a berry and fruit bowl together for breakfast.

bacon and sausage roll
Great one from all the meat eaters out there, plenty of pork this island has to offer.
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pair with jersey tomato ketchup and vienna roll.

Omelette 
great one for protein, can also get some veggies, or bacon in there if you like, great with jersey cheese. 

I think this is more of a lunch for me, but I know some people like it for breakfast.

French toast 
not the most health conscious choice, but great with some local berries and honey on top,
for a guilt free weekend treat.

or if thinking to much for the morning why not just normal toast with some locally made jam?
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So thats some breakfast ideas that can canter for everyone, let me know whats your favourite and if you got anymore to add. I'm always looking for the most local healthy ways to live, so more ideas are welcome!!

I want to list a few more recipes before the challenge week to help people get a clearer view of what they can make.


Fish and chips
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www.foodandwine.com/recipes/whole-fish-roasted-with-potatoes-and-thyme
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With so much fish to choose from, as well as an abundance of potatoes! as well as lots of herbs like parlsey that go amazing with fish!

roasted butternut squash soup!

www.inspiredtaste.net/2031/roasted-butternut-squash-soup/

I love soup so much and we can make so many different ones here, from whey soup to leek and potato, tomato, the list goes on.

Sauerkraut 

www.culturesforhealth.com/learn/recipe/natural-fermentation/sauerkraut/

I love making use of all the cabbage thats grown here, not just for slaw, but it can been popped into a jar and fermented, its so tasty and super healthy for the gut.
All you need is jar, cabbage and salt, simple.

Mussels and Oysters

​www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/mussels-in-white-wine-and-garlic-13162
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with an amazing abundance of these surrounding us, amazingly tasty and full of natural goodness.
cooked in white wine from le mare vineyard  and garlic from the local farm shop.

Jersey Omelette

Jersey eggs, milk, veg, cheese. salt. got your self an omelette!  

Jersey BBQ

damndelicious.net/2014/08/22/vegetable-kabobs/

Grilled corn on the cob with butter, Jsy sausages in a jersey baked bun, Jersey grown peppers and onion on a kebab stick.

Vegetable Stir fry

minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-cauliflower-rice/

All locally grown veggies, i.e peppers, onion, garlic, broccoli, etc. with the chilli kitchen relish as a sauce, with cauliflower rice, perfect local gf vegan stir fry.

Im so glad I experimented with this coleslaw and made it a local one, coleslaw is so great for almost any meal.

Ingredients

• 1 cabbage thinly sliced 
• two medium carrots grated 
• 1 sliced red onion
• raw fennel sliced (optional)
  
•  oil
• apple cider vinegar 
• honey
• 2 cloves of crushed garlic 
• chopped rosemary
• water
• salt 

Instructions

1. combine all the sliced veggies together in a big bowl.
   
2. prep your dressing in a smaller bowl adding the oil, garlic, honey,  rosemary, water, salt, vinegar, all together and mixing well. 
   
3. add dressing to slaw and mix in well, adding fennel leaves on top for garnish.
   

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note: for the dressing add amounts depending on amount of veg and taste as you go.

Simple, healthy, light summer dish, that using minimal ingredients, the only thing thats extra is too make the courgette noodles you need a spiralizer, I got mine for 11 pounds, not too bad and can really make dishes interesting.

Ingredients

Noodles

• 1 medium courgette spiralized 
• oil/butter for frying
• broccoli (optional)
• tomatoes (optional)

Pesto

• hand full of parsley 
• oil (olive or jsy hemp)
• clove of garlic
• spinach/basil 
• pinch of jersey sea salt 

Instructions 

1. spiralize your courgette(s).
   
2. prep your pesto, add all ingredients to food processor, and blend till smooth.
   
3. pop your broccoli in your frying pan on a medium heat with a little oil, till a little cooked through about 4 mins, then add your noodles, stir regularly for about 5 mins, then stir in your pesto, for about another 2 mins, then once the noodles are how you like them (can be el dente or soft), serve with baby gem tomatoes.
   

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note: there are lots of different ways to make a good pesto, this was one I threw together.
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Ingredients

• vegetables for roasting (potatoes, carrots, beets, peppers, etc)
• salt 
• oil or butter
• salad base (lettuce, spinach, chard etc)
• tomatoes (chopped) 
• cucumbers (chopped) 
• tender stem broccoli (raw or cooked) I like them raw. (optional)
• chutney or salad dressing (chilli kitchen have great choices) 
• marigold flower petals garish (optional)

Herbs (I used)

• parsley 
• rosemary

​these I used for the potatoes and garnish.

Instructions

1. Pre heat oven to 180, and prep your chosen veg, spread out on a baking tray, and drizzle with oil (hemp) or butter (olive oil is my trade product), with pinch of salt and herbs (optional) (garlic/rosemary/parsley etc). Baking time varies from veg to veg but most will take about 20 mins.
2. Get your salad base washed and chopped, ready on the plate with the tomatoes, cucumber, broccoli. (or any other add ins of choice, e.i jersey coleslaw, sauerkraut, radishes, fennel, grated carrot)
3. Once roasties are done put it all together with a spoonful of chutney or coleslaw and garnish with herbs.

With more recipes to come I feel this is a great place to start the food journey! 

So, you may be wondering, where can I go out for a meal, and stay on a local food diet?

Well fear not, theres a range of food outlets that are making a local dish for the week of the challenge and many, have local food on the menu any way! 





​Nude Food
​
Deliciously healthy NudeFood introducing a all local salad and smoothie! and going to aply discount for the local foodies, for the week of the challenge. lots of the veg they use is jersey grown too!
there are two town locations.

Nude 'town' - 5 new street, St Helier, JE2 3RA

Nude 'body' - Pirouet house, union street, St Helier, JE2 3RF

website - www.nudefood.je/
Instagram - @nudefoodcafe
Facebook - www.facebook.com/nuudefood/

La Bastille Bar & Basserie

With lots of historic charm and an abundance of local produce, Bastilles contribution to the local week, is one to look out for!

Location - Queen St, St Helier, JE2 4WD

website - www.labastille.bar/
Instagram - @labastillejersey
Facebook - www.facebook.com/LaBastilleJersey/

Health and wellbeing 
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• The longer it takes for food to get from farm to table the less amount of nutrients.
• Nutrient dense foods are key to maintaining health and wellbeing.
• Organic food has more nutrients. 

I was delighted to have the support of Genuine Jersey for my upcoming Eat Local Food Challenge which is running for a week on 13th – 19th August. Eating and drinking only local produce for one week isn’t as hard as you may think thanks to an abundance of skilled local producers. I’ve explored how Genuine Jersey produce could make this challenge a breeze for you all, and how it may change your mind towards buying more local.


So you may be thinking, how can I see if it's local? Easy, look for the Genuine Jersey mark, or get your glasses out and read the packet! We already have a well-run local product association called Genuine Jersey, that consists of members that produce, sell, make, bake all local produce, so finding out what’s local for the week challenge ahead, isn't going to be a problem. Many parish farm shops, and supermarkets like Co-op, have a wide range of local produce, and most have the genuine Jersey stamp, so are easily identifiable.

One of the local ingredients you perhaps wouldn't think you can get here is sea salt. Salt being of course a key component to most recipes, and a great asset to our health, even more so now its local! The sea that surrounds us is extremely fertile with so much life and nutrients, but most people only go so far as a dip in St. Brelade when the suns out or eating some fish from the harbour. There’s so much more nutrition and exciting goodness we can work with from our seas, which is just what Jersey Sea Salt have done, utilising our local resources of health and sustainability for all of us.
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When I did the Local food challenge back in march, I found some of the farm shops to be favourite places to shop, I was asking them what was from here and what wasn't, and what made that process easier was knowing if it has the Red stamp, I knew it was genuine, It almost turns into a treasure hunt trying to find, what you can eat and how it can be all put together to make something delicious, it's exciting when you see a whole range of chutneys and sauces you know is all locally made. 


Another one of my favourite Genuine Jersey members is The Chilli Kitchen, founded by Lesley Garton, using Local seasonal ingredients to make everything from mild wild blackberry, apple jams to hot hot spicy sauces, there's a huge range to complement all meals. I love the lemon and chilli pickle which is a happy medium for me, although I know many who would love to try the very hot relishes.

Theres over 100 genuine jersey members, and the great majority of them are producing, making, growing, rearing, and catching Jersey food, all for the benefit of the Island and the humans on it.

I love how theres already a caring community on island that are working hard to lower Co2 emissions and each person is on there own mission,  working for a sustainable living.

Heres a short list of my go-to shops for Genuine jersey produce:

• Classic Herd farm shop- St. peter 
• Midland stores - St.saviour 
• The fresh fish company - Victoria pier (St. Helier)
• Co-op 
• Cookes rose farm - St. Lawrence
• Holme Grown - Grouville 
• Field Farm - St. Lawrence 

I'm sure I've missed a few so please comment if theres anymore shops you can think of, that are great for genuine Jersey products. 

(Not including wild food, herbs and sea life)
*is organically grown here (but not all is)

Here I've only really named a few of the crops we grow, properly missed some out too! Feel free to comment any you know about or grow yourself.