Harvest & Gather: @burburywholefoods

Channeling a lifetime of creation and travel, Tash & Tom combined their experiences to create Burbury Whole Foods. Inspired by a passion for cooking with local, organic produce and a link to Ayurvedic wellness, the pair are dedicated to inspiring a mindful relationship with food.

Question: Can you share a little about how Burbury Whole Foods began and your journey to get where you are today?

Answer: "Burbury Whole Foods has evolved a lot since it first began 6 years ago."

"I spent my early 20's travelling, studying fine art and cheffing in restaurants and retreats around the world. I really believe that my art background led me to food because the ingredients became my paint."

"We began Burbury Whole Foods at our local farmers market where we sold avocado toast with all the toppings. Even back then we always had a focus on showing off incredible produce of the area. It was a lot of fun, especially when my fiance Tom joined. Once we combined forces we started catering as well as the markets. When COVID hit naturally it all stopped. We were fortunate in the sense that it gave us space to find clarity on where we going and what we wanted to do."

"That's when we created our first cookbook. Anything's Possible, launched our own cooking retreats and decided to specialise in retreat catering. It enable us to continue to inspire people to connect with their food in a meaningful way and give people the tools to make conscious decisions around food and sustainability."

Question: Have you always been passionate about food and celebrating beautiful organic produce?

Answer: "Food has always been a big part of my life. My mother is an incredible cook and I was brought up on delicious food."

"It wasn't until I was working in an organic cafe in Whistler, Canada, where I saw first hand what it means to have amazing organic produce, locally grown and how that impacts the flavour of the dishes."

"Now, it is something we really pride ourselves on, sourcing and finding the best local farmers and suppliers. Our role as chefs is to collaborate with the best suppliers to find the most sustainable ingredients. Really when you buy good ingredients, all the hard work is done for you and we just try our best to show if off. We now have close to 30 different suppliers and it's still growing."

Question: Can you share a little about how you came up with this incredible recipe?

Answer: "Kitchari, one of Tom's personal favourites, is a staple in India and Ayurveda. When we were travelling in India, I studied Ayurveda, this is where a lot of our philoshopy around food comes from and where I learnt about the wonders of Kitchari."

"Kitchari is a balancing comfort food filled with fibre, protein and complex carbohydrates. It is often given as a Ayurvedic remedy to people who need rejuvenation from chronic exhaustion, poor digestion, or an over-toxic system. This healing dish offers warmth and spices that restore wellness and provide vital nourishment."

"This kitchari is on our dinner plate (or bowl) at least once a week. We love how it tastes and how we both feel after. It's the perfect end to the day and a great way to make sure you wake up energised for the next. We always make a big pot of it so we have healthy meals throughout the week."

Question: What's next for Burbury Whole Foods? Are there any more cooking retreats on the horizon?

Answer: "There are indeed! We have our next cooking retreat locked in for April 20th-24th next year. We ran our last one in September and had the best time helping people become more confident in the kitchen."

"We left feeling reinvigorated to do more where we are able to conenct with people and inspire them to fall in love with food and cooking. We have a few things on the horizon around different dining experiences, video and cookbooks all with a focus on sustainability and connecting with local farmers."

Ingredients

2 cups brown rice
2 cups chana dal or moong dal
3 tbsp fresh ginger, grated with skin on
2 tbsp ghee or coconut oil
1 tbsp fresh tumeric, grated with skin on
2 Dutch cream potatoes (400g), medium cubes with skin on
1 Sweet potato (400g) medium cubes with skin on
2 cups Kale (100g), finely chopped
1 lime, to make 2 tbsp of juice and 1 tsp of zest
2 tbsp tamari, plus extra to serve
Dried Spices

12 cardamon pods
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/s tsp caraway seeds
1/s tsp pepper

To Serve

Coconut yoghurt or plain yoghurt
Lime wedges
Coriander leaves

Method

Soak rice and dal for 4-8 hours in filtered water. Rinse well. In a mortar and pestle, grind the dried spices.
In a large pot, add the dried spices, ginger, ghee and turmeric. Cook on medium heat. Stir for 1-2 minutes to release the flavours from the spices.
Place rice and dal into the pot. Fry off for further 3 minutes.
Add 8 cups of water, potatoes and sweet potato. Bring to the boil then simmer for 30-40 minutes, until it becomes a porridge consistency.
Once cooked, stir through kale, lime juice, zest and tamari.

Serve with coconut yoghurt, lime wedges, extra tamari and coriander leaves.