M E E T O U R T E A M
M E E T O U R T E A M
M E E T O U R T E A M
M E E T O U R T E A M
O U R V A L U E S
The Plant-based approach
Eating a plant-based diet has numerous health benefits and benefits for our environment. We like the term plant-based because it is not a narrow label- it simply means eating a diet that is predominantly made up of whole foods from plants
While we LOVE eating In an 100% plant-based, whole foods way, we are not here to force anyone to become vegetarian or vegan per se- but rather to encourage everyone- no matter how they would label their eating style- to introduce a wider variety of plant-based foods into their diet and to try new dishes and combinations.
We believe plant-based eating can be exciting and fun and want to introduce beautiful, nourishing and delicious . If you identify as an hard-core non-vegetarian and feel vegan food tends to be boring, Copper + Cloves is still for you!
Eat whole foods
Copper + Cloves is all about celebrating whole foods and creating recipes that use whole foods in innovative ways. Whole food means food that is minimally processed at the point of purchase- all different types of colourful and leafy vegetables, fruits, pulses, dals, whole grains (like brown rice, red rice, wholewheat and millets), nuts and seeds, and herbs and spices.
When possible, we avoid eating packaged, processed foods that come wrapped in plastic and contain long lists of ingredients including additives and preservatives.
Our cafe and delivery menu is free from refined sugar, oils and maida. We don’t use any artificial sweeteners or preservatives. All of our ingredients are locally sourced, fresh and natural.
Variety
Variety is central to our food philosophy. One type of natural ingredient isn’t better than the other and eating the exact same things every day, no matter how healthy those meals may be, is not the way forward. There is an amazing spectrum of colourful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans and pulses, nuts and seeds and herbs and spices that are grown in this country. It is our job to celebrate them by being open and curious and trying new things and recipes. ‘Eating the rainbow’ is not just advice for children- it’s good for adults also! With our recipes, our aim is to keep you trying new ingredients and to get as many different colours and varieties of plants onto your plate!
Choosing local produce
We have amazing produce here in India and there is no need to import fresh produce from abroad to get any supposed health benefits or flavours. Central to Copper + Cloves is the farm-to-table philosophy. We aim to work with local, organic producers and suppliers as much as possible. Our food reflects cooking styles from communities around the world- home cooking from the Middle East, East Asia and the Mediterranean- as well as Sarah’s own Sri Lankan heritage and her time living in South India. We shouldn’t restrict ourselves to one cuisine or style of eating- it can be such a fun experience to eat healthy food from around the world! But we do believe we should adapt cuisines and dishes to ensure we are eating seasonal and locally grown produce rather than buying expensive imported ingredients.
Mindful Eating
Mindful eating principles are counter to dieting, bingeing and grazing- forms of mindless eating that lead us feeling lousy. You can read more about mindful eating here.
GUT HEALTH FOCUSED
The field of research into the importance of gut health (meaning a thriving, diverse community of microbes living inside us) on our overall health and wellbeing is growing all the time. It’s a new and active area of scientific enquiry- even since I trained as a Health Coach in 2017 we understand the role of a healthy gut microbiome so much more- and how it can impact everything from the obvious signs like poor digestion and bloating, but also our mood, auto-immune conditions, diabetes and obesity. But rather than following a ‘gut-health diet’, we can simply focus on the basic principles.
Firstly, eating lots of prebiotic food (that is food which feeds our gut microbes- whole, plant based ingredients like the beans, dals, veggies and fruits, nuts and seeds I keep going on about). Secondly, supplementing this with lots of probiotic foods- foods which actually contain the good microbes which can go and thrive in our gut. By this I mean fermented foods and drinks- you will most likely have heard of the most common traditional ones like our home pickles, homemade curd and some of the trendy ones like kombucha and kimchi. There are lots of recipes on here for different types of fermented foods and drinks that are easy to make at home without special equipment or ‘starters’ that you have to obtain.
