Somewhere to the south west of London, about four hours by train or five by car, there is a magical land, where you can solve your way through a maze, splash around in the ocean, surf waves, chase cows in their fields, admire dramatic cliffs and coastline, pick coffee berries in the world's largest indoor rainforest, get lost winding around stunning country roads and step in to history through ruins and castles.

All that in a single day, if you wanted. This magical land is Cornwall.

Polperro coast

Elliot and I by our lodge

It is also the first place I visited outside of London in UK, when I just arrived here nearly three years ago. It's the home to my bestie and will always be dear to my heart, so you can imagine my pleasant surprise, when I heard that Cornwall was the trip of choice for Elliot's parents with us on their European tour!

The fam at Land's End

The weather gods performed a miracle and we didn't just get our fair share of Vitamin D (surely not for the rest of summer England!.... pleeease), but scored ourselves one of the most memorable trips no doubt.

Glendurgan maze

The Eden Project

Inspired by so much beauty, it was only natural that I'd want to create a new raw food dish to represent the very source of inspiration....

If you haven't yet been acquainted with a Cornish Pasty- it is one of Britain's traditional favourites, a filled pastry that originated when Cornish tin miners needed to eat an easy to hold hearty lunch, safe in the knowledge that their grubby hands won't contaminate the food wrapped inside a thick pastry. You can now get one in any part of Great Britain and Ireland, so surely it is about time for a raw version then! :)

When we returned to London, I hosted a little dinner party (more on that later) and here's what was on the menu:

First course: Cornish Pasty with mushroom filling and salsa

Second course: Sopes con Mole Poblano from Practically Raw recipe book. Watch this space for details to come next week!

Dessert: Keylime Pie, but with lemons instead of lime, plus added raspberries

For the Essentials
blender/ food processor
dehydrator

For the Pastry
3 zucchini, peeled
2 small mangoes, meat only
1 cup flaxseeds, ground
2 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

For the Filling
350gm portabello mushrooms, peeled
1/2 cup Tamari soy sauce
1/2 cup cashews, soaked
1/3 cup almond butter
4 Tbsp nutritional yeast
3 Tbsp lemon juice
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp cayenne

-Combine all the pastry ingredients in a high speed blender, until smooth. Use a tamper to assist the ingredients with touching the blades efficiently.
-Divide the batter amongst two teflex sheets of your dehydrator. Spread gently and evenly to the edges of each sheet.
-Dehydrate at 115degrees F for 6 hours, turn upside down on to a new teflex sheet and peel off the original. Dehydrate for a further 2 hours or until dry but still pliable.
-[Tip: in case the pastry turns out too dry, brush it with a little water.]
-Slice each sheet of pastry into quarters and fold the squares into triangles by joining the opposite ends.

-Slice the mushrooms into small equal sizes, cover with Tamari and set to marinate for 4-8 hours. At first, the mushrooms will soak up all of the Tamari, but will soon begin to release their own juices. Make sure you stir once or twice over the soaking period to make sure all of the shrooms are coated.
-Keeping mushrooms in the bowl, pour all of the marinade out into a blender, add the remaining Filling ingredients and blend to a cream.
-Combine the cream with marinated mushrooms and spread this filling inside each half of the pastry squares. Fold into a rectangular pasty.
-Have on it's own, fill with rocket leaves or serve with a juicy salad or salsa.

ENJOY!