How beautiful is Edinburgh!! I mean this is not supposed to come out as a question, it is a pure statement on my behalf, but I'm not about to get over it any time soon- how beautiful is that little city with its enchanting structures and surprising abundance of greenery!

Loving the Royal Mile

I say pretty stunning and I was over the moon to be going there with a group of nine friends to see the All Blacks [rugby team] show the world what New Zealand is all about!

Small confession... as much as I support New Zealand all the way, it is official- I am just not a rugby woman. I’ve tried, I really have, over my 14 years in New Zealand, I tried to watch it on TV, to attend games, learn some players names, familiarise myself with the scoring system and what on earth the line out and scrums are (even though I did manage to go through High School thinking it was called a ‘scrub’- see what I mean?).

With Elliot at the Edinburgh Castle

When it comes to rugby, I am all Russian! So when in Edinburgh I parted with the rest of the group for a short while, as they cheered on our champions and went wondering the charming streets on my own, well ok- shops.

But you won’t imagine how hard my guilt swallowed me whole, as the very next day at the airport we saw the ENTIRE rugby team come through the departure gates one by one and I was the one asking everyone’s favourite players for a group picture with us! I believe that is also ‘So Russian’, accept maybe for the feeling guilty part (that’s just me).

From left: Gareth, Reece, Mel, Chris, Ben, Nick, BRAD THORN &DAN CARTER, Me, Kirsty, Elliot, Tim



Kirsty and I with a very handsome All Blacks captain Richie McCaw

I would like to make a special point here, that Richie put his arm around me First (!!) and then I got to touch his back.. his wonderful, strong solid back... perhaps I could be a rugby supporter afterall :)


Right! What is this blog about again? Recipes! Richie.. I mean Rugby.. I mean Raw Food!! This recipe is good, really good! I made it first thing as we got back home, because Edinburgh was so ridiculously cold and I was left with no choice, but come up with a very satisfying, comforting and warming Winter Recipe, which very quickly made it right to the top of my favourites:


For the mushrooms
10 x Medium Chestnut mushrooms
8 x Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 x Tbsp Tamari
4 x Tbsp Lemon Juice (or juice of 1 whole lemon)
4 x Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
2 x Garlic cloves, minced

-Prep the mushrooms: carefully wiggle out the stalks and peel back the skin to reveal a white surface
-Gently pierce the surface with a tip of a knife, so marinade soaks in more evenly
-Lay the mushrooms flat in a container with the gills facing up. Careful not to pile them on top of each other or you will require much more marinade
-Mix all other ingredients in a bowl and pour over the mushrooms
-Ensure every part of the mushroom is coated well, lightly shaking the container or dipping them with your hands. Don’t worry if there is not enough marinade for the mushrooms to swim in, as long as each side has been wetted, they can now sit to soak in the juices from the bottom
- Leave to marinade at room temperature overnight

For the Basil Pesto
3 x packed Cups Basil
1 x Cup Macadamia nuts
1 x Cup Pinenuts
4 x Tbsp Lemon juice
3 x Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 x Garlic cloves, minced
1 x tsp Sea salt

-Process the basil leaves in the food processer with an S blade
-Pulse in the macadamia nuts, not too fine so you have texture to your pesto
-Add the pine nuts and pulse
-Add the rest of ingredients, scrape everything of the sides of the processer and onto the blade. Pulse again
-Scoop mixture out with your hands forming into balls and place inside the mushroom caps
-To serve warm: place in the dehydrator on 105degrees F for two hours before serving or for half an hour in a warmed oven (which has been switched off before mushrooms go in)

Watch how to prepare this effortlessly...