Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you won’t have missed the fact that the media has been turning green lately and the boys from the Happy Pear might just have something to do with that. Brothers David and Stephen Flynn have been on our airwaves and in our papers recently, promoting their new cookbook (and you'll remember that our very own Simone took part in their Happy Heart course a few months back).
The brothers grew up in Greystones and established their grocery store in the town in 2004. It has since evolved to encompass a restaurant and a second location in Shoreline Leisure Centre Greystones. They supplying many chain stores with their pestos, fruit and sprouts, and even brought their green fingered brother Darragh on board with his sprout farm.
We met up with them to chat about their new book, and to find out where they get all of their energy from.
David and Stephen will tell you straight out that they are not on a mission to turn us all vegan or vegetarian. Their sole purpose is to encourage us to eat more veg (even if it is sitting beside a steak on your plate). It’s a simple philosophy - haven't we have all heard our mothers say ‘eat your greens’? And lookit, mums are always right.
I asked David to give us Beauties a few tips that are easy to incorporate into busy lives. And who knows, small changes might lead to bigger ones. I should also point out that David conducted part of this interview while doing pull ups with his adorable daughter strapped to his chest. Dear Lord.
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David’s current hero foods are kale and avocado. Kale is packed full of vitamin C and calcium so ideal for us ladies (and I am a huge fan of avocado because not only is it an incredibly healthy fat and source of energy, it’s also a known component of beauty - excellent for your skin and has a plumping effect so it helps both inside and out).
His advice on your most important meal of the day? Breakfast, without a doubt. He suggests having porridge or a smoothie. And no, don’t picture a bowl of grey gruel when you think of porridge - there are hundreds of ways to jazz it up. If I'm honest, I'll admit that porridge alone has no flavour, so it’s all about what you add to it - bananas and raisins, apple and cinnamon, honey and toasted walnuts, berry compote and granola, the list is infinite so get creative!
The beauty of a smoothie is that it’s a great way to get veg into yourself first thing in the morning to set yourself up for the day. Avocado is a great smoothie base to give you a creamy texture, and some spinach in there is pretty inoffensive. Throw in some coconut water, berries, and fruit of your choice to make it to your own taste.
The book is divided into easy to read sections such as Breakfasts, Mains and Desserts and is interspersed with vingettes about the brothers and their journey thus far. I think it's a great read and perfect if you're looking for a stocking filler this Christmas.
It’s available online from Easons for €20.99 - http://www.easons.com/p-3006660-the-happy-pear.aspx - and from other good bookstores, and it's available to buy in the Happy Pear store itself.
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Viva la Vegolution!
Have you read this book from the Happy Pear? What cookbooks do you really rate? Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to practise pull ups with a baby strapped to my chest.
