Page 55 - January Phonebox Magazine 2012

new year - new you
Healthy Restaurant
Eating - yes it is possible if
you follow THE RULES
DIETING? WANT TO GO OUT FOR A MEAL? DON’T
WANT TO BLOW YOUR HEALTHY EATING PLANS?
What can you choose to eat when going to a pub in the surrounding villages of Olney?
Are you trying to lose some weight? Do you need to drop some pounds before Christmas to make up for your planned indulgences? Trying to lose weight is difficult enough, but even more difficult if you are faced with a meal out! All kinds of thoughts go through your head.... Shall I forget my diet for tonight? .... Shall I just have a big blow out and start again on Monday? ....... Shall I eat healthily and use up my calories on drink? ........Shall I just have one tiny slice of cake?...... OR ....... Shall I try and find a place to eat that accommodates my healthy lifestyle? ......
Oh, those thoughts! .....Finally you decide on your strategy, which of course will hopefully be the latter of those suggestions above! Assuming that it is, and you are fairly committed to a healthy lifestyle, then your next problem to face is,WHERE to eat? Your local restaurants may be fairly familiar to you, so for this article we are going to travel out of Olney to Stoke Goldington, Emberton,Western Underwood, Lavendon, Clifton Reynes and Sherington.
Here are some general rules I have developed after talking to my clients and asking about the problems they face when going out for dinner. The thing you most need to be concerned about is your intake of carbohydrates.They are the starchy, sugary additions to a western meal, things such as bread, pasta, rice and potatoes and of course, all sugars. They will make your body secrete too much insulin and store fat! Yes you CAN have a tasty meal without them!
Ask for some iced water BEFORE you order and try and drink at least two glasses.This will help you to not feel as hungry or to eat as much.
Most of the pubs will bring you a bread basket, put it out of arms reach! The bread will be highly irresistible and you will be hungry, so allow your fellow diners to help themselves and try to get rid of it! The high carbohydrate content of bread is detrimental to anyone trying to lose weight.
AVOID ALL pasta, rice, potatoes, crackers, and any desserts.
Choose a starter of olives, cold meats, chicken skewers, or a salad with oil and vinegar dressing.
Your safest main course should be a choice of protein, such as steak, chicken, fish, or any meat and plenty of non starchy vegetables or a large salad dressed with oil and vinegar. Do not worry about the fat content, fat is healthy without the presence of carbohydrates.
Desserts are a no no! If you really want to indulge, then go for berries and cream or a small piece of cheese.
Finish off your meal with a black coffee or a small cappuccino.
I need to mention alcohol, as I am sure some of you are scanning through this article hoping I am going to say it is acceptable! It is, in small quantities! two glasses of wine is perfectly OK, the drier the better. Spirits are also fine as long as not topped up with sweet mixers. The trouble with alcohol is, it relaxes you so much, you think.... “forget the diet”.....“I’ll start again tomorrow!” If you think you can remain in control, go ahead! .......In moderation!
Finally remember that most of the local pubs will cook you what you want. Don’t be afraid to say you don’t want potatoes or chips, but extra veg instead! You are the customer and they want your custom. Email me with any questions on your diet dilemmas clare@claregott.co.uk
Article by Clare Gott
You may have noticed the Bell & Bear in
Emberton on these pages a few times in the
past year or so. "It's been a bit of a
rollercoaster" say Jon, the chef, and owner
with wife Sophie. "For the majority of the
time since we bought the pub in March
2010, I've been the only one in the kitchen
and Sophie the only one running the
restaurant." A true family affair, Jon's
mother does some bar work and a new
addition to the team is Jon's brother to the
kitchen. "Working with family was more or
less the only way we could survive and keep costs down in this economic climate, we wanted to use the best ingredients available, preferably locally sourced." Locally sourced indeed, in the summer months more than 80% of the vegetables used are grown in the village by residents in their garden or allotments. "We trade for wine or beer, although a lot are just given to us." It's not just vegetables either, "We've got some great suppliers, all our poultry comes from Evans, pretty much in Olney, we also get great rare breed locally reared beef, lamb & pork through Graham at Douglas Butchers in Newport, Brown's in Stagsden or direct from local farms. We run the restaurant as exactly that, a family run restaurant, everything prepared by hand, ice creams, sauces, we even churn some of our own butter. Sophie and I cook and run every service."
Not exactly Pub Grub Then? "There are some excellent pubs around doing pub grub, we don't have the capacity to compete with those guys, that's not what we're about." Says Sophie. "We dined in pretty much every local establishment before we bought the Pub from Basil, Jon's father, and realised there are some real quality establishments around. Luckily we both grew up working in proper restaurant environments and so we wanted to bring a bit of that to the pub, but without turning it
into a stereotypical Gastropub. Besides, we're a freehouse, and didn't have the money for the Gastropub refit!"
Indeed Jon and Sophie were both just 26 with a year old daughter when they invested in The Bell & Bear. "Everybody said we were crazy, but the customer comments help keep us sane," remarks Jon. "This year is about continuing to build for us, improving the garden and bar areas." He continues "We are so proud of the locals which keep us running, our suppliers and the customers that just keep coming back, we pride ourselves on knowing your name, something you just don't really get anymore. We're about community, be it fundraising, like the £5000 our team raised for Movember, cooking Emberton School's Christmas dinner or sourcing Turkeys for the Pensioner's Lunch. We get back what we put in, and we want to thank all our customers for that."
The Bell & Bear
Find out more online: www.bellandbear.net
twitter.com/bellandbear facebook.com/bellandbear
12 High Street, Emberton, Olney, Buckinghamshire MK46 5DH Telephone: 01234 711565
Phonebox Magazine 55