When last did you have a little food adventure?
I’ve interviewed Robyn who owns ‘Goodness Grazers’ (from Bath, UK) to chat about two things that come up when talking about making changes to what we eat – what goes on at work, and how we can get stuck eating the same unhelpful things. We had an interesting chat about food psychology too.
I thought Robyn’s business – Goodness Grazers – is an excellent example of the tasty alternatives out there that are better for us at events and work ‘things’.
Is what you usually do, good for you?
In a previous post I mentioned how as much as 75% of what we eat tends to be the same foods. If these happen to be high calorie/ low nutrient foods, over time this can impact our health, and is probably key to how we end up eating more than we need.
Rather than think about our food worlds getting smaller and less interesting when we eat for our health – it is possible to eat better and GAIN pleasure in food. We can find food experiences that open our options and add new dimensions to what we are eating.
You’ll change the focus to what’s better for you, rather than what you can’t have. Allow yourself to enjoy food as an experience.
Goodness Grazers – sensory feasting
Take a look at this picture. I interviewed Robyn because of this picture. This is surely food art.
What does Goodness Grazers do?
A grazing experience is a gastronomic sensory delight – for the eyes and tastebuds! It is Food and Styling, brought together in a beautiful way. Goodness Grazers makes up 2 or 3m platter displays – essentially a form of food art (in my opinion) for events – everything from corporate meetings, to hen dos’, feasts – life events like christenings, but we also have a fantastic option of ‘picnic’ versions that suit 2 or more people that are perfect if you are thinking of outside eating adventure in Bath, or you want something different for your working lunch!
What’s the feedback been like about the platters?
Food is such a huge part of our conversations! Especially at gatherings, our platters become a way of giving something to talk about – connection over eating.
A Goodness Grazer platter is a sensory experience. The impact on people is fascinating – one of the biggest pieces of feedback I get is about how people felt they could try new things that they would never normally consider, and loving it. There’s a real freedom in being free to ‘graze’ and interestingly – there’s a real crowd effect – one person tries – then everyone tries – you have to be quick or it will all be gone!
Sometimes buying something new in the supermarket comes loaded with risk – how much it costs if you don’t like it – so an an opportunity like this gives us the freedom to just try happily.
So what do you put on your platters – how do you choose the foods?
I select foods with the rainbow as my guide – as you can tell from the pics! Goodness Grazers has a strong ethos about supporting local suppliers and sustainability as far as possible – and even our more exotic items are sourced from local businesses.
I also pick food that is intriguing! We are privileged in England to have so many interesting foods available to us – have you tried a peach berry yet? We also suggest different taste sensations to try (eg. honeycomb on a creamy cheese).
Even breads have something more exciting to offer – we choose them based on minimal processing and what they ‘bring to the table’ – like the lovely rich colour of linseed or rye bread. Sometimes people discover how much they love sourdough breads from our platters if they were wary of trying it before. We also choose something just because it’s delicious – like focaccia flavoured with rosemary.
Nothing is cooked (i.e. warm on the table) everything is raw, ready, or preserved (which is interesting for people who despair of everything needing cooking and prep – especially for things like work lunches). There are cured meats and vegetarian falafels and cheeses – including great options on vegan cheeses. Part of the visual appeal is that it feels fresh. You’ll find Somerset cheeses, crackers, chutneys and relishes, dried fruits, nuts, sweet treats, honeycomb, crunchy crudite, colourful fruits – especially figs and grapes. Seasonal foods play a large part in what we choose. Texture, colour, quality all work together for a visually tempting effect.
Did you know that butterbeans make a gorgeous hummus? Sometimes we just don’t know what can be done with food until it’s presented to us. It’s interesting how many non vegans ask me about vegan cheeses for example – because they’re good, not just because they suit a preference!
The mix of foods means the pudding option isn’t really necessary, but if I’m asked to add something sweet I usually opt for ideas like dipped strawberries or chocolate pretzels or chocolate bark. Something different.
Our picnic grazing boxes are very popular. They’re a smaller version of our platters, so again includes cheeses, cured meats, artisan breads, crackers, dried fruits, fresh fruits and veg, dips, hummus… On request, we may also include wraps or filled pita breads.
We aim for a balanced assortment!
Who is ordering your platters and picnic boxes?
As you may imagine many of our clients have a wellness connection – like gyms or aesthetic clinics – the food then aligns with their values and what their clients want in their lives. We’ve also been asked to do healthier party food at children’s and adults’ birthday parties, launches, promotions, housewarmings, team meetings, leaving dos and baby showers and other businesses that walk their talk like Dentists! We love the life events, as there’s something super special about being part of someone’s happiness.
Unsurprisingly, Goodness Grazers platters are more popular with hen do’s and or bridal party light meals before the big day, than stag do’s.
One of my regular clients is an Employer of Choice business in Bath – he used to give a staff incentive lunch every month of pizza/ cake, that sort of thing – but has switched to Goodness Grazing platters because the wellbeing of his staff is important to the business, and he loved that there was another option – something for everyone – all the tastes and preferences can be catered to.
What kind of questions do you get asked?
People want to know about the potential for wastage – and because I personally can’t stand wasting food, we’ve got portion size down to a fine art now. Rarely is there much left over, and the beauty of what we provide is that you could put leftovers in the fridge easily for the next day.
I get asked about whether we use plastic or single use— our set up is easy and eco friendly – we layout on paper, and compostable cutlery and napkins are available.
We do cater for dietary requirements – including sensitivity to nuts, vegetarian or vegan, gluten free etc.
Get excited about what you are eating
While trying something new is one strategy you can use to shoot unhealthy eating habits, do bear in mind that you can still eat too many calories of healthy food! You can really enjoy what you are eating, while eating better. It’s about being willing to look for things that get you excited about what you are eating.
We tend to choose what’s familiar and easy in food because there is so much else going on in our lives. It can feel like a real risk to try something new – the kids won’t eat it, or it comes out wrong. In a way we need to give into that – but we can make a small space for trying new things to add in to the mix, knowing that for most of the time, we need to stick to the tried and tested.
It can be a very pleasurable experience to enjoy food out of the norm.
How could you bring food discovery into your life?
Here are some things to apply for yourself, inspired by Goodness Grazers:
- Make a sensory feast! The cuts, contrasts, shape, smell. Food styling just for you – not just for Instagram, but for the eating! Yes, I really do mean have fun with your food.
- Who do you eat with? Everyone has preferences – sharing food or just eating together is part of how we connect – what could you try that someone you know enjoys? What do they recommend you try?
- How could you get more food colour in your life? Where are you shopping – could you buy a rainbow at a farmer’s market? For something different? A fruit and veg box? What colour in the rainbow don’t you eat that you could?
- Switch to something similar but different – a variant of what you’d normally have – a blackberry or raspberry instead of a strawberry?
- What could you pick that doesn’t need cooking, but isn’t a ready made meal?
- How could you create food experiences in your life? Cooking experience? Supper club? Friends house? Bring and try lunch with work colleagues?
If you’d like to get in touch with Robyn from Goodness Grazers, here are the details:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goodness.grazers/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodness.grazers/
Email: hello@goodnessgrazers.com
https://www.goodnessgrazers.co.uk
