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London’s raw food scene is exploding.

After decades of raw food diets provoking gasps of disbelief, London’s raw food scene has moved into the city’s mainstream health food movement with a burgeoning network of restaurants, market stalls, delivery services, workshops and lifestyle events.

Raw food or ‘live food’ dishes are made from produce – usually but not always unprocessed, organic and vegan – cooked at a temperature below 48C (warmer than body temperature, but still not even half way between frozen and boiling water). On raw food websites it is often referred to as ‘high vibrational food’, some theories suggesting that, being uncooked, ‘live’ foods have more enzymes and a higher nutrient content than cooked ‘dead’ foods.

Chad Sarno, culinary mastermind behind Saf, London’s most high-end raw food restaurant that opened in April 2008, says. ‘I find terms like “high vibrational” alienate people. Basically it’s food in its purest, freshest form, so of course it’s healthier and in my opinion tastier than cooked food.’

The Saf menu includes dishes that sound impossible to create from raw ingredients: beetroot ravioli and Chinese pancakes share the line up with pad Thai and autumn risotto.

At Dragonfly Wholefoods in Highgate the menu offers sumptuous falafel, pizza, sunflower burgers and onion bread available in all their uncooked glory.

Many of these dishes wouldn’t be possible without a dehydrator, the ovens of the raw world. The one other staple to create such dishes is a heavy-duty blender, this also being essential for making nut milks, butters and cheeses.

‘Everything you know about cooking you throw out the window,’ says Sarno. ‘There’s no direct raw equivalent for, say, frying or roasting. It’s a totally different science.’ The techniques in raw cookery revolve around soaking, sprouting, blending and dehydrating, all techniques Sarno whisks students through in a whistlestop tour during his three-hour Introduction To Raw Cuisine class.

Many raw food enthusiasts make claims of improved health on switching to a raw food diet, but one benefit which is more palpable is weight loss – a strictly followed raw food diet is an almost guaranteed route to shedding pounds. Some feel it also has a massive impact on your general wellbeing.

London’s Raw Food Restaurants and Cafés

Saf
A sophisticated restaurant offering gourmet vegan and raw cuisine with starters from £5 and mains from £10. The winter menu is 50 per cent raw with this going up to 75 per cent in the summer. The level of culinary artisanship will delight all lovers of food, carnivores included. Classes and event catering available.
152-154 Curtain Rd, EC2A 3AT
www.safrestaurant.co.uk

Dragonfly Wholefoods
Since opening in August 2007 Dragonfly has transformed from wholefood shop with vegetarian café at rear into one of London’s best raw-vegan destinations with a daily buffet, selection of dishes (soup £5.96, falafel £10.95) and products made on-site to buy in the store at front. London-wide delivery available.
24 Highgate High St, N6 5JG
www.villagewholefoods.co.uk

VitaOrganic
Open for two years, Vita is an early pioneer of London’s raw food scene. There’s a daily pay-per-scoop buffet of 20 vibrant dishes – at least half of which are raw or slow cooked, raw soups (£3.90), raw cakes and truffles.
74 Wardour St, W1F OTE
www.vitaorganic.co.uk

InSpiral Lounge
Now a year old, InSpiral is a raw and vegan food hotspot and buzzing events space. Run by the Ekopia Project collective it has a ‘festival’ feeling, minimal electro pumping out while people drink algae juice and tuck into raw soups and truffles.
250 Camden High St, NW1 8QS
www.inspiralled.net

The Bonnington Café
The chef behind gourmet raw delivery service Raw Fairies cooks up a feast every second, fourth and fifth Sunday of the month at this long-established community vegan and vegetarian restaurant. Starters cost £3, main courses £7.
11 Vauxhall Grove, SW8 1TD

Tony’s Hemp Store
Since re-opening, it has revamped its vegetarian menu to include raw falafels, burgers, sprouted salads and chocolates. Raw takeaway boxes are also available.
10 Caledonian Rd, N1 9DU
Telephone: 020 7837 5223

Alchemy
This excellent juice bar offers a range of juices, seed milks and Brazilian blends in chic surrounds. It now offers a range of raw chocolates and cakes.
Unit 101, Stables Market, Chalk Farm Rd, NW1 8AH
www.alchemythecentre.co.uk

Hornbeam Café
This homely community café in Walthamstow frequently plays host to raw food events, pot luck suppers and talks.
458 Hoe St, E17 9AH
www.hornbeam.org.uk

London’s Raw Food Market Stalls, Catering & Delivery

Rainforest Creations
This pioneering raw company take delicious fare to markets across London. Find it at Hammersmith Market on Thursdays, Old Spitalfields Market on Fridays, Chelsea Market and Russell Square on Saturdays, and Spitalfields and Wood Green on Sundays. Only the wraps are not raw.
www.rainforestcreations.co.uk

Raw Fairies
A raw delivery service for those without the time to create the diet themselves. from £29.50 per day for three days, or as little as £22.50 per day for 30 days or more. The meals include one drink, two salads and one dehydrated cuisine meal. Chocolate, desserts and cakes are also available.
Unit 21, Grand Union Centre, West Row, W10 5AS
www.rawfairies.com

London’s Raw Food Classes

Sweet Sensations
A godsend for the health conscious with an insatiable sweet tooth, these three-hour hands-on raw chocolate- and dessert-making workshops led by Liz Bugrave are more than worth the £45 fee.
www.sweetsensations.uk.com

The Raw Food Nutrition Party
Let chef Peter Pure host a raw dinner party for you at your house (or his) or let him create a bespoke culinary class for your specific dietary needs.
www.rawfoodparty.com

Catherine Parker
Hands-on raw food workshops at Catherine’s N4 home. She provides all the ingredients to make the dishes (which students are free to eat) and sells larger quantities of ingredients at the end of each session.
www.cathparker.wordpress.com/workshops

Kitchen Buddy
Theresa Webb leads a range of raw nutrition, meal-creation classes, shopping and demonstration classes. Call for prices.
www.kitchenbuddy.eu

Jill Swyers
Health educator Jill Swyers leads weekend-long workshops that focus on the core principles of raw living – sprouting, preparation of vegetable juices and dehydrating foods. £150 for a weekend workshop.
www.jillswyers.com

Raw Food Websites

There are several raw food websites that can tell you more about the raw food diet lifestyle.  Some of the best ones are

Raw Foods Miracle for ideas, recipes, a forum, books, and more.  Their Web Resources page lists many more good websites full of information.

Eating for Energy is a revolutionary living foods nutrition ebook. Learn how to eat and transform how you look, feel, and perform through living plant-based whole foods. Includes a 12 week plan, over 100 recipes, and a special fitness nutrition component.

Gone Raw for sharing raw vegan recipes and advice.

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