'Oopse she did it again!' It was yet another solid year of rocking it out on the throne, this time totalling a great big celebratory SIX ZERO!

Our Queen is an inspiration, so I wanted to do something extra special for her Diamond Jubilee by making her this gorgeous Raw (dah!) Union Jack Cake:


Queen Elizabeth has forgiven us for doing press ups on her garden lawn  a couple of summers ago and absolutely loved the cake! And so did her family below :)

Elliot's parents were visiting us from New Zealand, so we had our very own Royal Party. From left to right: Harry- that'll be moi; Prince Charles- Elliot; Duke of Edinburgh- Richard (dad); The Queen- Adele (mum); William- Matt; Kate- Jen.


And back to the cake.
Here are the step by step instructions to make your very own...


For the base
2 portions of my Fudge Brownie recipe (base only, no icing)

For the icing
2 Cups cashews, soaked overnight
2 Lemons, juiced
1/2 Cup extra virgin coconut oil
1/3 Cup agave nectar
1/4 Beetroot juice (about 1 medium beet; make like this if no juicer)
1 tsp Spirulina powder

For the equipment & extras
Blueberries
Raspberries
Desiccated coconut
Union Jack stensil (or purchased flag)
Blender
Food processor
Optional: 17 x 31 cm cake base



Blend the cashews, lemon juice, coconut oil and agave, using a tamper/pulse until creamy.
Scoop about a third into a separate bowl to keep for the white portion of icing.
Add beetroot juice to the blender and blend (or manually stir, like in the image below)
Scoop half out to another bowl to keep for the red portion of icing.
Add the spirulina to the remaining red mixture and blend to make a purplish colour for the 'blue' portion of icing.


Prepare the brownie mixture using my Raw Food Fudge Brownie base recipe.
Double the portion, or your cake will be far too thin.
I used a 17 x 31 cm granite serving plate, but you can use a small chopping board or just a plate.


Make yourself a Union Jack stencil.
If you are in UK- just buy a cheap plastic flag available in many convenience stores.
Using the blunt side of a knife- press into each line to imprint the flag design onto the cake.


When you take the flag away, check that all the lines are there.
It's easy to get some out of proportion, so just smooth the line or two out with your finger and redo.


Begin to frost by colouring in the white parts first.
Use a butter knife like a painting brush and don't rush.
Continue by colouring in with red, keeping a picture of a Union Jack near for reference.


Continue now by filling the remaining triangles with the purple frosting.
[Blue is a primary colour, so it is pretty tricky to create from scratch. Purple was my best outcome]
Use the very tip of your knife to create sharp corners with the colours.


If you are not using berries- your cake is now ready!
Keep it in the fridge.


I just looooove berries and think they make any dessert extra special, so I used raspberries and blueberries for the respective colours on the flag.
The raspberries were a bit big, so I set them into the middle red cross part only.


Be sure to use the smallest blueberries first for each corner of the blue flag part.
Take a pinch of desiccated coconut and very carefully sprinkle it over the white.
Tada! Store in the fridge for up to 7 days.

As we enter the season of dinner parties, summer picnics and social get-togethers - healthy eating suddenly shoots up to the top of our priory list - as this also happens to be the season of boardies and bikinis! Yussssss.

But eating the right type of foods is usually where it stops for many of us... it's not like we were ever taught at school that what you do or more importantly DON'T do after dinner can have just as much effect on your metabolism and digestion as the food you eat.

Of course I am not only talking dinner, but any and every meal all through the day. Here are my...


1. DON'T drink liquids, especially cold water. Water will solidify the fats and oils you have just consumed and arrest digestion. Think of what happens to warmed liquid butter if you pour in into a jug of cold water- it solidifies and doesn't move.

2. DON'T eat fruit. Fruit should be eating on an empty stomach and on its own, as it is such a great cleanser and doesn't require long to digest. Mix it with anything else (like your dinner which is trying be digested) and it will sit on top, fermenting and rotting, making you bloated and gassy.

3. DON'T loosen your trousers. This sudden release could twist your intestines and block the natural movement of food.

4. DON'T smoke! Not that I would recommend smoking at any other time, but apparently having a cigarette right after eating increases the chances of cancer even more, as it becomes equivalent to ten whole cigarettes.

5. DON'T have dessert. The sugar will stay in your body for longer, sitting on top the meal, fermenting, acidifying the system and feeding any present candida. If you are going to have dessert, have it before the meal so that at least the saliva you produce will promote more digestive juices in the stomach for when dinner arrives.

6. DON'T drink coffee or black tea. Both have high amounts of acids, that make the protein (in any form) that we consume harder to digest.

7. DON'T sauna, bathe or bikram. High heat increases the blood to flow to the hands and legs, thus away from the stomach area, where it's required the most for proper digestion.

8. DON'T go to sleep. When we sleep, we relax and everything slows down, including the body's work and digestion. This can lead to gastric issues and infection in the intestines, as well as acid reflux.


Do you have a 'DON'T after dinner' that I've missed? Please share in the comments below...



Would you like to use this article? I'll be my pleasure! Please add this at the end:

Tanya Alekseeva is a wellness coach, chef, author, and a renowned raw food and detox expert. She healed herself with raw fruits and vegetables at the age of fourteen after a near fatal car accident damaged her internal organs. Born in Russia, raised in New Zealand and now based out of London, she travels nationally and internationally to provide seminars, workshops, retreats, detox programs and one-to-one coaching, to educate and ensure busy individuals achieve their most desired wellbeing and ultimate health objectives. She is the founder of Better Raw, creator of 'Raw Food 101' DVD, author of numerous eBooks, as well as a FR*EE report '15 World's Healthiest Foods' available on www.BetterRaw.com 

In Tanya’s 2.5 hour class you will learn all the basics, such as: ◈ Which equipment is necessary and which is just for fun. ◈ What superfoods are all about. ◈ The difference between smoothies and juices. ◈ Why dairy is not the answer to calcium. ◈ Why fermenting is so important. ◈ What on earth a dehydrator is and what you can create in it. ◈ Secrets to staying raw in winter time. ◈ Guidelines on sprouting at home. ◈ Practical tips and tricks to creating easy meals and snacks in under five minutes. ◈ How desserts can very much be a part of your diet. ◈ Hear truly inspiring success stories.

"Being a complex needs school our initial concern when a new person comes in to work with our pupils is always about how they will be able to work with the hugely varied needs of our students. In this case we also didn’t quite know what to expect from a raw food technician – we’ve always done very ‘normal’ cooking lessons, making biscuits, cakes, pizza etc.


The work Tanya did with us was amazing. The pupils (and staff!) learnt loads of new things about how to use foods in different ways and some of our more fussy pupils were willing and keen to try foods they would normally refuse. Tanya’s manner with the pupils was superb and they really took to her. They loved every minute of her sessions and still talk about food week now.


I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Tanya’s sessions to any other school be it mainstream or special needs. I think she’d work really well with different age groups as well as she has a really relaxed and calm way of working which immediately won the interest and respect of the pupils. Thanks for a great couple of days Tanya!" –Bec Lang



Here's a recipe just perfect for kids ('kids at heart' including!)...

½-1 Cup nut/seed milk
Optional: cacao nibs, goji berries, mulberries, raisins

-Peel bananas and mango
-Chop into pieces and freeze
-Transfer to a high powered blender, add milk and blend using a tamper
-Garnish with optional sprinkles and serve immediately