Q&A with Rooted London founder Pandora Symes

With healthy eating still at the forefront of our minds – yup, even in the last week of Jan! – we caught up with the amazing Pandora Symes to talk about her exciting new foodie venture.

Tell us a bit about your new venture, Rooted London… What’s the concept and what do you offer?

‘Rooted London is food and food coaching, launching in January 2015. Cutting the crap and ditching the food fads, Rooted starts at the core, to unearth and nurture your inner self through a balanced diet and lifestyle. Our mantra is ‘listen to your body and feed your soul.’ The Rooted Kitchen launched at Stretch yoga studio in Hackney on 3rd January, and offers real food, sustainably sourced and rooted in nature, using fresh, seasonal (and as much as possible, organic) ingredients. Expect warm cashew chai milk, various flavours of nut milks, chia seed breakfast pots, homemade gluten-free granola, smoothies, raw treats and lunch pots, including seasonal salads and hot pots to warm up at home. We also do food delivery to local business and households, food coaching, workshops and monthly supperclubs (the next one is 31st January) as well as catering for events. We are very busy indeed!’

Why is ‘real’ food so important?

‘Fad diets, super foods, and health scares – there’s a huge amount of information about health, diet and nutrition that sometimes it can be hard to cut through the noise to the facts. There’s a huge emphasis on ‘clean’ living, which implies that eating anything other than kale and greens is dirty which is far from the truth. That’s why Rooted offers food and food coaching for people who care about what they eat but want to keep it ‘real.’ This means finding balance and not giving yourself a hard time if you fancy a burger or a pizza with friends on a Friday night. By ‘real’ we promote seasonal food, a predominantly plant-based diet, nothing packaged and a conscious awareness as to where food is from. Most importantly it’s about finding a healthy relationship with food.’

Where did the idea come from?

‘I’ve always been into health and food but found that battling a busy job in fashion and beauty, it was often hard to eat as well as I’d like to. I’ve worked in the health and wellbeing industry for some time and have seen it change dramatically. Although it’s great that people are really tapping into their health, I’ve also seen how confusing it’s all become and for many people (certainly a lot of my pals), totally unrealistic given their busy lifestyle in London. I was always going to launch the food coaching and supperclub side of Rooted but after having a chat with the owners of Stretch who were looking for a food brand to launch in one of their studios, it became clear that I should be offering food that I would be promoting people to eat. The collaboration with Stretch was serendipitous and I couldn’t be happier to launch with them. Our visions are totally aligned and clear and we make a great team.’

Have you always been into healthy eating?

‘Yes, pretty much. For some it’s a real effort to eat their fruit and vegetables but for me, I’ve always much preferred a salad to a heavier meal. Granted, we all crave some heavy carbs now and again but in general, I’ve always been interested in the next ‘superfood’ and have always loved eating fresh and local food.’

What’s your fave healthy dish to make?

‘My favoruite winter warmer is a beetroot, turmeric, ginger and coconut soup, which was a hit at our first supperclub. It’s a one-pot wonder and using coconut cream, really hits the spot when you need something moreish on a cold evening.’

What are your essential store cupboard ingredients?

‘Tahini is an absolute must! It can be mixed into sweet and savoury dishes and can turn around even the blandest of foods to taste sweet and delicious! Absolute must-haves in the Rooted Kitchen would be fresh turmeric and ginger, which I juice or blend in to dishes such as raw, sprouted houmous, soups and various nut milks. Good old coconut oil is great to cook with and can also be used away from the kitchen, as a make-up remover, on hair… – there isn’t much that coconut oil doesn’t do! I’m also a big fan of nutritional yeast, which has a salty flavor – great for blending with cashews to make a cheese alternative and into salads to give it a heartier flavour. Cacao is a great antioxidant and alternative to sugar for sweet treats as is my new find, Bali Nutra, a nutrient rich coconut syrup which has a low GI and is full of vitamins and minerals. It’s my new favourite syrup of choice!’

What are your essential bits of kitchen kit?

‘Where to start! I’ve tried endless nut milks in various blenders but the Vitamix really is the best on the market. For blending I use a Magimix for big batches and a Nutribullet for small batches, as well as smoothies in the morning. A sharp set of knives is a must for any foodie as well as Tupperware… I am a Tupperware geek! I hate wastage so save everything I can, even the pulp from juices and nut milks, which I make into falafels and raw treats. I hope to inspire people to be conscious of their kitchen and food consumption, not just what they are eating but what is being wasted and how they can turn this around.’

Where do you get your cooking/foodie inspiration?

‘Everywhere! People, cook books, my mother, my friends. I like to eat out and very often will try and recreate something I saw at a restaurant, but a slightly healthier version. Instagram is great for searching for new ideas and like-minded foodie,s and in all honesty, the best way is to just get in the kitchen and try something new. It won’t always turn out as planned but if the intention is there, you’ve done your best! That’s the beauty of food and the wonder of life.’

What’s your favourite foodie treat?

‘Right now I’m seriously getting into nut milks. When it gets cold outside the last thing I want is a cold green juice and so nut milks are a happy medium whereby you can pack in a variety of ‘superfoods’ but spice them up so they are warming for both belly and soul. My current favourites are a cashew, turmeric, ginger, raw honey and cinnamon one and our American Dream which is peanut butter and chocolate flavour but using a special ingredient, not actual peanut butter… head to Stretch from January to check it out!’

What are your goals for Rooted in 2015? And your personal goals?

‘Wow… Well for Rooted I’m keen for us to get off the ground successfully at Stretch, securing a few personal deliveries to local people and businesses and of course our workshops, which I hope will inspire and educate the Hackney community to better health, and beyond! I hope to continue feeling enthused and energised by Rooted and our mission throughout the whole year and spreading the love and healing with food, one day at a time. Personally, it’s an odd feeling ending 2014 on such a high, as usually I’d have end of year fatigue! I’m not one for new year’s resolutions as I believe every day is an opportunity to grow and change into the best version of you, not just for January but as long as I can find time for an hour of yoga each day and equal parts love for Rooted, friends and family, I’ll be eternally happy and well.’