Gareth Mullins, executive chef at The Marker hotel in Dublin since it opened in 2013 is a fitness fiend, fitting in regular gym sessions between lunch and dinner service. So he’s the perfect person to devise some healthy, tasty recipes to support a January exercise initiative.
“I’ve always liked to keep fit and active with gym, cycling, swimming,” says Mullins, who previously headed up the kitchens at the Merrion hotel and at the W hotel in Sydney.
“Through the new Equilibrium programme we created in the hotel we are working with John Belton of No 17 Fitness and I have started a programme with him which is a mix of weightlifting, body building and cardio fitness. I try to build fitness into my daily routine as I find physical exercise can keep my mind clear and make me more productive and creative.”
Hotel guests benefit from having a chef at the helm who knows what’s required pre- or post-exercise. “We have a refuel salad, which you can have with corn-fed chicken breast or organic steamed salmon, a cleansing raw juice, or an organic matcha latte and, of course, our nutri burger, which is Irish beef, gluten-free boule, red cabbage slaw, avocado and baked sweet potato fries. This month we’ll be adding new dishes including the beet and beef bone broth.”
Beetroot is an interesting addition to bone broth. “I added beetroot not only for its nutritional value – it’s a good source of iron and folate, natural occurring folic acid – but for the sweet, earthy flavour it brings. Healthy food doesn’t mean bland food. I’m always looking for ways to bring more flavour into dishes, but now using a cleaner approach, not just butter and cream like I would have done in the past.”
The tracker bars are made with raw, unrefined ingredients. “These should be eaten as part of a balanced diet, as a treat. The key is to try to integrate as much unprocessed food into your diet as possible. Nuts, fruits and seeds, which are all in the tracker bars, are a good source of calories as well as being good for the digestive system.”
