My energy levels could rival Kermit on cocaine. But the smell of percolating coffee is all too inebriating to refuse. I gleefully submit, like iron filings to a magnet.
It’s easy to reason that coffee comes from a bean, and that beans are plants, so it’s basically salad. I’ve always been logical in my approach to food. In fact, coffee is probably our one-a-day, right? So I’ll be plotting to lobby Minister Varadkar on the removal of VAT from coffee beans. The aisle of Ireland would levitate. I’m sure of it.
Try making hazelnut milk for your next caffeine fix. It’s indecently good. Soak one teacup’s worth of hazelnuts in water overnight. Rinse and drain in the morning, tumble into a powerful blender with 500ml of fresh water, a sprightly pinch of sea salt and a few licky-sticky dates. Blend on high for one to three minutes. Strain through a very fine sieve (or fancy nut milk bag). Store in a scrupulously clean bottle for up to three days. But not before you send me telepathic tickles. And yes - ditch the leftover fibre. The goodness has already surfed into the milk.
Here’s to taking the hell out of healthy.
The Virtuous Tart is published by Gill & Macmillan and available in stores nationwide and online, priced at € 24.99. www.susanjanewhite.com.
