Rebel Bites | Monday 10th August
I went to Camp Bestival Staffordshire for years and loved it - but this one, at Dorset, was something else entirely. Still very much a family festival but, busier, louder, more chaotic, more of everything.
I was there to do a live cooking demo in Gemma Ogston’s Food Is Medicine tent - more on that in a moment - but let me start at the beginning. Because the beginning involved a car breakdown.
On the way there, we broke down. And without even hesitating, my fab friend Bettina and Roberto turned their van around, drove back, and got us there so we didn’t miss it. No fuss, no drama. You find out who your real friends are in the small, unglamorous moments.
I was there to do a Pantry to Plate demo in Gemma’s Food Is Medicine tent; covered in stars, fairy lights strung across the ceiling, completely magical. Bettina MC’d my demo so I could just focus on cooking, and I returned the favour for hers.
I also sat on a panel talking food and wellness alongside Gemma, Bettina, and two other incredible women (Kelly Barfoot & Tess Prince) - very inspiring chats about food, perimenopause and what health means to us.
Gemma’s Food Is Medicine tent was one of the highlights of the whole weekend. If you don’t know Gemma - she’s a chef, author, and founder of Mama Shrooms, a functional mushroom brand she launched after years of studying the science behind them. Think lion’s mane for focus and cognitive function, reishi for calm and resilience, cordyceps for energy.
She was giving talks all weekend on how food and plants can genuinely support mental health and wellbeing - not in a woo-woo way, in a properly researched way. It’s a brilliant project and she’s brilliant at it.
Jason and Avalon came along too, which made it feel like a proper family weekend. They finally got to meet Bettina and her family in person - and because Camp Bestival is basically a kids’ festival, the girls had free rein all weekend and absolutely gave it large on the dance floor.
The food, since you’re wondering - chickpea curry, obviously. Can’t go wrong. There were also some very excellent dumplings that I was not expecting and was extremely happy about.
The Food Is Medicine tent ended with a sound bath from my lovely friend Phung - noise and chaos happening all around, and somehow finding stillness anyway. Magic.
And then Fatboy Slim closed the whole festival out. Insanely good. Exactly the send-off the weekend deserved.
As I said - still recovering! x
Post eating festival chickpea curries and dancing in starred tents, I managed to get a delicious new exclusive recipe live in the Club - and this one is a summer dream.
Creamy Tomatoes with Roast Tomatoes, Olives and Crispy Garlic.
It’s everything I want to eat right now. Tomatoes two ways - roasted until jammy and intense, then folded into something creamy - with olives for saltiness and crispy garlic because crispy garlic makes everything better. It’s the kind of dish that looks like you’ve made a lot of effort and actually takes about twenty minutes.
Want more recipes, meal plans and less thinking about what to cook? Join the Rebel Recipes Club and try it free for 7 days.
Love, Niki xxx
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