GUEST POST by Karen Shephard
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THE EARLY YEARS
My best friend and I loved Food and Nutrition. Not because we actually learnt anything in class – but because we had so many giggles!
Even now, 40 years later, we reminisce about how our culinary “delights” didn’t quite turn out like everyone else’s. We have very fond memories of watery scrambled eggs, super- sticky porridge, chops on fire – and our poor, exasperated teacher, Mrs. Haslem.
How we deliberately avoided standing next to the store cupboard during Mrs. Haslem’s demos – lest she should ask us to fetch something that we knew we would never find. Who could have guessed that the butter would be kept in the fridge??!!
MY EUREKA MOMENT!
Thankfully, my skills improved somewhat over the years, but I could never really call myself a cook or say that I particularly enjoyed cooking.
Then, in 2008, came my Eureka moment!
I was invited to a raw food demonstration, in my home town of Southampton. I had no idea what raw food was, but the lady who invited me said the host looked very healthy. That certainly piqued my interest!
The class was taken by two lovely ladies, who used a food processor and blender to whizz and whirr their way through an abundance of fresh fruit and veg, nuts, seeds, and superfoods.
In no time at all, we were sampling the results: Hemp Milk, Cacao Smoothie, Raw Chocolates, Seaweed, and Sprout Salad with a Spicy Sauce, Courgette Pesto Pasta, Energy Soup, Sushi, and a Raw Pad Thai.
Wow! What an incredible mélange of fresh and delicious flavours. I hadn’t tasted anything quite like it – and it had all been so easy to make. I was hooked!
I bought myself a food processor and blender, and a couple of raw cookbooks, and excitedly immersed myself in all things raw, joining a local raw Pot Luck group along the way.
The only trouble was……..with all the smoothies and raw soups I was making, my blenders didn’t seem to last very long.
In 2011, after yet another blender burnout, I decided to take the bull by the horns, and invest in something really robust and powerful that would last. But which machine should I choose?
INTRODUCING THE THERMOMIX!
I’d first heard mention of the Thermomix a year before, during a raw food retreat in Thailand. Many of my fellow attendees were Australian, and it was their kitchen appliance of choice.
Back in the UK, however, it completely went out of my mind, and so I didn’t even think to consider it an option.
That was until September 2011, when I mentioned my quandary to a friend.
He excitedly told me that he’d just purchased a new kitchen appliance – and liked it so much that he had become an Advisor. It turns out that it was a Thermomix!
He said he would love to come and demonstrate it to me! All I had to do was purchase a few ingredients, and invite a few friends if I wanted to.
What a fabulous afternoon we all had! Taking it in turns to try out all the functions, we made: lemonade, seeded breadsticks, cashew brazil nut butter, raw carrot and ginger soup with milled cumin seeds, red pepper, and tomato soup, a salad from grated cabbage and steamed peppers, grated cheese and breadcrumbs, and frozen fruit sorbet. A feast indeed!
My friend and I were so impressed – not only was the machine a powerful and robust blender AND food processor, but it could also weigh, grind, stir, cook, steam, knead, whisk, emulsify……and even self-clean! Perfect for raw and cooked food alike – and it was so easy to use!
We both made our purchases on the spot – and my passion for Thermomix cooking began!
THE THERMOMIX TODAY!
In 2015, I decided to follow in my friend’s footsteps, and I became an Independent Thermomix Advisor myself!
I now demonstrate the TM6, the latest addition to the Thermomix family, released in June 2019. It boasts the same superb functions and features of its predecessors – but with a whole host more!
Slow cook, sous-vide, rice cooker, thicken, pre-clean, automatic blend, fermentation…..to name but a few!
Even more exciting is the fact that the TM6 is wi-if enabled, and has its own built-in recipe library, Cookidoo, featuring more than 40,000 recipes from all around the world.
Choose to cook manually – or follow the recipes on the large and intuitive touchscreen, via Guided Cooking. No experience necessary!
My customers constantly marvel at the capabilities of their new “sous-chef”, and the inspiration they gain from Cookidoo. Even those who previously disliked cooking now proudly send me photos of their inspired creations!
As for me, thanks to Thermomix, I now enjoy cooking. Every. Single. Day. Showing people an easier, more economical, and healthier way to cook is my passion.
In today’s Virtual Demo I made a delectable Pea and Mint Soup, followed by Chocolate Hazelnut Energy Balls. What a delicious lunch!
Yesterday evening I enjoyed a Raw Spinach Pie, and this evening I’ll be making a Quinoa Salad with Brazil Nut and Cilantro Pesto. I can’t wait!
It just goes to show – with the Thermomix, everyone can be a great cook – even me! Whatever would Mrs. Haslem say??!!
You can contact Karen at her Email Address karenshep01@gmail.com and follow her Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/ThermoSmiler/
Karen is currently doing Virtual Demos during the lockdown but will be resuming face-to-face once things settle down again. If you would like to know more about the Thermomix or fancy being an Advisor get in touch with Karen and she would be happy to give you more details. There are Thermomix Advisors all over the UK and abroad so wherever you may live you can get access to their community. They are even doing virtual training!
Thank You Karen
Thank you, Karen, for your inspiring article ‘My Journey With Thermomix’.
I met Karen about 3 years ago when I signed up as a Thermomix Advisor myself. I loved going along to the advisor meetings where we could test out new recipes and join in with the latest chat. I invested in a Thermomix for my mum & daughter as well as myself as I could see the great benefits. In my ‘previous life’ I was cooking every day with it and loved creating all sorts of meals, bread, and soups. Karen has reminded me to get back into using it again because even as a single person it’s great for smoothies, quick & easy one pot creations.
Karen also makes a lot of raw juices in her Thermomix which you can follow along with on her Facebook Page.
