ONE THING LESS TO THINK ABOUT

Along side the excitement, happiness and joy, pregnancy brings a busy time of preparing for baby's arrival, which can be stressful. Shopping, cooking and cleaning is time consuming and there is just so much to consider.

Our personal chefs save you having to make food every day and it also helps you to make sure you and your family are eating a healthy, balanced diet with meals tailored to your needs. Our chefs use only organic and all natural ingredients.

This service is perfect for pregnant women and new parents, and helps get you on the right road for long-term health. When you hire a personal chef the fresh, fully cooked meals are packaged and labeled with heating and serving instructions ready for you to eat. Our job is to insure that you are eating healthy before, during, and after pregnancy.

Making healthy adjustments to your diet

Eating a varied and balanced diet will give you the energy and nutrients you need for a healthy pregnancy. It also will be one of the biggest gifts you can ever give your baby, providing them with a firm foundation for future health and well being.

Here's some advice on what to eat to give your pregnancy a nutritional boost.

Always seek medical advice if you are allergic or intolerant to any foods during pregnancy.

Eggs

Eggs are a great source of quality protein. They are also rich in choline, which promotes your baby's overall growth and brain health, while helping prevent neural tube defects. Healthy women with normal blood cholesterol can consume one to two eggs a day as part of a balanced diet low in saturated fat.

Beans

Beans contain the most fiber and protein of all the vegetables, fiber the second best friend. When you're pregnant, your gastrointestinal tract slows down, putting you at risk for constipation and hemorrhoids. Fiber can help prevent and relieve these problems.

Walnuts

Walnuts are foods rich in antioxidants, which have the function to neutralize free radicals and prevent the damage caused by free radicals.

Greek yogurt

Greek yogurt is a great source of calcium, which is vital in a pregnancy diet.

Make sure it is made with pasteurized milk!

Colorful fruits and veggies

Eating plenty of green, red, orange, yellow, purple, and white fruits and vegetables ensures that you and your baby get a variety of nutrients.

EAT YOUR WAY TO THE TOP

An athlete’s best tool is his/her body, and athletes in particular feel first-hand how diet can directly affect energy levels and performance. Whether they are fit football players or bulking bodybuilders, our professional chefs at Galor work directly with high-performing athletes to design performance-enhancing, nutritious meals that foster an athletic, sports-nutrition based lifestyle.

Galor’s chefs can provide healthier meal options and a balanced diet that is specific and pleasing to the athlete’s regime. Our private chefs offer personal culinary experiences, and Galor consistently meets the needs of top-performing athletes by providing the right kind of chef for the right kind of athlete.

Athletes recognise that both exercise and diet are crucial to successful athletic performance, which is why more and more turn to personalised chefs, like those at Galor, to help them optimise their overall health and reach their maximum, athletic potential.

Athletic diets are specific: between fuelling, hydrating, and powering the body, the need for calories is greater for an athlete. Men and women in sports know proper nutrition is the foundation for successful performance, and prefer healthy, culinary approaches to help them achieve it.

Personal chefs recognise that proper diets and athletic performance are directly correlated, and recognise what an athlete consumes is just as important as what happens in the gym and on the field. In addition to providing delicious and personalised meals, our personal chefs at Galor offer unique insights into the dietary needs of athletes.

Top Tip:

Feeling tired, even at the gym? Nutritious foods can help! Eating nutritious alternatives to sports drinks and unhealthy sugars before working out can get you feeling less groggy and help you get a jump-start on your day.

Bananas – A nutrient-dense source of potassium, bananas are a natural option to help prevent muscle fatigue and additionally provide much needed electrolytes that fuel the body during workouts.

Salmon – rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids, salmon helps decrease inflammation and pain caused as a result of overworking the body during training sessions.

Eggs (both yolk and white) – dense in dietary protein, eggs are a natural source to help build muscles, nourish the body, and prevent muscle breakdown before workouts.

Raisins – natural antioxidants, raisins help minimize inflammation caused by overworked muscles and provide natural boosts of energy.

Walnuts – another option as a source of inflammation-reducing omega-3 fatty acids, walnuts can additionally help with energy production, healing of tissue injuries, sprains, and bruises.

WINE, DINE, ELITE RETREAT

The ever-romantic summer months of Italy are often envisioned lying dreamily along luxurious ocean shores or wandering through quaint, sun-kissed vineyards. But even if you’re unable to head to the Italian coastline this season, you can still celebrate the warm embrace of summer in style.

Galor is thrilled to announce we have teamed up with Elite RetrEat Italia, an agency specialising in providing unique, artisanal Italian experiences, ranging from Italian destination trips to wine tasting.

Together, Galor and Elite Retreat Italia will allow you to coast to the summery shores of Italy by bringing our fine dining and wine tasting experiences to you. The artisanal wines are the truest reflection of Italian culture, each locally produced to the highest of value and each with its own story to tell.

So whether you’re enjoying an intimate, outdoor dinner for two or treating your friends and family to a full-out barbecue celebrazione, do as the Italians do and join in the summer festivities.

Buon viaggio!

Your Summer Barbecue Wine Guide –Whether it’s light, red wine or white wine with a salty, sharp zing, here are our recommendations to go with your summer meals from the barbecue.

Reds

Rossese di Dolceacqua 2013 Testalonga:
Located in the Liguria Riviera, more specifically on the border between Italy and France in the village of Dolceaqua, this is a delicate and refreshing red wine that resembles Burgundy but with an unmistakable Mediterranean heart. Served traditionally with slight chill, it can be paired with any variety of white meat or a more assertive seafood preparation, such as fish kebab on lemon grass skewers.

Primitivo Amphora 2010 Cristiano Guttarolo:

Primitivo, also known as Zinfandel, is a rich, robust and full-bodied wine from the southern region of Puglia, the heel of Italy. In this case, however, Cristiano ages his wine in terracotta vases/containers (a very ancient technique applied in Georgia), and the result is a beautifully lifted version of the typical Primitivo you’ll find in the region. Sweet, pure, and focused, this wine is happiest when paired with poultry and game foul, such as an organic chicken breast meal marinated in yogurt, cumin, lemon zest, and coriander, or chicken wings marinated in honey, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce.

Rose'

Rosato 2013 Le Coste

From an incredibly fascinating volcanic lake in the Lazio region, this great artisan creates a wonderful rose full of character and character enhanced by spending 10 months in old barriques. Possibilities are endless, but the Rosato 2013 Le Coste goes especially well with salad combinations. Try a Sirloin tagliata cooked rare and sliced thin on a bed of arugula salad!

Whites

Gli Eremi La Distesa 2012

The charming region of Le Marche, arguably the new Tuscany, is home to one of Italy's most fascinating wines: Verdicchio. Corrado is one of the best interpreters of this wine with shimmering minerality and saltiness but thanks to its winemaking technique of leaving it 18 months on its lees, it’s able to develop great texture and complexity. Served cold, it can be paired with any seafood, such as jumbo shrimps with pineapple chutney.

Malvasia 2012 Skerlj

Located in very north east of the country, right on the border of Slovenia and in front of the Venetian lagoon there is the magical area of Carso, famous for its red rocks. Matej produces his wine with several weeks of skin contact giving it great structure yet with lingering notes of citrus and wild herbs. Served chilled, Malvasia 2012 complements any vegetable and grilled food combo, and paired especially well in meals that have avocados!

FOOD POWER AGAINST CANCER

FOOD POWER AGAINST CANCER

Last month was World Cancer Day and it got us at Galor thinking, as it’s something close to most people’s hearts; what effect does our diet have on people suffering and recovering from cancer and what can be done to make things easier, more enjoyable and actually beneficial in the fight against cancer?
This month the spotlight is on our Chef Borges who is an experienced Private and Diet Chef. He has shared with us some of his knowledge and experience on Cancer “Power Foods” and some practical tips for your own cooking. (Read More)
"All of us have cancer cells in our bodies, but not all of us will develop cancer", says Dr. David Servan-Schreiber, author of the international best seller, Anticancer: A New Way of Life.
Normal body cells grow and divide and know to stop growing. Over time, they also die. Cancer occurs when abnormal cells grow and spread very quickly. Unlike normal cells, cancer cells just continue to grow and divide out of control and do not die when they are supposed to. There is much we can do to help boost our body's natural capacity to combat cancer. The right diet can help reduce and stop this abnormal growing of cancer cells, states the kidshealth.org website. Everything we eat and drink changes the chemistry of our body. Eating well provides more than nourishment, it can offer huge positive psychological effects, and it can help prevent cancer and it can help with cancer treatment. Eating a plant-based diet is a must.
Working as a chef for 15 years, in Brazil, France and England, and lately with a cancer patient, I have seen incredible results through treatment with healthy and nutritious food. In addition to being healthy, food must also be appealing and tasty. When you step into a kitchen to cook for someone with cancer, you really want them to like the food.
I cook following guidelines of the book mentioned above, and those of Leaders in Oncology Care (LOC) in London, where I have participated in workshops. I stay current with research into new developments about food properties that help prevent and fight cancer. Another excellent book is, Cancer-Fighting Kitchen, by Rebecca Katz with Mat Edelson. The authors call chefs in this field "Culinary Translators". They mean chefs who help patients stay well-fed during treatment by translating nutrition recommendations into delicious, nourishing meals.
Meals must be appealing to all the senses, in a manner that fits patient’s often shifting tastes and appetite, as well as limiting the side-effects of treatment. Taste changes are a common side-effect of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Knowing what to cook for maximum health and enjoyment during and after cancer treatment can be tricky for someone with limited experience in the kitchen. A chef can help you tackle food-related issues such as taste, appetite and weight changes.
Remember to buy organic food whenever you can, it is grown naturally, without the use of chemicals. Always try to use local, seasonal ingredients, which can be cheaper, tastier and healthier.
To see Chef Borges’ own, easy to follow recipe and ingredients for a delicious, home made Raw Banana Cream Tart. Read More
RAW NUTS, BANANA CREAM, COCONUT YOGURT AND RED BERRIES TART

Ingredients:

Base
1 cup of raw cashew nuts
½ cup of raw Brazil nuts
4 pitted Medjool dates
1 tablespoon of 100% cocoa powder
2 tablespoons of cold water
Filling 1st layer
2 very ripe bananas
2 tablespoons of raw Manuka honey
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
Filling 2nd layer
6 tablespoons of coconut yogurt
½ vanilla bean scraped
Topping
1 cup of raspberries
½ cup of blueberries
1 cup of strawberries


Preparation:

Base
To make the base: process the cashew and Brazil nuts in your food processor until it becomes crumbs, add the Medjool dates and cold water, process again until the mixture sticks together. Cover a 20cm springform cake pan with non-stick baking paper, then press the mixture into the bottom and the sides of the prepared pan, nicely and evenly. Place the pan into the freezer to rest while you prepare the fillings.
For the 1st filling

To make the banana cream: blend together the bananas, Manuka honey and cinnamon for about 40 seconds. Ready, that was quick! Pour the cream into the tart base, put it back in the freezer and go to the next step.
For the 2nd filling and topping
To make the coconut yogurt: cut the half vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape the back of the knife down the cut, transfer the vanilla bean seeds to the coconut yogurt and mix it well with a spoon. Remove the tart from the freezer and add the 2nd filling, make sure to cover the banana cream completely and top with the berries.
It takes only 15 minutes to prepare it, if you don’t want to be fussy about the berries presentation! Keep it refrigerated for at least 2 hours before serving. It is easy, delicious and nutritious!
Serves 4

Bon appétit!

Celebrate The Easter Break In Style.

Celebrate The Easter Break In Style

The Easter break is a magnificent time to take a holiday. Easter break provides a rare opportunity for the whole family to get together and have some fun, so why not make the most of it? add to the excitement of taking a holiday in the UK or abroad by hiring your very own personal holiday chef. We take the catering out of self catering, leaving you time to spend on yourself...isnt that what holidays are all about after all.

Cooking all the meals is not everyones idea of holiday fun
Galor personal chef service will arrange your very own chef for your private home, villa, yacht, private jet or chalet. Bring flavor and texture to the holiday table and experience the true tastes of the local ingredients.

Give us a call or email us to discuss your requirements

Enjoy restaurant standard dishes in your own holiday home. The best way to avoid the long waiting lists and noisy diners. You can eat at the time of your choice, formally or informally, with your children or without. Everything is completely decided by you.

Try Our Chocolate Volcano For Easter

Give this delicious recipe a go this Easter, a guaranteed lip smacking treat.. Here is what you will need: Serves 12

• 300g of unsalted butter
• 300g of Swiss chocolate
• 6 large egg yolks
• 6 large eggs
• 400g sugar
• 140g flour
• Cocoa powder
  
  Method

• Pre-heat oven for at least 15 minutes at 350 degrees

• Combine the butter and chocolate in a mixing bowl on top of a pot of simmering water (bain-marie). Heat chocolate mixture until melted and set aside to cool slightly
• Beat the eggs, the egg yolks and the sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes, until they are thick and a light yellow color
• On low speed gradually add the flour and then the chocolate/butter mixture
• Butter the twelve ramekins (12) and dust with the cocoa. Tap out the excess cocoa but make sure they are well coated
  
• Pour the volcano batter into the ramekins filling them about 7/8 of the way to the top
• Place ramekins on the pre-heated tray and bake for 15 minutes. The consistency when done should be where the edges of the cake are firm and the top is still soft to the touch
• Remove from the oven and let sit on a cool surface for 2 minutes
• Run a paring knife between the cake and ramekin to loosen. Invert your dessert plate over the ramekin (be careful, they're hot) and flip over. Tap the plate lightly and lift off the ramekin
• If the cake runs all over the plate you need to increase the cooking time. If the cake is hard and does not ooze chocolate, lessen the cooking time. If the cake does not come out then make sure it is well buttered and covered in the cocoa
  
  Serve with vanilla ice-cream or creme Anglaise.....Bon Appétit

Personal chef - Valentine's Day Food For Love

Valentine's Day Food For Love So Valentine's Day is here and you're stuck yet again. What can you do differently this year? Think about it.... a good bottle of wine, candles, flowers, your favourite song in the background... mood is set. This is just the beginning, our Valentine's day Personal Chef will create for you a bespoke menu, do the shopping, prepare and serve you if you wish, allowing you and your company to enjoy an unforgettable romantic dinner. What more could you ask for?. How About A Sexy Dessert - Warm Chocolate Volcano Ingredients 3 whole eggs 3 egg yolks 4 tablespoons golden caster sugar 6 oz plain chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa 5 oz unsalted butter 8 tablespoons plain flour 6 chocolate truffles Vanilla ice-cream or whipped cream to serve How to make the magic happen... Preheat the oven to 390ºF. Put the eggs, egg yolks and sugar into a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk for 8-10 minutes until light and fluffy. Melt the chocolate and butter in a bain-marie. Gently fold the flour into the egg mixture. Stir a spoonful of egg mix into the melted chocolate, then gently fold the chocolate mix into the remaining egg mix. Put a spoonful of the mixture into each of six ramekins. Put a chocolate truffle into the centre of each, taking care not to push it down too far. Divide the rest of the mixture between the ramekins making sure the truffle is covered. Each Ramekin should be about 3/4 full. Bake for 10 minutes or until the top is firm and starting to rise and crack. Remove from the ramekin and serve...Bon Appetit

Try out these Christmas chocolate truffles

Christmas chocolate truffles

Try out these Christmas chocolate truffles

Ingredients:

150g of the best quality dark chocolate, at least 75% cocoa
150 ml double cream
2 tbs of Grand Marnier orange liquor or rum or brandy etc...
Orange zest - optional
Cocoa powder for dusting

Method:
Break the chocolate into small pieces. In a small saucepan
bring the cream to simmering point and then mix with the
chocolate until you have a smooth, blended mixture.
Add the liquor and the orange zest. Refrigerate overnight.
When the mixture has set, roll the chocolate into little balls and
dust lightly with cocoa powder.

Result: an indulgent Christmas treat.