Food
Our retreat serves delicious plant-based food, homemade and prepared daily by our talented chefs in our kitchen from fresh ingredients. Our seasonal menus combine colour, texture, taste and variety, for every meal.
Being a plant-based retreat means using lots of fresh vegetables and fruits, wholegrains, beans, pulses and legumes, as well as nuts and seeds. We use plentiful fresh and dried herbs and spices to create interesting and varied dishes. Our menus are designed to provide all the nutrition that your body needs to give you stable energy and to bring health and vitality to your body. Menus include vegan sources of protein (beans, lentils, chickpeas, tofu, peas, nuts, seeds etc) as well as plant-based healthy sources of energy (typically wholegrains like millet, quinoa, buckwheat and rice).
Following a plant-based (vegan) diet whilst at the retreat is an important part of the holistic La Crisalida Programme.
We do not serve products that cause extra stress on your body. This means we do not serve dairy or meat products, processed sugars or processed food.
Our menus change with the seasons and are created for you to enjoy tasty wholesome food to nurture you from the inside out. We use seasonal products, grown or sourced locally where possible. During the colder Winter months you can enjoy hearty bakes, stews and a wide range of daily soups, in addition to fresh salads and other dishes. In the Summer months, menus tend to be lighter and include more raw dishes. Within each season we have a two-weekly rotating menu, to ensure you have lots of variety and dishes to try during your retreat.
Mealtimes are a great time to connect with your fellow retreaters. Meals are usually served as a buffet, so you can help yourself to as much or as little of each dish as you like. On some occasions we serve food family-style – dishes on a table to be shared by all.
Nutritious plant-based food and fresh juices – your choice
We like to offer you choice. So, everyday you can tell us if you would like to enjoy the plant-based meals or juice – for each meal. The menus are displayed in the dining room, together with the meal choice form.
Meals are usually served buffet style, giving you the option to take make or less of every dish. It also means you can try some dishes that might be new to you! When we serve meals family style (on group tables) there is always a top-up available. There is always plenty of plant-based food available for you to enjoy.
Breakfast
Breakfast is served at 9.30am, after the first activity.
The La Crisalida standard breakfast in our UK retreat centre includes homemade granola and homemade muesli (with gluten free options available) served with your choice of soya yoghurt and dairy-free milk (like rice milk or soya milk). We also make a homemade compote. A fresh fruit salad is also prepared daily using seasonal fruits. Extras, like goji berries, chia seeds, ground flaxseed and raisins are also available to add into your breakfast bowl. All breakfasts are accompanied by a small fresh juice.
Every day we also serve an additional breakfast dish for you to enjoy. A hearty bowl of porridge (made from oats, buckwheat, rice or aramanth), with various toppings, really hits the spot during the cooler winter and spring months. We also serve a scrummy banana bread and more. In summer we offer lighter fresher options, including chia seed bowls and overnight berry oats.
If you prefer, you can choose to have a juice for breakfast, instead of eating (it’s included in the price). Read more about juicing at La Crisalida UK here.
Lunch
Lunch is usually served at 1pm, as a buffet. We like to offer you a variety of dishes, with different flavours and textures, inspired by dishes from all over the world.
There is always a protein-based dish, for example homemade black bean burgers or spicy crusted tofu. The homemade soups always hit the spot. Try squash laksa, cream of mushroom, Mulligatawny or roast cauliflower. Some of our guests favourite grain or carb dishes include Singapore style rice noodles, sweet potato wedges with oregano or nutty quinoa with sweet chili and broccoli. Sometimes we do a stir fry with ginger and coriander, other times a raw salad like gado gado vegetables or our Mexican inspired coleslaw. There is usually a dip, like hummus or baba ganoush. Plus you can always dig into a big leafy salad bowl with various toppings and a delicious homemade dressing.
You are welcome to eat with fellow guests in the dining room or take your food outside, into the outdoor dining area. Juicing is also an option.
Dinner
Dinner is served at 6.15pm and can be buffet style (one buffet table). Sometimes we serve dinner family style, where each table has bowls of food, so you can share and chat with your fellow guests.
Nutrition, variety and taste combine to make a delicious menu. Cauliflower and carrot dhal (lentils) served with herby rice, a cucumber and mint raita dip, chilled green bean salad with dill, a big leafy salad bowl with pumpkin seeds and a wonderful pumpkin seed dressing. Inspired by our retreat in Spain we have meat-free meatballs (made from beans), Mediterranean millet with squash, salad with spinach pesto style dressing. Evening soups are usually smooth (so they are a good swap for an evening juice), like roast carrot and fennel, Tuscan vegetable, Thai coconut and vegetable broth, or spicy smoked red pepper.
Twice each week (Tuesdays and Friday nights) we offer a dessert, like choc-nut delight (it’s as good as it sounds), blueberry “cheese” cake (made from cashew nuts) or apple-berry crumble with banana “ice-cream”.
Afternoon juice
Every afternoon, around 4.30pm you can enjoy a small fresh juice to freshen up.
Friday nights
Each Friday night we gather to enjoy conversation and mocktails, before sitting down to enjoy a delicious two course menu. We also offer occasional treats for special occasions, like birthdays – of the healthy variety of course!
Special diets – food allergies and intolerance
We can cater for guests with food allergies or intolerances, just let us know when you book. We do not have peanuts on site, but we do handle other allergens in the kitchen (nuts, kiwi, celery, limited gluten products). As we prepare all the food on the premises, we can cater for guests with allergies, intolerances and other special diets (gluten-free, nut-free etc). If you have any questions, please do contact us and we would be happy to discuss.
Stay hydrated
We encourage you to drink at least 3-5 litres of water per day whilst at the retreat as this helps with elimination of toxins and helps to keep the body well hydrated. Filtered water is available for you around the retreat. There is also a wide range of herbal teas, including green tea and hot water so you can make yourself a hot drink whenever you chose. Seasonal fruit is also available.
Food items we do not serve
To help provide stable energy and reduce stress on the body, we do not serve a number of items: bread, dairy (milk, cheese, cream, yoghurt), eggs, caffeine (no coffee or black tea), alcohol, processed foods and refined sugar. We also do not use salt in our cooking.
Enjoy stunning nutritious plant-based food
All food is included in the cost of your retreat.
If you are interested in finding our more about the reasons why we serve plant-based food here at the retreat, head over to our food at La Crisalida page here.
Many of our favourite vegan retreat recipes are available on our health and wellbeing blog (this link takes you to our main website). To receive recipes, plus articles with practical tips on things to do at home direct into your email inbox every month, sign up for our newsletter by adding your details into the sign-up box on the blog.
Summer food e-cookbook
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30 vegan and gluten free recipes from La Crisalida Retreats
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Soup e-cookbook
40 stunning plant-based soups from La Crisalida kitchen
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