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I’m a big lover of raw food, especially raw veg. Not only is it way better for you than cooking, but it also saves a lot of time. When there’s not much time (or I’m feeling particularly lazy), this is a simple recipe which is not only healthy, tasty, filling and makes you feel great, but it’s also cheap and easy to vary daily. “I just can’t be bothered to cook anything so I’m just gonna chuck it all in raw” On my day off or on a free evening, I make a small mountain of staple grain (my favourite is a mix of wild rice and puy lentils). This can then be kept in a large sealed Tupperware / container in the fridge for use later in the week. N.B//With rice or quinoa I sometimes add rice mirin or rice vinegar for a little extra flavour. Each morning before work (or the night before if you’re very organised), I chop up a variety of veg raw and chuck it in with the grain. The marinade combination I generally go for always includes soy sauce and chilli. If I’m feeling disorganised, I’ll drizzle some soy sauce, sriracha (and maybe a squeeze of lime) over my concoction; with a little more time at the start of the week, I’ll fancy up a marinade to last several days, and keep it in a container to pour over as and when I need it.  Below are the rough costs for the food made in the photos – obviously you can do it as cheap or as expensive as you like by using less/more/different vegetables. Rough costs for ~4 meals (not including the sauce marinade):   Lemon & Jinja White Basmati Rice (240g): £0.96 12 vine Tomatoes: £0.80 - £1.10 2 x spring onions: £0.15 - £0.25 2 x red/yellow/orange pepper: £0.80 - £1.10 2 x garlic cloves: ~£0.02 - £0.04p Small lettuce: ~£0.65 Total: £3.83 - £4.20 Average for 1 meal: ~£0.96 - £1.05 --> Examples of other fresh veg that work well in this recipe: grated carrot, button mushrooms (washed well), spring cabbage, mange tout. --> Examples of other grains that work well: quinoa, wild/brown rice, puy/green/brown lentils, bulgar wheat -->You can also add some crushed nuts to add a bit of crunch (cashews, brazil nuts, almonds, pistachios or peanuts usually work the best.) Serves: 4 meals Ingredients: 240g Lemon & Jinja basmati rice (dry weight) 12 cherry vine tomatoes 2 spring onions 1 red pepper Handful of lettuce (as much as you fancy) [garlic, chilli and ginger is in the marinade, but these can obviously be mixed into the rice] Salt and pepper to taste   Suggested marinade: 1 tbsp sesame oil (groundnut oil, or other) [For a thicker sauce use ½ tbsp. sesame oil ½ tbsp. tahini] 4 tbsp soy sauce (or tamari for a gluten free option) 20g ginger root 1 small chilli (chopped), or 1 tsp chopped chillies 2 garlic cloves ½ lime, juice Method: 1. Cook the grain as to instructed on the packet (we used rice in the recipe) 2. Drain and cool down immediately after cooking by rinsing with cold water 3. Add rice vinegar/rice mirin if required [place grain in the fridge if not needed immediately] 4. When required, chop up the veg, and mix into the grain with a marinade 5. Add salt and/or pepper to taste Enjoy, Lots of love, Lemon & Jinja x

Originally we had thought that the Lemon & Jinja shop would be open early 2019; it's proving more difficult that we thought!We knew we had a lot to do, but boy, we hadn't realised quite how much!With many of you asking when and where L&J will open and what exactly we will stock, we thought we'd write a quick post sharing as much info as we can...Looking around Romsey, there have been many places available, but none that quite fit the bill! They're too small, too dingy / claustrophobic, not accessible enough for everyone, or just too expensive (which is proving the case for most places, sadly!)! A bit like Goldilocks testing the porridge (organic of course!), nothing is quite right...We have been fighting with many options, working out what would be the best. A few examples, there is a vacant shop in Dukes Mill, but I have questions regarding the survival rate of small businesses there. Would you visit L&J in Dukes Mill?Market Place in Romsey... There are a few places around there, however there is construction already taking place in that area... Are you really going to want to visit during this time? Let us know!We would love to know your thoughts on all of this, as we are trying to tick a lot of boxes.Here's another question, how far are you willing to travel?Is there something you know that might help us? Now, in the meantime, Lemon & Jinja is starting to take off. We will continue to grow and add more stock. If the premises is taking too long we will begin local deliveries plus click and collect. We know that the food side of zero waste living is more challenging and something everyone is keen to start! So, we are working towards launching this as soon as possible. We are poised to pay the deposit, providing we find the right place. Location, location, location... As they say!It is all a learning curve! We cannot thank you enough for your support. We very much value feedback and suggestions in these early stages.Love, Lemon & Jinja X P.S Right now, come and visit us at the Winchester Vegan Fest, Sunday 20th January. We would love to meet you, so do come say hi and have a chat. We will be Stall 37 in Winchester Guildhall 10.30-15.30. Our first public presence!

For many of you who know me, there are two things that must be surprising you right about now: 1. The fact I have decided on a 'plan' 2. The fact I have decided to stick around in England! A quick introduction but we will delve deeper another time... For those of you who do not know me - my name is Jess Dugdale and I am 24 years old. Grace is my older sister and is 26 years old. Our family has been based in Romsey and Braishfield since my parents got married and we've been coming and going ever since! In 2009 our family moved to Uganda as our parents set up the charity ServeDirect (definitely check it out!) with another couple. My sister and I went to international school in Kampala, Uganda and had a great time growing up there. Jinja is a town in Uganda, well-known for its white water rafting and for being the source of the Nile. When creating the name, it seemed suitable to create a link between Uganda and England, hence 'Lemon and Jinja'! I first moved back to England for university, which was a big shock, and continued to visit Uganda. I studied Management with Marketing and then completed a Masters in International Management straight after (both at Exeter). A week after handing in my dissertation I had booked a flight to Uganda and headed back again! I went to intern with Rhino Fund Uganda, mainly to help them with their marketing. It was honestly one of the best experiences I had (I will post about it another time) and I am always recommending it to anyone and everyone! After that I was a manager of a safari lodge in a Ugandan game park for five months, before heading back to the UK. So when I say people are surprised I am settling in the UK, and WITH a plan, you can now understand why! I am so excited for this adventure and will update you on Lemon & Jinja as much as I can. I cannot thank you enough for your support so far and look forward to working with you all.   X