One Girl and her Thermie

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How to purchase a Thermomix®?

ankita

How to make your Thermomix pay for itself

So you’ve taken the plunge and bought a Thermomix. That’s fabulous. Our unique selling point of a Thermomix is the cost-saving from day one, so here’s a helpful guide of what you should be making in your Thermomix TM6. Here are my 5 top recipes that I encourage everyone who buys a Thermomix to make regularly to ensure you start to make your Thermomix pay for itself.

1. Stock paste

The vegetable stock paste is something that I always have in my fridge and one of the recipes I always suggest to my customers that they make first with their Thermomix.  I put homemade vegetable stock into everything I do from curries, stews, risottos and of course soups. One heaped teaspoon of Thermomix stock paste is equivalent to one stock cube without any of the nasties. When you know what goes into your food, including something as simple as stock paste, you start to eat cleaner and healthier. Making your own vegetable stock paste is neither difficult or expensive. All you need are some vegetables, good quality salt, and an excellent blender. 400g of vegetables makes one mason jar full of stock paste which lasts for about four months in the fridge. The sea salt acts as a natural preservative so no other additives are needed.

Yes, you can follow the recipe to the fullest, but my favourite and craziest idea is to wing it. I either empty the vegetable tray in my fridge on a Sunday evening and cook all the leftover vegetables before they go bad. I’m always a bit excited to see what colour my stock paste is as I never follow the TM recipe and depending on what vegetables I use, it’s a different colour. I don’t why but red cabbage always features heavily in my stock paste – it’s one of the vegetable I buy and only use half of it.

Here’s the Vegetable Stock Paste Cookidoo Recipe, I roughly follow.

2. Nut, seed and rice milk

Have you ever looked at the ingredients in any of the supermarket nut milks? Take example almond milk. Chances are you find a whole lot of ‘extra’ crammed in there that really don’t need to be there.  Do we really need locust bean gum, gellan gum, lecithins? I don’t even know what half of them are. And when you see the almond milk percentage, it’s low’ super low. As low as 2.3%. Making your own homemade nut milk will mean you keep your milk preservative and additive-free.

The process of nut milk is simple; soak some nuts, wait and blend. If you are adding it to make a bechamel you can strain it, but if you are drinking it as part of a smoothie or shake, I don’t mind the ‘bit’s and leave it as it is. Store-bought nut milk has a sweet taste, so if you like that, you can sweeten it with a little honey or a couple of dates.

The best part of it is that homemade nut milk is easy and so much cheaper than store-bought and you know exactly what’s in it. I’ve milked almonds, cashews, pecans, hazelnut, and cashews. The sky is the limit.

Check out my recipes here: Almond Milk, Soya Milk, and Rice Milk

3. Almond meal

Many people who lean towards a Thermomix are those who are gluten free and making a change in their diets due to health reasons. However, it’s not just for medical reasons, alternative flours and meals are becoming really popular for baking these days. One of the most popular flour substitutes is almond meal, which is simply ground up whole almonds. It often costs much more than an equal weight in almonds; currently £1.25/100g. A store-bought almond meal will become rancid very quickly once the oil in the nuts is oxidized during the processing. Milling nuts, seeds or grains (rice, quinoa, oats, etc) fresh whenever you need a meal or flour will not only save you money but also give you a much healthier product! Mill for 30 seconds, speed 10, or until flour is achieved (will vary for different nuts, seeds, and grains).

4. Icing sugar

In the UK, one of our regular demonstration recipes is a frozen fruit sorbet or berry foam. These recipes not only show the magical blending capability of the Thermomix but it’s the ability to make icing sugar.

Did you know that icing sugar and caster sugar are simply milled versions of granulated white sugar? Yet, they are always more expensive! Everyone has granulated sugar in their pantry or store cupboards and all you need to do is mill 2 seconds, speed 10 when needing caster sugar and 1-3 minutes, speed 10 when needing icing sugar and hey presto, you have all 3 versions. It’s not just the cost-saving that is great here but the space-saving too especially needed in London where we have tiny houses and flats with little or no storage space.

5. Yoghurt

Homemade yogurt tastes great and it is better for you too. The key to this is to use the most delicious milk you can find. You can eschew the powdered milk if you want, but you will need to leave the yogurt to ferment twice as long and sometimes the texture can be a little unusual. There are plenty of Cookidoo recipes for yoghurt especially now that the Thermomix TM6 has a ferment mode too. But my favourite yoghurt recipe is one that I’ve been doing successfully for years and still works out perfectly every single time.

 

Pesto Rosso

Being adventurous doesn’t have to be going all out and skydive. It could be trying a new recipe in the kitchen. For example this delicious Pesto Rosso.

Pesto Rosso (literally, “Red Pesto”) is a Sicilian variation that starts with sun-dried tomatoes. It has a rich red hue and a deep, sweet, tangy flavor. Like all pestos, Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto recipes also vary by region and cook. The sauce typically calls for almonds instead of the pine nuts used in basil pesto.

Really easy to make and very nice. Different to the usual green basil pesto but great to garnish vegetable tagliatelle, for tapas or pasta. Thanks to fellow Advisor, Sara De Miguel Hernandez for this recipe under her business Flow with Me.

6 Reasons why you should plan your meals

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While meal planning can be considered a chore to add to your “to-do list”, this is one chore that should be at the top of that list!

Here are 6 reasons why you should start planning your meals a week in advance and how Thermomix’s Recipe Platform Cookidoo can help you do just that:

1. Improve your nutrition

By planning in advance, you can aim to have nutritionally well-balanced meals throughout the week.

For example, you can make sure each of your dinners have the requisite vegetables, protein, and grains. Planning your meals ultimately allows you to take control of your own personal nutrition needs.

Whether you have to stick to a lower sodium diet or want only to eat whole grains and vegetables, you can plan for it!

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Thermomix (TM) tip: Each Thermomix recipe includes Nutritional information per portion to include energy (kj/kcal), protein (g), carbohydrate (g) and fat (g) content.

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2. Make healthier choices

If you have to come up with something to eat last minute, you’ll find yourself probably going out for dinner instead. As a result, you are most likely to end up exceeding your daily calorie and sodium intake!

Even just stopping at the supermarket to pick up a last minute dinner may lead to poor choices. When you shop hungry, you are more likely to throw junk food into your cart.

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Thermomix (TM) tip: By using Cookidoo’s weekly planning tool, you don’t have to have last minute hunger pangs or supermarket visit. The weekly planner creates a shopping list according to your menu and this can either be emailed for a quick shop around the supermarket, or in my opinion the better way, transcribed to an online supermarket shop for a convenient home delivery.

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3. Eat high-quality foods

Homemade meals are almost always more nutrient-dense and filled with less calories, salt, and fat than takeout or quick readymade options at your supermarket.

Choosing your own recipes and ingredients for the week allows you to make important food choices, such as buying local meats or organic produce.

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Thermomix (TM) tip: The better the quality of ingredients, the better the quality of your meal. Butchers offer better selection & quality. Buying vegetables from a greengrocers that only sells organic ensures you are buying food that is chemical pesticide-free.

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4. Save money

Having a meal plan prevents you from throwing out ingredients you forgot you had in the fridge. You can create meal plans that specifically allow you to use up whatever you have in your cupboards.

You can also start fresh by creating grocery lists based off your meal plans. This way you’ll go to the grocery store with purpose rather than on the whim and you won’t come out with a dozen of random unhealthy food items, most of which you won’t eat.

In addition, your meal plan will save you money by preventing you from ordering costly last minute takeouts.

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Thermomix (TM) tip: Menu planning with Cookidoo creates a shopping list which I have already discussed but what I enjoy more is the menu planning to use leftovers from the day before to create a new meal.

If I have had a chicken or lamb roast for Sunday lunch, I plan to use the ‘waste’ bones to make a bone broth and the next day a soup.
My husband is a little fussy with leftover meat so I will then plan a pie or a curry to use the leftovers the next day.
Vegetable peelings are saved in a plastic bag in a freezer and when the bag is full, I combine them to make homemade stock.
The list can go on.

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5. Save time

Your shopping list will prevent you from wandering around the supermarket aimlessly and your meal plans will save you from having to think about what to eat every day.

If you find yourself quite busy during the work week, planning meals that made from start to finish in under 30-minutes is achievable. Taking time out to plan your meals that can help save time.

Take some time out of the weekend ensure you have the right ingredients and plan quick meals for breakfast or take-to-work lunches. Oats and frozen berries with yogurt in mason jars serve as great breakfasts for on-the-go. Prepared quinoa or pasta salads with mixed veggies and beans can serve as a work lunch for multiple days.

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Thermomix (TM) tip: With good planning, Thermomix should save you time. For evening meals, I tend to find that 90% of the meals are cooked in under 30 minutes, 15-20 of which I don’t have to be physically in the kitchen. I can use this time to sit down with my kids and do their homework, catch up with some work emails or simply sit down and read a book.

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6. Decrease Stress

The daily “what’s for dinner” thought that plague our minds throughout the day is a constant stress to have, but it’s easily prevented by having a plan. You can always reuse meal plans and shopping lists to help cut down on planning and prep time.

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Thermomix (TM) tip: The beauty of my Cookidoo menu planner is that I know I have all the ingredients in the house to make any item on my weekly plan, therefore whether I cook or someone else in my household from my husband, nanny or 10-year daughter, everything is in stock and we’re creative enough with variety, seasonal ingredients and nutritionally balanced, that’s its a win, win situation all around.

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If you have any questions on meal planning with Thermomix, Cookidoo Recipe Platform or would like to see a Cooking Experience, please contact me:

Ankita Stopa, One Girl and her Thermie
ankita@onegirlandherThermie.co.uk
Mobile: 07977 563537

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Vorwerk Incentive Program

There are many advantages of being an Advisor, sharing our love and passion for healthy eating and cooking with the Thermomix. Of course, we don’t just do this for the goodness of our hearts, we are paid commissions for closed sales. However, Vorwerk also rewards us with other perks throughout the year and the latest Advisor Incentive was the Vorwerk Incentive Program.           

It’s the second year where the Vorwerk Incentive Program has been offered here in the UK but it was warmly welcomed. There’s something for everyone with VIP whether it’s something for yourself, your kids or a treat for the entire family, we have something to satisfy every need.

Last year I went for small items. I had worked so hard throughout the year, I wanted to reward my family with my prizes so I let everyone choose a gift. My daughter chose the Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 and my son chose a day out at British Superbike Weekend Tickets For Two. My husband was treated to Seven-Dish Shared Omakase Menu For Two which we went to on our wedding anniversary. Everyone in my team and the country seemed to win the Apple AirPods or the Swarovski Small Creativity Circle Pierced Earrings which were super easy to achieve. It was like Christmas came early and throughout the year, as we used and experienced the VIP from February to November making the enjoyment last.

This year, they added new and exciting prizes like Jo Malone Fragrance Sets, Swarovski jewelry and more of our very own Thermomix and Kobold products.

To unlock these rewards, there are always sales criteria to keep us active throughout the incentive period; all we needed to do is at least 3 Thermomix sales/6 Kobold Unit sales and be active 3 out of 4 months. Considering the period was September to December; the run-up to Christmas, it’s pretty much a safe bet that everyone will get something.

Well, the incentive period ended in December and since we get recruitment points too if our newcomers qualified, then the finally tally officially ended at the end of January.

When writing this blog and wanted to share my success with you, I looked at some inspirational quotes. I wanted to portray, success just doesn’t come to anyone, you have to work for it but also you need to have a purpose and a goal.


What is success? I think it is a mixture of having a flair for the thing that you are doing; knowing that it is not enough, that you have got to have hard work and a certain sense of purpose.

Margaret Thatcher


Well, my goal was for a new Thermomix TM6. Yes, I know I have already earned one earlier this year but to be honest, considering I have to demonstrate on the latest model, having to pack my home Thermomix every time I do a demonstration at a potential customer’s home is an inconvenience. So winning, by earning, another Thermomix was high on my priority wish list.

I also wanted a new iPad, considering the two I’ve previously won in my Thermomix Advisor Journey have been swiped by family members (ThermieHubby took the iPad and ThermieDaughter has been gifted the iPad Mini). I think I deserved one this time.

Hard work and determination, a little luck and the winter season were kind to me. Incentives are like a drug (said metaphorically, rather than from experience…) Once you have achieved your first goal and then second, you are addicted to keeping trying to get the next. I kept my third and fourth options realistic, small and achievable. Anf then something happened, all my efforts that had gone into the pipeline for wish list one and two resulted in excess sales. This business is a pipeline business and a considered purchase, so demonstrations in September resulted in October sales, conversations I had in October resulted in cooking experiences in half-term and then purchases in November and so on. Potential recruits that I had been talking to finally trained in November and qualified in December.  They just happened to train on a double points training session. Both of them. Bonus points, thank you, newcomers, and thank you, Vorwerk.

Today is the day I’ve waited for, the day I can claim my spent my points.

So my final loot looks like this. It’s a testament that your efforts are not wasted and you have to have belief.  

  • Thermomix TM6 – 2500 points
  • Apple iPad with 128GB – 1679 points
  • Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir Candle & Cologne Set – 404 points
  • Jo Malone Red Roses Fragrance & Bath Set – 288 points
  • Meater – 320 points
  • Le Creuset 24 inch crepe pan – 321 points
  • Heston Blumenthal at Home Cookbook – 195 points
  • New TM6 spatula – 48 points (96 points, as I ordered 2)
  • New TM6 measuring cup – 32 points (64 points, as I ordered 2)
  • I had only 3 remaining points unused

I’m absolutely delighted with my prizes. Yes, I received commissions with these sales too but it’s human nature to want more and its wonderful for a company like Vorwerk to understand this and offer it. Yes, it comes with terms & conditions, but so do most things in life. But for those who enjoy hard work and rewards, this is definitely the role that fits that need. I’m definitely satisfied that I continue to demonstrate after all these years.

Lemons

Lemon Concentrate Cleaner

This lemon concentrate cleaner is a beauty. First written on the Thermomix UK website when I bought my TM31 back in 2009, it’s been lost in the archives and I’m here to revive it.

Lemon contains both acidity found in the juice along with grease-cutting oil within its skin, combined to create a superb cleaning companion. The acid in lemons is also antibacterials and antiseptic and acts as a natural bleach. The citrus smell of lemon is refreshing and invigorating. Oils in the rinds help the clean and shine. With salt, you can throw away many of the harsh, chemical-based products under your sink or in your cleaning cupboard.

But there’s just one caveat to bear in mind. While lemons and lemon juice can do a great job with many household chores, it is not a disinfectant. In other words, it is not a good substitute for bleach or related products when you are actually trying to remove dangerous microbes from cooking surfaces. Because food safety is important, be sure to hang onto appropriate cleaning products and use them as needed.

Uses include cleaning copper bottom pots and pans, countertops, drains, glass cleaning, fridge freshener, microwaves, cheese graters, wood cleaner, etc. Of course, I use it to clean my TM bowl too. This homemade lemon cleaner is acidic and can be used to clean countless things in your home.

Disclaimer – Thermomix® is a cooking appliance intended to be only used for food preparation.

However, the recipes here are using food ingredients – lemon, salt, water, vinegar I also have multiple Thermomixes and TM bowls, so I can safely use separate bowls for making these without any cross-contamination. If in any doubt, don’t make them.

Reasons why the Thermomix is useful for the Indian Household

Yes, I admit it, the UK demonstration for the Thermomix is doesn’t resonate immediately to the Indian palate. But what it does do it shows you all the functions of the Thermomix and with a little bit of imagination, one can quickly see how these functions and recipes can be easily adapted to the Indian home.

I’m from India, which is one of the oldest and richest food cultures in the world. Indian cuisine is well known for being one of the world’s spiciest, most influential, diverse and unique. As Indians differ from one another by religion, region, state, language and caste, our cuisine varies so much that we have positioned ourselves as one of the world’s most diverse. The beauty of being an Indian living abroad is having both a great appreciation for different Indian cuisines and a palate that enjoys all gastronomies.

Now, I am not typically Indian. Having been born in India, I lived abroad most of my life and am now settled in London, married with kids to my Polish husband (we could be spies in another life). But I am pukka Indian. My household, despite my location and marriage, is run like my mother’s. We eat Indian cuisines at least 3-4 times and I cook enough to feed any visiting friend, neighbour or distant ‘aunty’ coming to visit the capital and always have enough food on hand for afternoon tea. My 7-year old daughter’s favourite food is butter chicken, rice and gobi aloo while my 4-year old sons is masala dosas with coconut chutney. We laugh that he will need to marry an Indian girl or take our housekeeper, Anitha, with him when he eventually gets married as he eats more chapattis and paratha’s in a week than an adult.

We use the Thermomix for traditional Indian meals but still create those intensified flavours, with speedy preparation, and consistently excellent results, while the cooking and stirring is done for you, meaning less washing up and more time for other things, like relaxing after helping with homework or reading a book! What’s even better, with the cost savings on a daily and weekly basis, we are able to save the extra pennies & pounds for that trip back to India.

So here are my top 20 reasons why a Thermomix is useful in an Indian household.

Staples

  1. Chapatti Dough – save 15 to 20 minutes of mixing and kneading time – many Indians make these every day – weighed, mixed and kneaded for you in 2 minutes
  2. Rice – plain basmati, jeera rice steamed with cumin and ghee (clarified butter) – perfect steamed rice every time
  3. Garlic & Ginger paste – peel and mince garlic in seconds
  4. Garam Masala/grinding spices – fast, excellent results, can grind even the hardest of spices perfectly
  5. Tamarind – can be prepared in just a few minutes instead of having to plan ahead and soak for several hours, perfect result every time
  6. Coriander & Chilli Paste – stunning blending, basic technique, versatile ingredient, means you don’t have to have fresh coriander and fresh green chillies available all the time and can therefore spontaneously decide to cook Indian food
  7. Balti Paste/Tikka Paste – roasting & grinding spices (wet and dry grinding/ blending), cooking and stirring done for you, easy to make and have on hand
  8. Fresh Coconut Chutney – mincing coconut with all other ingredients for an excellent fresh chutney in seconds
  9. Lime Chutney – an hour’s worth of chopping in less than a minute, all the cooking is done in one TM bowl with no mess, excellent flavour
  10. Yoghurt – easy to make at home with TM, fresh, delicious, can easily do Greek style, save money on every batch Main course

Main course

  1. Dahl – no sticking on the bottom of the pan, all the stirring is done for you
  2. Khadi – the importance of yoghurt in Indian cooking (especially for vegetarians), no splitting, fast and easy preparation, cooked all in one TM bowl with the stirring done for you
  3. Paneer – perfect and very easy, temperature control for heating the milk, save money
  4. Dokra/ Dokla – savoury cake mixed in seconds, steamed perfectly in the Varoma
  5. Dosa/ Idli batter – weigh, soak, grind all the ingredients in one bowl and allow to rise, pour out of the same bowl after fermenting. You can even steam the idli in the Varoma while making Sambhar.
  6. Samosas – mincing ingredients (vegetables and/or meat), easy samosa pastry dough
  7. Lamb Kebabs – mincing lamb for better flavour, crumbing, kneading
  8. Curries – grind and roast spices, add meat or vegetables and walk away. Let the Thermomix stir and cook the dish for you.

Desserts

  1. Sorbet and Kulfi – both are fast and easy with Thermomix
  2. Carrot Halva – chop carrots, save time – cooking and reducing with all the stirring done for you!
  3. Gulab Jamuns – mix and knead the dough, cook syrup, save money, reduce the effort
  4. Cardamom Cake – seeds out of pods on the reverse blade, grinding cardamom with sugar, mixing cake in a few seconds, wonderful flavour

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I have more specific Indian recipes on this blog and if you would like to purchase the most authentic Thermomix book for Indian cookery, get in touch.

Please contact me using the online form on my website or email on Ankita@onegirlandherthermie.co.uk or call/text/ WhatsApp me at 07977 563537.

 

Egg nog

This deliciously creamy eggnog recipe is a little taste of Christmas history so easy to whip up and enjoy with your Thermomix.

Eggnog, egg nog or egg-nog, historically also known as milk punch or egg-milk punch, is a rich, chilled, sweetened, dairy-based beverage. It is traditionally made with milk, cream, sugar, whipped egg whites, and egg yolks.

According to Opieeggnog has its roots in British aristocracy: “In the winter, the wealthy would drink warm milk and egg beverages seasoned with pricey spices such as ground nutmeg and cinnamon and expensive liquors like brandy and sherry to keep it from spoiling.” When the drink passed to America, rum was used.

Soy candles

Thermomix Soy Candles

I first made these Thermomix soy candles after reading the amazing blog by Petra at The Road to Loving my Thermomix.  I love the versatility of what I can make in my Thermomix.

Who doesn’t love decorating their home or apartment with a beautiful candle? They add warmth and light to every space and just generally make your home feel cozier. The only problem? They don’t last forever and can be a little pricey. A lot pricey. I’m a big fan of Jo Malone or Molton Brown candles but one candle can set you back a whopping £50. Yes, £50 for one candle. So for any of us who want to have the luxury but spend a little less, there’s always a way to do it more cost-effectively.

You can make homemade candles with a few supplies and a little bit of know-how. Chances are you have a lot of the things you’ll need already at home. Another bonus of making your own candles is that you can control what goes into them. If you’re sensitive to fragrance, you can leave it out. If you’re concerned about keeping the air in your home as clean as possible, you can choose to use soy wax. Although there are many different types of candles, they all contain three main components: wax, a wick, and a container.

  • Wax
  • Wick
  • Container
  • Fragrance and color (optional)

I tend to advocate using soy wax. Soy wax is a natural, renewable resource. Soy wax is biodegradable and cleans up with plain old soap and water (again a good thing as I’m using my Thermomix to melt the wax). Soy wax has a lower melting point than paraffin wax and because of this, soy candles will burn slower or longer than paraffin candlesSoy wax burns with zero petro soot, creating petro soot free candles.

Benefits of soy wax
  • Soy wax is derived from a vegetables, (soy beans), while it’s counter partner, paraffin wax is derived from petroleum (a refined a gasoline product).
  • Soy wax is a natural, renewable resource.
  • Soy wax is biodegradable and cleans up with plain old soap and water.
  • Soy wax has a lower melting point than paraffin wax and because of this, soy candles will burn slower or longer than paraffin candles.
  • Soy wax burns with zero petro soot, creating petro soot free candles. Paraffin candles burn with petro-soot.

After making your first candle, you can get more adventurous and try making different types of candles, just be sure to choose the appropriate wax and wick for a more advanced project. Want a more personal touch? You can customize your candle even further by choosing a fragrance or essential oil to scent your candle—the variations of candles you can make are limited only by your imagination and your willingness to experiment.

From simple projects like basic container candles and votives with wick pins to more complex creations like beeswax rolled pillars and dipped taper candles, there’s no shortage of craft projects you can do with a bit of wax, a heat source, and some time.

It’s incredibly easy to make your own soy candles at home. Although it’s simple to make average candles, customizing your wax, wick, fragrance, and container choices will yield spectacular results. Not only will you save money making your own, but you can also give these beauties as gifts during the holidays (or any time!). Happy making!

N.B. The soy candles in the picture have been coloured red with food colouring and scented with a Christmas spiced essential oil, ready to be given as gifts this Christmas.

Disclaimer – Thermomix® is a cooking appliance intended to be only used for food preparation.

Vorwerk, the manufacturer of Thermomix only advocates making food items in your Thermomix. As a user, I know how versatile the Thermomix is and as a result, blog recipes like this which are non-food such as these candles, beauty products, children’s craft, etc. I also have multiple  Thermomixes and multiple TM bowls, so I can safely use separate bowls for making these without any cross-contamination. The bowls do wash and I recommend a hot vinegar or lemon wash to ensure no cross-contamination of any of the ingredients, but if in any doubt, don’t make them.

Sintra and Friendships

Another organised outing during our Lisbon Vorwerk Incentive Trips weekend was a visit to Sintra and Pena Palace.

With its rippling mountains, dewy forests thick with ferns and lichen, exotic gardens and glittering palaces, Sintra is like a page torn from a fairy tale. Its Unesco World Heritage-listed centre, Sintra-Vila, is dotted with pastel-hued manors folded into luxuriant hills that roll down to the blue Atlantic.

We visited the Palacio Nacional da Pena is one of the finest tourist attractions in Portugal. It exemplifies the 19th century Romanticism style of architecture. The palace is a hedonistic mix of vividly painted terraces, decorative battlements and mythological statues, all of which stand at stark contrast to the lush greens of the Parque de Pena forest.

The interior of the Pena Palace is equally as fascinating, being restored to reflect the decor in 1910, when the Portuguese nobility fled to Brazil to escape the revolution. Surrounding the Palacio da Pena are forested grounds, which continue the design ideals of Romanticism, with hidden pathways, mystical ornaments and stunning vistas.

One of the things I love about these trips is that I get to experience things I wouldn’t usually do. I love to travel but my heart lays in the long-haul. If anyone asks me where I want to go next the answer would be Bali or Malaysia. So by having the opportunity to go on Vorwerk Incentive trips means I get to experience places I wouldn’t dream or generally want to go to.  Lisbon has been one of those pleasant surprises. It’s never been on my to-do list and quite frankly I’m not a big fan of heritage sites but being brought here forces me to do and see things I wouldn’t do on family travels.

Lisbon is only a short flight from London as Mary Luciana describes it perfectly in her recent articleLisbon is having a moment. It is the place on everyone’s lips and its breezy sea views, glossy tiled facades, and red roofs feature on many an Instagram feed. The food surprises, with a depth far beyond the famous pastéis de nata (custard tarts) that are so known and loved. There is history; from the 12th-century Moorish castle that dominates the skyline to the magnificent 16th-century Manueline monastery of Jerónimos, and the bombastic 18th-century heart of Lisbon, built after so much of the city was destroyed in the 1755 earthquake. There is authentic, genuine and welcoming hospitality; and a wave of new and affordable hotels along cobbled streets and flanking bougainvillea-clad squares, all of which brim with a sense of place. For Lisbon, unlike so much of the world, has not gone global: it remains resolutely Portuguese, looking out to sea, with its back to the rest of Europe and its identity intact.

As for me, these incentive trips also force me to spend time with people I wouldn’t normally which pleasantly surprises me too.

My time in Portugal was spent room sharing with Corrine Rowe. Corrine is an Advisor and Team Leader in South East London. Whilst I meet her often at Branch Meetings and Kick Offs, Team Leader planning days and events, it’s only now, can I actually say I now know her. She’s is one of the most incredible, kind, kindred people I have met in my time at Thermomix. Until Lisbon, I never knew what makes her tick, her personal stores or how much we actually have in common even though we are so different.  She’s chef trained, having run catering businesses for many years, but has experience in lots of other things. She’s well-traveled and We’d never really talked like this before. Even if Lisbon has been a total flop, the one thing I would have got out of my experience is a new found friendship with Corrine. That has to be worth it alone.

Not only have I come away seeing a beautiful part of the country, but I’ve come away with a friendship that goes beyond the business.