How To make the perfect healthy hot chocolate

Who doesn't love hot chocolate?! It is warming and soothing in the colder months, provides a feeling of comfort on rainy afternoons and brings back memories of winter evenings spent by the fire.

Although I avoid dairy products, I have succeeded in creating my own hot chocolate, using almond milk instead of regular cow's milk, and rich cacao powder instead of the shop-bought cocoa powders which are full of sugar and additives. I like to add a pinch of cinnamon and a little vanilla extract to add depth to the flavour, and sweeten it with a teaspoon of organic date nectar for a caramel undertone.

Ingredients:
1 cup almond milk
1 tbsp raw cacao powder
2 drops vanilla extract
1 tsp natural sweetener (honey, maple syrup, date nectar and coconut sugar all work well)

Instructions:

Bring the almond milk to a gentle simmer on the stovetop, then whisk in the cacao powder, cinnamon, vanilla extract and natural sweetener. Pour into a mug, sprinkle with extra cinnamon and enjoy every sip!

Daylesford

Daylesford Farmshop & Café is a beautifully decorated restaurant in the heart of Notting Hill. Almost all the fresh ingredients are organic and grown locally on the Daylesford farm in Gloucestershire.

The breakfast options include chia, goji berry and flaxseed Bircher muesli with natural yogurt and stewed fruits, or scrambled egg whites on sourdough toast with smoked salmon. There are several seasonal salads on offer, such as raw winter vegatables with avocado oil and cider vinegar, and raw green kale, butternut squach and spirulina crusted pumpkin seeds. The supper dishes range from the steamed lemon sole or Daylesford beef burger, to chilled raw cashew soup with spirulina, kale and pumpkin seed pesto.

To top everything off, their cold-pressed juices are to die for!