Its written in the stars , and so too is the menu!

I could have started this article describing the abundance of luscious seasonal ingredients available to us such as Tomatoes, broad beans, Chard, cucumbers, new potatoes and waxed lyrical about their culinary virtues.

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Alternatively and with Wimbledon on our doorstep, I could have looked at the alarming news declaring 95% of summer strawberries tested last year, were the ?most likely fruit to be contaminated with pesticide residues.

Apparently, even after washing them, they still top the list of produce with the highest amount of pesticides, allegedly?nearly 150 different pesticides?have been found on thousands of strawberry samples.

?Instead this July, I want to delve into your monthly star sign. Naturally some people believe whole heartedly what is written in the stars, whilst others may look at it as mumbo jumbo.

Whatever your persuasion being Mystic Meg or Sceptic Stella, you may be surprised to learn that your birth star sign is not only aligned with money, health and work, but also ingredients and even complete dishes.

?I once had the pleasure of visiting several Ayurveda hotels and even an hospital in India in order to carry out a little research on foods and diets for a new book I was writing entailed “Fuel”.

?On arrival at this specialist hotel, where highly trained doctors formed part of the front of house crew and where I was immediately asked for my date of birth.

I politely asked why this should have any relevance to checking in and found that they basically wanted to know my star sign in order to allocate an appropriately aligned room.

I found this rather intriguing ( especially being a Virgo) and couldn’t wait to see what was in store.

?I was led across pristinely manicured grass amidst coconut palms and greenery not short of a tailored jungle. This already ticked the box for a Virgo having such precise organisation and presentation, blended with the natural earthy wilderness !.

We meandered towards a thatched round villa, shaded by tropical verdure and crossing over a little bridge with a trickling brook, soon arriving at the front door of what would become home for 5 days,

?Around the outside of my villa were planted herbs and spices that were apparently favoured by Virgo`s ! . The warm humidity helping to extenuate the scents that lingered in the air whilst ?offering up additional calmness to the environment.

?The room itself was painted in a light green (apparently a favourite colour for earth signs) and a limited yet intriguing and carefully selection of ornaments such as a giant conch shell that sat prominently on the opposite side of the bedroom.

?The furniture, I was informed was all aligned in accordance with fenshuai.

The resident guru astrologer using ?both numerology and astrology worked closely with architects to deliver the perfect environment and ensure our inner satisfaction whether we knew it or not?.

?The room and location were simply idyllic and I must admit to sleeping like a log, waking refreshed and rejuvenated to the sound of tropical birds.

The blend of “star sign” related holistic care certainly made an impact.

?The vegetarian meals offered at the restaurant were also portion and nutritionally controlled. All ingredients prepared fresh with nothing used that had been previously prepared or cooked as this was against the Ayurveda principles. The meals were all blessed with a climate that producers fresh herbs and spices in abundance and as such offered up both gustatory and organoleptic pleasures in abundance.

I was therefore intrigued to read recently that a Brazilian chef had launched a selection of recipes tailored to star signs and for those born in July (vegetarians and vegans excluded) ?you will apparently enjoy (according to him), a? Regal Roasted Prime Rib!, where the author also advises that Leo`s should?? - “Treat yourself to the regal flavours of a roasted prime rib, fit for a king or queen, capturing the majestic essence of Leo's confident and bold personality”.

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