As 2015 inches forward healthy eating remains a top priority for many of us, and with that restaurants are often deemed out of bounds. But with the recent opening of Notting Hill's new paleo and gluten-free friendly eatery, eating out needn't mean breaking your diet. Healthy dishes from the Paleo diet, a firm favourite among celebrities including Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Biel and Miley Cyrus, are exactly what's on the menu at the new fine dining establishment - the UK's first of its kind.
The restaurant features stunning interior design by Chilean artsit Otto Schade
Pure Taste originally began as a pop-up store in Surrey but following it's huge popularity and a successful Kickstarter campaign for funding, the restaurant set up shop in the heart of London's Notting Hill last December.Head Chef and Nutritional Therapist Holly Redman has carefully created a range of dishes that replace dairy products, legumes, grains, processed oils and refined sugars with protein-rich and high-fibre options in keeping with the premise of returning to our ancestral diet and eating the foods that predate agriculture.
A sweet Paleo treat: chocolate and strawberry tart
While catering not only for the paleo diet but those who are vegan and coeliac, the menu doesn't skimp on taste. Culinary highlights including fresh mussles in a Thai-spiced coconut broth, sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce and caramel ice cream, as well as a selection of handmade nut cheeses served with apple and ginger chutney.
The menu changes with the seasons and features a range of fresh, seasonal ingredients including free range fish and meat that compliment the extensive collection of biodynamic wines, gluten-free beers and vibrant Kombucha fruit juices that are also on offer to patrons.
Duck with spiced clementine and cranberry sauce
But why choose a Paleo diet?
The benefits of the diet itself, which focuses on food groups mainly consumed in the Paleolithic era, not only include weight loss, but other proclaimed perks include improved blood lipids and reduced pain from autoimmunity. The diet is also scientifically proven to help stave off degenerative diseases such as obesity, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, depression and infertility.
The Paleo diet: What to eatGrass-produced meatsFish/seafoodFresh fruits and veggiesEggsNuts and seedsHealthful oils (Olive, walnut, flaxseed, macadamia, avocado, coconut)The Paleo diet: What not to eatCereal grainsLegumes (including peanuts)DairyRefined sugarPotatoesProcessed foodsSaltRefined vegetable oils (listed in The Paleo Diet Cookbook and The Paleo Diet for Athletes)