TRENDS 2022
FEEL GOOD, from the inside out
Embracing holistic wellness extends to how we fuel our bodies; a
philosophy that is celebrated by the world’s leading wellness hotspots. Here are some of the best. Words: Lucy Gillmore
BEST FOR GOURMETS Forget lean cuisine and limp lettuce leaves, the new spa food trend is the gourmet tasting menu. There’s been a seismic shiſt in philosophy; food is no longer the enemy but an integral part of the wellness journey, with menus focusing on healthy, seasonal and organic ingredients. Lefay Resort & Spa in the Dolomites’ is one of the
pioneers, with its fine-dining restaurant and food concept, Lefay Vital Gourmet, created by chef Matteo Maenza — a protégé of Alain Ducasse. His menu is divided by altitude: Valley Floor, Mountain Pasture and High Mountain dishes celebrate local organic ingredients. The two new tasting menus (eight- and 12-course), The Path and The Peak, include dishes such as Spaghetti Monograno Felicetti with smoked mountain butter, cornelian and venison, and Walcher Undergrowth, a walnut emulsion with chocolate mousse, blackberry compote and mountain pepper ice cream. Doubles from £295, B&B.
lefayresorts.com/en
BEST FOR THE GUT Since the word ‘microbiome’ started hogging the health headlines (that’s the three or so pounds of bacteria we carry around in our intestines, which affects both our physical and mental health), we’ve all been focused on the state of our stools. A leaky gut is bad news for the immune system and coaxing it back into shape through diet is the aim of a number of spas, such as Selman Marrakech at the foot of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. The spa’s personalised programmes follow the Chenot method with BioLight Cuisine recipes designed to help the body detoxify, and improve and balance gut flora using ingredients with anti-inflammatory and alkaline properties — think plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and fermented foods such as kimchi and sauerkraut. In the UK, venture to Seaham Hall’s Serenity Spa:
the Ozone restaurant features dishes designed to aid digestion and improve gut health with an emphasis on kimchi, kombucha and miso. Raw & Cured at Lime Wood also goes down the gut route. Typical dishes include a bowl of Jane’s Grains granola for breakfast, and for
12
nationalgeographic.co.uk/collection
lunch a home-cured Loch Duart salmon with fermented fennel slaw and English cucumber alongside a raw and fermented beetroot salad with blueberries, pickled apple and Somerset feta. Doubles from £325 room only.
selman-marrakech.com Doubles from £315.
seaham-hall.co.uk Doubles from £405 room only.
limewoodhotel.co.uk
BEST FOR VEGANS Plant-based food has never been more in vogue. More and more people are switching to a vegan diet, with over 600,000 people signing up to the Veganuary challenge in the UK in 2022. Healthy vegan menus are a natural fit for a wellness retreat, and an increasing number of spas are offering a choice of plant-derived dishes, menus and vegan spa days. At MasQi, The Energy House, near Valencia, nutrition
is a key part of the wellness philosophy. The menu is largely vegan — with a wild fish course at dinner, and includes a macrobiotic breakfast of miso soup for waking up the digestive system, along with porridge, fresh fruit, nut butters and organic sourdough breads. For lunch it might be vegetable paella, shiitake risotto, buckwheat crepes or Vietnamese rolls with peanut butter. Doubles from £263, full-board.
masqi.es/en
BEST FOR FARM-TO-TABLE The field-to-fork ethos has side-stepped seamlessly into the wellness scene. A growing number of spa hotels not only have their own kitchen gardens, but some even have their own farms. How the produce is grown and its provenance is woven into the food philosophy. Naturhotel Forsthofgut, in the Austrian Alps, is
a family-run spa hotel founded by farmers. Much of the food served in the restaurants comes from their 54-acre farm, where they rear their own hens, geese, pigs and lambs, foraging for berries, herbs and mushrooms in the surrounding forest. What they don’t produce themselves — from mountain cheeses to organic vegetables — they source from neighbouring farms. Doubles from £190.
forsthofgut.at/en
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124
