You don't normally associate afternoon tea with being healthy. Pastries, cakes & sandwiches with white bread are the usual offerings you expect to find on the menu. However Le Pain Quotidien have turned this typically un-healthy treat on its head with some of their surprisingly clean snacks.
A few days ago after a blustery outdoors workout I was craving a big mug of mint tea to warm up & headed to LPQ to re-fuel. My workout buddy was going for their spelt toast with homemade jam & whilst I wasn't planning on ordering any food I couldn't resist this gem when I saw it on the menu.
An organic spelt & quinoa scone with ricotta & rhubarb jam.
A healthy spin on a traditional cream tea without losing any of the delicious taste factor. If anything knowing something isn't so bad for me actually makes me enjoy it more. Spelt is a fantastic wholegrain that provides slow-release complex carbs, quinoa is packed full of protein, ricotta is a lighter alternative to cream without all the saturated fat (around 12% fat versus 60% in clotted cream) & the homemade rhubarb jam is tart rather than sweet. A pretty good post-workout meal with a good mix of the carbs, protein & sugar your body needs to replenish tired muscles & energy supplies. A pot of fresh mint tea made the perfect healthy accompaniment.
Although it is definitely a healthier option, it is pretty filling & I struggled to finish the whole scone. I definitely won't be heading out for one of these every workout(!) but as an occasional treat after a particularly gruelling session it's not bad! It is worth noting that although they aren't entirely gluten-free as they contain spelt flour, some people who are gluten intolerant can eat spelt without digestive issues.
London doesn't have many restaurants & cafes that offer healthy options like baking with spelt & quinoa so it's a great to know such an accessible chain has these cleaner, lower-glycemic options available! The next items crying out to be tried are the organic chia seed coconut milk pudding & raspberry crunola (an uncooked, gluten-free mix of sprouted buckwheat, golden berries & seeds) parfait with cashew butter.
Harriet x
