KITLIVING
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D
esigned to keep
blood sugar and
glucose levels stable
throughout the
afternoon, Tiffin Time
replaces complex carbohydrates, refined
sugar and saturated fats with wholegrains,
vegetables and legumes. Whether it's a
vegetarian or meaty option, these wellrounded
and nutritious lunches help
maintain concentration throughout the
day and reduce the likelihood of that all
too familiar lethargic mid-afternoon slump,
which lowers productivity and increases
the chances of unhealthy snacking.
Founder Katie Garden (pictured left
outside her shop) explains, "The aim
when I set out was to get good food to
people who are in offices. There's all sorts
of foods, so they can try something a little
bit different, but also eat well too."
Although her foods are not specifically
designed for people with diabetes, all the
principles behind it are along the right
lines for a diabetic diet. She says, "The
aim is for a natural slow release of energy
through my foods, it's better for everyone's
blood sugar levels. Food is served in
healthy portion sizes, it's predominantly
vegetable-based so you should not need
to snack later. You may even have enough
energy to go to the gym after work."
Most of the meals are dairy- and
gluten-free, helping people with those
dietary restrictions. "Lunchtime is often a
struggle if you can't eat those things. Also
we use a lot of whole grains and brown
rice, which is to avert insulin spikes even in
non-diabetics. The other aim is to include
a lot of fibre, which makes you fuller for
longer and leads to less snacking."
Garden used to work in the city of
London where she says she tended to eat
on the hop. Trying to eat healthily, often
she found that salads were oversized and
not very fresh, nor would she be full later,
so she'd end up snacking, and she put
on weight. Taking a career break, Garden
got the idea for starting Tiffin Time when
on a trip to India.
Interesting trip
Looking back, Garden says, "I didn't
expect to be doing this! Food wasn't
massively important in my childhood we
didn't have a lot of fresh foods or much
that was home-cooked when I was a
child. I started cooking for myself, and
then for friends, partly to save money
when I was working in London. I did a trip
to India for five months where I saw the
dabbawallas in Mumbai who collected
millions of hot meals from people's wives
every day and delivered them by bike
to their place of work by lunchtime. I
thought, if they can do it in that chaos,
why can't I give it a try? Initially, I started
a festival business selling crumpets with
wonderful toppings. I saw a lot of world
food being presented, way more than just
burgers. I discovered I loved cooking for
the people. I'm totally self taught, it's just
been a massive passion really."
Garden is also anti-packaging,
although it's possible to get food to take
away in takeaway boxes, or people bring
their own reusable vessel or buy their
own tiffin tin and use that. If they order
and need it delivered it will be delivered
in a Tiffin Tin by bicycle. "The tins are
great, the compartments keep the food
warm and are reusable, therefore saving
on packaging," she says. People are
rethinking lunch. She adds, "I get a lot
of people who get through the door and
expect to see sandwiches. So they have
to change their idea as to what lunch can
be. Regulars come in and will try anything
that's new. It's all fresh and locally sourced.
They may not need to cook an evening
meal if they've had an interesting worldfood lunch, or some buy at lunchtime and
take the food home to have for dinner."
Garden plans to expand with another
outlet in Bristol, then another branch
somewhere else in the south-west,
potentially Bath. She says, "It does need
to be a city with a cycle network, we don't
want to have to leave a carbon footprint
by using cars or vans. I doubt I'll end up in
supermarkets, partly because we would
end up having to use packaging, however
there may be a possible delivery system of
frozen meals."