THE INAUGURAL STAR ANISE ORGANIC WHOLEFOODS CHRISTMAS SHOPPING NIGHT WITH 15% OFF!!

Join the Star Anise Organic Wholefoods Team this Thursday 22nd December at our retail store, Broth Bar & Larder at 49 Belgrave St Bronte for last minute late night Xmas shopping with 15% off all Star Anise Organic Wholefoods Products.

As a one off, we will be open until 9pm and are offering free glasses of Moët, our effervescent fig lemon and ginger water kefir, sokolata and activated nuts. The music will be up for you to shake your little toosh while you have a little shop. Come have a little celebratory drink, nibble, and dance with us! 

For inspiration on gifts that won't sit on the shelf, read my NOURISHING SOUL-ENRICHING & SUSTAINABLE XMAS GIFT IDEAS blog.

Pick up bags of activated nuts, artisan raw treats, gift vouchers, bottles of cold pressed olive oil, Young Living essential oils and diffuser kit, and lots more beautiful artisan products made by businesses who deeply care. 

I hope to see you there and if not, my team and I wish you a fabulous Christmas!

Love Soulla xx

Nourishing, soul-enriching and sustainable Xmas gift ideas – plus a freebie!

“What do I buy someone who has everything?!?”

That is the question that floats around in everyones head every December. Much like Groundhog Day, but it comes every 12 months. We do live very blessed lives indeed when our family members and circle of friends do not want for anything materially. Very much a first world problem. But a ‘problem’ nonetheless.  

I know some people have opted out of the Xmas gift-buying thing altogether preferring to give gifts at times when they feel appropriate – kudos to you bro!

But for those who still do the gift-giving thing (for whatever reason), here’s my stance. I refuse to buy any gifts unless they are really essential, useful, inspiring, sustainable, nourishing or soul-enriching in some way. 

So with the above criteria in mind, here are some suggestions for gifts that won’t sit on the shelf collecting dust and will make a truly positive impact on the lives of the recipient:

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1. activated nuts

Did you know that activated nuts and seeds are ranked 3rd on the Dr. Mat Lalonde nutrient-density scale? Yes, really. However, nuts and seeds contains phytates which are anti-nutrients that reduce the bioavailibity of the minerals nuts and seeds contain and also can contribute to a leaky gut and destruction of enzymes needed to digest our food. Fortunately, soaking nuts overnight and dehydrating themat less than 50 degrees Celsius breaks down much of the phytates  and improves bio-availability, making them more digestible and nutritious (than raw nuts) and not to mention more delicious. This process is nowadays called “activating” nuts and as an aside all traditional societies the world over properly prepared nuts in this way (though they would soak in rain water and then sun-dry). Thank goodness that we don’t need to rely on rain and sun anymore but it is a labour of love to get our nuts so ridiculously crispy and delicious as we do. 

I’m happy to be told otherwise, but I’m convinced that no one activates longer and with as much care as we do. Soaked overnight in reverse osmosis filtered water, organic apple cider vinegar (with the mother), and sea salt our certified organic nuts and seeds are then rinsed in filtered water and dusted with sea salt before being popped into the dehydrator ovens. No short cuts, no expense spared. It takes up to a whole week to get those macadamias and cashews super crispy. And almost that long for the rest of our nuts. 

For Xmas I recommend a gift of the Snack Mix which is very festive (with gojis, coconut flakes, figs and mixed nuts) – it’s the perfect blend of sweet and savoury. 

You also can’t go past our activated macadamias (that have been described as “life-changing”) or almonds. The mixed nuts are also a good place to start for those who are not sure. 

Our nuts are available in 3 sizes (120g, 300g, 500g) and some come in 30g snack packs. These are a nice addition to any hamper and make a lovely gift for a teacher, friend, household helper or someone who has enriched your life in some way. 

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*SPECIAL CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY*

For the month of December only as special thank you to all my followers and customers we are giving away 1 free packet of 120g activated Snack Mix with every purchase on our online store!

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Our activated nuts and other products can be purchased from our online store or from my retail store Broth Bar & Larder or by emailing orders@staraniseorganic.com. 

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2. artisan raw treats

Our selection of artisan chocolates, power bars, choc coated maccas, coconut balls, raspberry gummies and totally unsweetened carob bears were crafted by me after an exhaustive search of not being able to find anything in the market place that was up to scratch. Made without any refined sugar, soy lecithins, emulsifiers, milk powders or other nasties whatsoever these contain only pure certified organic ingredients. These are so pure that they must be refrigerated. We don’t see that as an inconvenience, but as a sign of purity and uncompromising standards. 

In terms of the sokolatas (‘chocolate’ in Greek) the fruit & nut sokolata is very festive as is the orange & chilli. There is nothing quite like these on the market. 

Our raw treats and other products can be purchased from our online store or from my retail store Broth Bar & Larder or by emailing orders@staraniseorganic.com. 

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3. gift voucher for a workshop, health coaching session or for products

If you are still struggling to find the perfect gift, consider a Star Anise Organic Wholefoods gift voucher to the amount of your choosing. Vouchers can be used towards our products, workshops or a one on one health coaching session with me. 

workshop voucher

product voucher

health coaching voucher

To purchase either a products, workshop or health coaching gift voucher, collect from Broth Bar & Larder or to arrange for a voucher to be posted simply contact me directly on info@staraniseorganic.com or 0407 871 884.

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4. bring in a hamper and we will help you fill it!

If you would like a selection of our products then feel free to bring in a hamper box for us to help you fill. In addition to all of the Star Anise Organic Wholefoods Products we also sell at a beautiful selection of artisan third party products like Toscana extra virgin cold pressed olive oil, Jakemans pure maple syrup and Red Boat (sugar free) fish sauce. These are 3 staples in my pantry that I use regularly!

You might also like to consider ready-made hampers from Little Kete that look stunning and are filled with nourishing wholefoods including our activated nuts and muesli.

5. essential oil starter kit with diffuser

I have available for sale some Young Living Premium Starter Kits with a diffuser. These kits contain 11 x 5ml essential oils plus a diffuser (and various samples). 

I used to once think that essential oils just created a nice scent.  After much research and personal experience, I now use Young Living essential oils as a beautiful and powerful adjunct to what I call the 8 foundations of health. They have turbo-charged my health by taking it to the next level. 

But not all essential oils are created equal! Young Living is the largest and one of the oldest essential oil companies in the world. They produce the highest quality and purest essential oils on the planet, which have the highest frequency of any living organism on the planet, thus raising the frequency at which we operate when we use them. Young Living own the farms where the plants are grown to source the oils- so they have full control over the entire process from planting, harvesting, distilling to sealing the bottles. They conduct rigorous scientific testing of each batch of oils, conduct business ethically and have a huge philanthropic commitment. 

The Premium Starter Kit usually retails for $320 (including shipping) but I am selling them at the wholesale price of $260 (which is the price they cost me including shipping). This is extraordinary value that offers a comprehensive introduction to the power of essential oils. 

These oils can be used:

• in conjunction with or in place of your personal care products (eg as a face moisturizer with carrier oil) 
• in place of your household cleaners
• to purify the air in your home
• to boost your drinking water
• to add to nutrients and flavour to food
• to calm our nervous system and help manage stress and anxiety
• to detoxify our body
• to relax tight muscles
• for massage with a carrier oil
• to induce deeper sleep
• to aid digestion

These Kits are only available for purchase at Broth Bar & Larder in Bronte. For those who purchase a kit I will personally explain each oil to you, the various ways in which to use essential oils and how to use the diffuser. Once you purchase the kit (or if you are considering purchasing the kit but want more info) please call me directly on 0407 871 884 to set up a mutually convenient time for me to explain the kit to you. I will continue to run more essential oil workshops in 2017- both introductory and advanced – due to the demand shown this year. 

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6. a session with The Body Magician

Gifts don’t have to be a physical thing. What about gifting an experience? 

A session with Bruce Scott (aka The Body Magician) is what I would call nothing short of an experience.  When I walk in the room he says “come fly with me”. I can’t describe in words what exactly he does but it involves a lot of trust, some acrobatics, stretching, massage, and releasing.  He combines a lot of different modalities to provide something truly and wonderfully unique. 

After every session I walk out deeply deeply relaxed, in a way that I have never experienced before. Check out his website and FB page (and the videos of what he does!). For the person who seemingly has everything, this is just the ticket. Tell them to close their eyes for the whole session and enjoy the ride! 

I am buying a few sessions for some special people in my life as well as my daughter for her birthday in January as she has been begging me for such an experience after I tell her about it.

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7. Learn to meditate course

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Why not give someone the gift of learning how to experience more stillness in their life? The effects of learning how to cultivate more calmness while raising consciousness are far-reaching and profound. 

Tom Cronin is one of Australia’s foremost meditation teachers and runs courses for both adults and children. I am currently doing one of his group meditation courses and have also signed my kids up for his kids course later in December. 

I think one of the most powerful things you can learn is how to stay calm amidst the chaos of our busy lives and how to create more pockets of stillness in our life to give our busy minds time to recharge. And the earlier we learn these skills the better. Even if you have nailed all of the other foundations of health- a nutrient-dense wholefoods diet, functional movement, quality sleep, and spend time in nature and with loved ones-  if you are stressed and mentally fatigued, your health will be compromised and you can’t reach your true potential. Feeling overwhelmed with a massive to-do list and flying from one task to another all day long is something that I have battled with for a very long time. By taking the plunge to book myself into a meditation course was my way of providing some formal structure to a daily meditation practice to give it the importance it deserves. 

There are also other highly experienced meditation teachers in my community like Tim Brown and Grant Lyndon that you might also like to check out. 

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8. Extended xmas trading hours

Broth Bar & Larder will be open Thursday 22 December until 9pm to allow you extra time to purchase your last minute Xmas goodies. We are offering a free glass of our water kefir, a handful of our activated nuts and some raw treats to all customers who come between 6-9pm. We can also wrap your gifts or hamper in cellophane and tie with festive ribbon.  I will personally be there and am excited to share a little festive cheer with you! 

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9. Public Holiday Closures

Broth Bar & Larder will be closed for the public holidays only and will be otherwise open for trading every day 8am-6pm. 

I will be available for health coaching sessions throughout the entire school holiday period both during the day and in the evenings. To book simply call/text me directly on 0407 871 884 or complete the online form. 

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10. Thank you for your overwhelming support!

What a year it’s been! Broth Bar & Larder is coming up to 1 year old (we will be having a special 1 year birthday party celebration soon so stay tuned!). And just like the mother of a newborn, I feel like I’ve been strapped into a rollercoaster with mind blowing highs and equally deep lows. But that’s life (especially when you throw a retail store, a cooking school, a health coaching practice and 2 young kids into the mix!) and it’s how we roll with it that defines us. Some things we got right, and some things we are still learning and fine-tuning. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for your overwhelming support, loyalty, touching feedback, advice and patience. I am committed to constantly striving for excellence in all that I do to grow and take our products and service offerings to the next level. I take feedback very seriously and am always available to take yours on board.  

I am so excited about what 2017 will bring. I have some really cool things to roll out including new products, new workshops and hopefully my 1st cookbook will take some shape!!

And remember that for the month of December only as special thank you to all my followers and customers we are giving away 1 free packet of 120g activated Snack Mix with every purchase on our online store. This is my little Xmas present and thank you to YOU! Without YOU what I do would not be possible. 

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I DO NOT RECEIVE ANY KICK BACKS FROM ANY SUPPLIER. I SIMPLY PROMOTE BUSINESSES WHOSE PRODUCTS OR SERVICES I PERSONALLY USE AND WHO HAVE A SIMILAR ETHOS TO MINE.  MY BLOG STARTED OVER 6 YEARS AGO AS A WAY OF EXPRESSING MY LOVE FOR REAL FOOD AND THINGS THAT MAKE ME TICK. I LOVE SHARING WHAT I KNOW. I HOPE YOU ENJOYED READING THIS NEWSLETTER AND ON BEHALF OF MY TEAM AT BROTH BAR & LARDER, I WISH YOU ALL A  NOURISHING AND SOUL-INSPIRING XMAS! 

SOULLA X

September Newsletter

1. MORE PRODUCTS FROM THE CANADIAN WAY!

We are big fans of David from The Canadian Way. I love his story. A Canadian guy who lands in Australia to find himself more than a little miffed about the fact that the only salmon fillets and smoked salmon available in Australia were all farmed and not wild. I've written about the wild versus farmed fish thing here. So he started importing wild Salmon from his home country Canada. Then his friends wanted in, so he started importing for them too. Then the circle keep expanding and expanding and before long he had to give up his day job in IT to exclusively work on importing and distributing wild salmon products from Canada. When I met David 5 years ago he was still juggling 2 jobs. He also imports the Jakemans pure maple syrup which is our sweetener or choice in our sokolata.

Due to customer requests, we have now expanded our range of The Canadian Way products to the following:

Maple syrup 250ml glass jar
Maple syrup 1L plastic tub - NEW! 
Maple syrup 4L bladder in box (with tap)- NEW! 
Smoked salmon 250g - NEW! 
Salmon raw portions 500g
Salmon raw portions single serve 180g - NEW! 
Caviar (salmon roe). 

2.  CONSCIOUS CLUB 22 OCTOBER

The CONSCIOUS CLUB IS BACK! Diarise 6pm Saturday 22nd October, Paddington Town Hall for an evening of THE POWER OF SOUND. BYO yoga mat to lie on and soak up the vibrations with 400 other people! 

Quantum field physics has proven that at the subtlest level of existence that EVERYTHING is VIBRATING. If it's vibrating, then it is making sound. The question is, what kind of sound ? A pleasant one, in tune with its surrounding and contributing in a positive way, or an out of tune one, disturbing the atmosphere.

Believe it or not us humans are vibrating and in the midst of our busy, technological world it's easy to get out of tune. 

Sound has been used for healing in cultures around the globe for millennia, but only recently, thanks to new scientific advances, have we begun to understand the profound benefit sound can elicit on our physical wellbeing and the elevating effect it has on our conscious state.

Matt Omo @thegongguru has been asked back to the Conscious Club after the huge success of the previously sold out and much talked about sound healing. Matt will provide deep insights into the effect of sound on the body, mind and spirit and lead us through a transformational sound immersion using a swag of instruments and innovative techniques to create a powerful 60 minute sound bath!

Also, international guests from Damanhur Sustainable Community in Northern Italy will explain their research of capturing the electromagnetic variations of plant leaves and roots. They will demonstrate how plants can sing! Bring your favourite pot plant along to see it to believe it. 

I will be there with another staff member handing out samples of our signature sokolata (raw dark chocolates) for everyone's dessert and we will also have a select range of products to sell. 

Tickets selling fast. Book your ticket here.

I hope to see you there and bathe in sound together 😉 

3. THE WELLNESS FESTIVAL 

After sold-out events in Melbourne and Brisbane, The Wellness Festival is coming to Sydney on October 15! 

The Wellness Festival, held over one day, is a hub of activity featuring world class speakers (including LIsa Messenger founder of The Collective Hub,  presenter Laura Dundovic, Melissa Ambrosini author of Mastering Your Mean Girl, Sarah Holloway founder of Matcha Maiden, Julie Stevanja founder of Stylerunner), a live DJ, fresh coconuts, a workout sesh and The Wellness Market featuring Australia's top health brands and services. We are honoured and delighted that Star Anise Organic Wholefoods has been asked to have a stall offering a hearty meal of the day, bone broth and our activated nuts and raw treats for sale. 

Dubbed ‘the Coachella of the health world’ by Sporteluxe, The Wellness Festival is the first of its kind. Get your tickets here before they sell out!

4.   We are HIRING at all levels of the business. 

Star Anise Organic Wholefoods is growing day by day! To keep up with the continual increased demand for our products we are after people to fill 2 very different positions in the company. One is a full time kitchen hand helping to make our beautiful range of artisan wholefood products. The second role is a very dynamic full time salaried position working in the management of the business with me. To apply for either position contact me directly Soulla Chamberlain (creator and director) by email at info@staraniseorganic.com or by phone 0407 871 884. 

5. Broth Bar & Larder menu for warmer weather

Our meals of the day sell out most days at Broth Bar & Larder. Seems like people love and crave good ol' fashioned honest home-made fare. And that's exactly what we are all about. 

A) POT ROASTS 

As the weather is warming, we are serving up at Broth Bar & Larder more slow cooked pot roasts with salads (as opposed to casseroles). Pot roasts are one of my favourite ways of eating meat. It's very similar to a casserole but doesn't involve adding any liquid or root veggies to the cast iron pot. Just heavily seasoned pastured meat with the lid on for 15-24 hours at low heat to produce the most flavoursome tender melt-in-your-mouth meat. One of our customers recently said in relation to the Indian lamb shoulder pot roast the other day "I regularly eat your meal of the day here but this is one of the best meals I have ever eaten". 

B) ACTIVATED BUCKWHEAT-BASED MUESLI 

If you don't feel like something hot to, our all-day breakfast smoothie bowl topped with our signature activated muesli is perfect for this warmer weather. 

I crafted this muesli several years ago because there wasn't a properly prepared clean muesli in Australia that I could lay my hands on i.e. a muesli that ticks ALL these boxes: 

+ the nuts and seeds are activated (soaked and dehydrated to reduce phytic acid found in all nuts and seeds that lead to digestive distress and poor nutrient absorption);
+ AND doesn't contain gluten (we use activated cinnamon dusted buckwheat);
+ AND contains only certified organic ingredients (conventional nuts and seeds are heavily sprayed);
+ AND doesn't contain puffed grains (nutritionally devoid);
+ AND doesn't contain concentrated sweeteners.

Take a look at the ingredients on the back of your muesli packet. Does the muesli that you are currently eating tick ALL these boxes? I still don't think that there is any other properly prepared muesli on the market... And even though I'm a bacon and eggs girl 99% of the time, occasionally my kids and I crave a cooler crunchy brekky. Our muesli is sold pre packaged as well as dine-in or take-away. And our favourite way of serving it dine-in or take-away at Broth Bar & Larder is with your choice of broth-infused smoothie (raw cacao, strawberry, mango, cinnamon cashew, or salted caramel). Don't worry, you can't taste those 2 sneaky beef broth cubes when they are frozen!  Beef broth when frozen just adds frothiness without affecting the taste. Trust me on this one. We can also make our smoothies without the broth cubes if you are vegetarian/vegan. 

I hope you can try our activated muesli smoothie bowl soon (and if you do let me know your feedback!)

6. UPCOMING COOKING WORKSHOPS

I'm running more ALL THINGS CHOCOLATE and ESSENTIAL OILS workshops in term 4. If you missed out on attending these workshops in the past or aren't already down to attend the ones I'm running in October, please email info@staranisrorganic.com so I can add your name to any upcoming new classes I may run. 

I also hope to run some gluten-free cakes and muffins workshops too- dates to be advised shortly so stay tuned! For all enquiries about my workshops or to come to one of my workshops for free as a helper please contact me directly Soulla Chamberlain (creator and director) by email on info@staraniseorganic.com or by phone 0407 871 884. 

7. NEW & IMPROVED FRUIT & NUT SOKOLOTA 

If your wondering if our maple-sweetened  fruit & activated nut sokolata looks a little different it's because she's had a little makeover! We have had fun bulking up our recipe to make her even more beautiful and delicious than ever by including 7 different activated nuts and seeds (instead of just 2) and 3 different fruits (dried figs, coconut flakes and goji berries). We hope you love the new flavour sensations as much as we do!

All our artisan chocolates are free of refined sugars, artificial ingredients, soy lecithins, milk powders and agave syrup. Using only certified organic pure ingredients we pride ourselves on producing the finest quality crap-free artisan chocolates and raw treats. 

8. HAPPY SEPTEMBER HOLIDAYS!!!   

Now that the school holidays are upon us, I hope you busy mums remember to make a little time each day to connect with nature, breathe some fresh air, connect with your kids, and just be. It's not a luxury, it's a necessity!