What a ridiculous notion. Man mastered fire so that we can have hot coffee, grilled steaks and fried chips, plus do a few things with a blow torch. Why on earth would anyone want to spend their lives chopping, dicing, juicing and slicing mounds of fruit and veg? Ask the carrot munchers and there’s a glazed evangelical look that takes over the eyes. The trumpets are out and within five minutes of monologue all disease is eradicated, the forests have returned and there’s a lot of happy animals, if everyone would just start eating RAW.

Okay, so each discipline has its flag wavers; from Ferrari fanatics to football freaks, there are going to be those who elevate their beliefs to the heights of the divine. But what of RAW

As humans we’ve been around for a bit, created with digestive systems that run efficiently when they’re fed the stuff they were designed for. I can wax lyrical about how your fingernails grow faster, your hair is more luscious, your skins glows and excess weight drops off but I’d rather just say, quite simply, your system is built for it. For most of us it’s unchartered territory, but if you want to dip in to the world of avocado chocolate mousse, nori sesame crackers, sweet potato pesto pastas and apple tarts with mango custards, then start talking, reading, thinking RAW.

A great place to begin is with the locally produced book by Peter & Beryl Daniel, Raw’licious – otherwise, online, there are numerous sites out there.

For a taster, something that’ll convince even the burger burping beef eaters that there might be something in it, try these:

CACAO FUDGE

1 cup raw cacao powder ˝ cup Honeywood ˝ cup chopped walnuts (or almonds) ˝ cup pine nuts ˝ cup coconut oil 2 tsp vanilla Mix ingredients well and press into tray or pan. Refrigerate and once set, cut into slices and serve.

CAULIFLOWER LOAF

3 cups cauliflower, chopped very fine ˝ cup macadamia or almond nut butter 2 green onions ˝ cup ground sunflower seeds 1-2 tbsp vegetable powder 1-2 tbsp horseradish 1 tsp bay leaves, ground 1 ˝ cups celery, diced 1 tsp paprika Add any other herbs to taste, mix with a little mayonnaise to get desired texture. Form into a loaf. Serve with a curry sauce, dressing or with slices of avocado on or between crisp lettuce leaves.