I never get on with the expensive super-duper masticating juicers such as the Champion, it’s not that I don’t recognise their brilliance, and I know that ‘slow juicing’ is the new rock and roll.
I’m a big believer that the best juicer for you is the one you will use every day, and there never feels like there’s enough time in a morning to chop and slowly juice enough fruit and veg for six of us – or even four if the younger kids get out of drinking any!
For years I’ve used a whole fruit centrifugal juicer, fast efficient and easy to clean. I was intrigued when I read that my dear friend and colleague Jason Vale had finally perfected the ‘retro slow juicer’. This juicer looks great and is technically a masticating juicer but still has a wide spout so that not everything needs chopping into tiny pieces, it works quickly and isn’t hideously noisy.
Voila! – A lovely powder blue retro juicer – I LOVE this. It does take a tiny bit longer as big apples do need to be cut in half but it’s surprisingly easy to use and it handles leafy greens such as spinach, kale and wheatgrass beautifully. It definitely yields a good amount of juice and the pulp is not so wet so it’s much easier to use as a face-pack (yes make use of some of those live enzymes – just don’t open the door to the postie!).
It has a slow, quieter motor which means less heat so you don’t end up with a warm juice! It also comes with a fantastic 25 year warranty.
I was concerned it wouldn’t be so easy to clean but in fact it’s easier than my previous machine, my top tip is to do it straight away! There’s only one tricky area where the stringy bits of pulp collect in the elimination spout, no amount of water seems to shift the tiny bit collected there and the closed design means it won’t pull apart to clean, however they have thought of that too! Along with the juicer (and a contraption for making ice creams) you get a tiny brush not unlike a toothbrush for those awkward bits and it has a ‘hooked’ end, ah….feels very satisfying to hook that last tiny shred of celery out….just hope I don’t lose that brush!
My current favourite morning energy boost is still a ‘Shrek Green Smoothie’
Serves 1-2 – just increase the quantities for more / interchange with any other green vegetables!
One small green apple
1 stick celery or chunk of fennel
Small chunk fresh ginger
Quarter of a cucumber
Handful of kale or spinach
Stalk of broccoli (high in vitamin C)
Half a lemon or lime – no need to peel
Juice it all and then place into a blender with a frozen live wheatgrass shot www.livewheatgrass.com
Add whatever protein you like, half a banana, half an avocado, some chia seeds, flax, plus a teaspoon of coconut oil www.tiana-coconut.com
If you’ve used the frozen wheatgrass no need to serve over ice. Enjoy!