Wednesday 29 December 2010

Tupper#6

Saturday 18 December 2010

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...




















The Boys, The Dog and Me Today

With one week to go till Christmas, more Snow has fallen on our Shores. 2010 has given us quite a downfall, we were hit early in the year and now with just a couple of weeks to go till the new year we've been hit again.

It's already taken in toll on my scheduled races with The Grim, only my second race of the year, postponed until mid January 2011.


This has probably been a blessing in disguise though. As you will know if you follow the blog, I have spent a good portion of the year sidelined with an Achillies Injury. So the extra weeks will give me more time to up the miles and be in better shape.

That said I've still managed to clock up 600 miles this year (or at least I should have come December 31st!). I had planned for 1000 but it was not to be.

So that's one of the goals for the New Year, another is the The Fleet Half Marathon. This is one of the oldest Half Marathon's in the Country and is used by many as part of their training for The London Marathon, taking place a month later. The Half takes place 7 days before my 40th Birthday, so this will be part of the Celebrations!!!

The Fleet Half Marathon

Goals for 2011:
  • 1000 miles
  • Complete The Grim
  • Complete The Fleet Half Marathon (Under 2 hours)
  • Beat my PB in a 10K race (49:02)
  • Beat my 5K PB time (24:49)

Thursday 9 December 2010

Home Run

This Post is all about my Staple Run, My familar old run that's like a favourite pair of worn out slippers. It's a run I do 3 times a week, and have done for about the last four years. Yikes! you must be thinking, the same run day in day out over that amount of time! Well yes it's pretty familiar, I could probably run it blindfolded and I know every old Silver Birch to every bend in the Path.....But it's home.

 Canal Boats on the frozen Canal Waters

Well not quite home, but it's where I venture out at Lunchtime from Work. I think that's why it's not become a chore or bore to run. It breaks my day up and let's me refresh the Old Grey Matter for half an hour.

One of the many Locks along the Canal

I work in Woking, England at an Architectural Practice. I'm lucky that the office backs on to the Basingstoke Canal. It's peaceful and in places beautiful, and where I head usually with Friend and colleague Brian every other Lunchtime.
Woodham Lane Development along route. An Architectural project that I worked on

The run is just over 4 miles long (4.12) and from the Office heads West towards the Village of West Byfleet. The Canal itself runs from the Hampshire village of Greywell to the Surrey Village of Woodham. My home Village of Ash Vale is also on the Canal, 12 miles away from the Office. So as well as my regular run the canal also forms the route of my long run where I can run from Home to Work.
The Route


The Lock in the distance is the halfway turnaround. Not sure who that menacing Hoodie is approaching....Oh it's only friend Brian!



Back to Base and some Stretching to finish

Thursday 2 December 2010

What a difference 6 months make!


Me Running Today.........

And the same Scene 6 months ago.......Roll on the Summer!!!

Wednesday 1 December 2010

An Alternative approach

OK, So I've had this Achillies injury hanging around for a while now, and it seems like I've been harping on about it forever. I've tried a lot of things from Stretching to Rolling to Icing to Ibuprofen. Now all these have definitely helped....but not cured.

My son had a problem with his knee from playing football, It had gone on for some time so we resorted to getting some Physio. By chance we seemed to have found a bit of a Miracle worker. It turned out that although the pain was in his knee, it all related to tightness in his back.

So impressed by the results I booked myself in for some treatment. My Physio (Jane Shatlock) uses two approaches to her work, Traditional massage and also the use of Chinese medicine and Acupuncture. I was intreagued, and before long was lying there with needles in my feet, calfs, upper legs, back and even my head!! Like my son the problem is not with my Achillies but within my Back. I also have blocked Gallbladder and Kidney Meridians!

For thousands of years the Chinese have believed that there are energy lines running throughout the body which your life source energy or Chi runs through. With the use of Accupuncture these energy lines or Meridians can be unblocked to allow the flow of chi to run smoothly through the body promoting a healthy balance to the body.

So I guess I've split the camp, There will be some of you saying "Bah Humbug" and the rest believing in this alternative approach.....and Me....Well I think I've been sold. Afterwards I felt incredibly relaxed, but I guess most people are after massage. The Achillies Injury, well it's getting there. I've been to two sessions, I would love to go to more but this kind of thing is not cheap, £45 for 45 minutes. But my back feels more free and with the combination of the massage and the continuation of stretching, the Achillies is feeling better.

The biggest thing though, is I seem to have been less tired over the last couple of weeks and had more energy which I put entirely down to the Accupuncture. I was also told that Yoga would help so I've dug out the never been used before Yoga video that gathers dust in the bookshelf and will give it ago.

 If someone 20 years ago had walked into the Pub where I used to sit and Drink with my Mates, and told me that I would having Accupuncture and doing Yoga....Well........

Saturday 13 November 2010

Chitty Christmas Lasagne

The Turkey gives this dish a Christmas feel! Packed with Protein and Carbs a great twist on the traditional Lasagne recipie, and Great for a Post Run Meal.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
  • 500g Turkey Mince
  • 100g Baby Spinach Leaves
  • 800g of Chopped Tomatoes
  • 1/2 Chopped Onion
  • 2 Gloves Garlic
  • Mixed Herbs
  • Jar of White Lasagne Sauce
  • Pasta Sheets
  • Grated Cheese
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 1 Tablespoon of Cornflour
  • 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Method

  • Heat the Oil in a large Saucepan and add the Onion, Cook on a high heat for about 1 minute

  • Add the Turkey mince and cornflour and brown the mince.

  • Add the Spinach until it has wilted (It will reduce in mass!)





  • Next add the Tomatoes and stir.





  • Add the Herbs
  • Season to Taste

  • Grab yourself a large sized retangular Lasagne Dish and pour half the contents into the dish
  • Layer the Lasagne Sheets and top with half the White Sauce


  • Repeat the layering process with the remaining ingredients
  • Finally top with the grated cheese and a sprinkling of Pepper
  • Put in a preheated oven (200 degrees C) for 40 mins or until nicely browned.
  • Serve with a nice Salad and Enjoy!!!

Saturday 23 October 2010

With or without Music? That is the Question

OK we've all done it...There's no-one around...Earplugs in, Volume up, and you pound the streets to the Theme of Rocky or the Eye of the Tiger!!! Yes? No? Please don't say it's just me?

Whether it be Rocky or your own favourite tunes, there's no doubt about it (and scientific research backs it up) that running with Music can improve your performance and lift your mood. But are you blocking out listening to your body? Sports Psychologists call this 'dissociation' distracting yourself from what you are doing. Is that what we want when running, to distract ourselves?

What about the flip side. What about running listening to the birds singing, the wind rustling through the trees and listening to the tune of your body. A chance to think about things, to listen to the crowds encouragement at a race.

There are pro's and con's to both sides of the debate, Running can be a lonely sport and listening to Music or Podcast's can be a great comfort, but then again you can't hear traffic around you and could suffer an accident. So many positives and negatives to both options.

So I'm going to put it out to the great public vote. You are going out for a solo run. Do you put on the headphones or leave them at home?

Please vote below and feel welcome to leave a comment. Your participation is greatly appreciated.

Sunday 3 October 2010

Parkrun - Frimley

Parkrun started in Bushy Park, London in 2004 with just 13 runners turning up. Now in 2010 it has grown nationwide even crossing the waters to Denmark!

What is Parkrun? Well basically you register online, download your own individual barcode, turn up at your local event and run 5K or 2.5K. It's open to anyone and everyone and is totally FREE!

My Local event is the Frimley Lodge Parkrun. I turned up on Saturday morning at 8.30am (All events start at 9am), I was myself expecting maybe a dozen bleary runners who had pulled themselves out of bed for a run at the weekend. The official turn out on the results page; 132!

Parkrun is run entirely by Volunteers, and I have to say the organisation here gets full marks. New runners are called over to have a brief on the course, and then the race director (with his bugle!!!) ran through some event news and weekly winners who recieve prices from one of the events sponsers, Sweatshop.

We then all headed to the start line and with a blast from the Bugle set off on our way.




The course firstly takes in the parks fields, moving on to the Basinstoke Canal Towpath, and finally on trails through the woods. A beautiful course, which you run 2 loops.
At the end of the race I filtered into the finish collected a token and headed over to the results table. Here you hand in your token, scan in your Barcode and Voila, all done, a bit of stretching and then head off home, although you can meet up for a coffee and cake at the nearby Canal centre after the event.

I was using this event as part of my comeback from injury, but will certainly now be turning up weekly to take part. I cannot rate this event highly enough. Great atmosphere and organisation, for a free event surpasses some of the events I've been to and paid a fortune. When you have run 50 runs you get a T-Shirt (10 runs for the Junior T-Shirt) and after 100, an exclusive Jacket.


The other brilliant thing is, you get home, log into the website and your results are there waiting to be viewed. 69th place out of 132 runners with a time of 25:26 for me.


Sunday 26 September 2010

Sunday 19 September 2010

Dailymile

We runners are positive people, Ok so we moan a bit when we're injured, but generally we're pretty upbeat. To prove this head to dailymile. For those who are not aware of the site, dailymile is a social training log, make friends share your training and stay motivated. This is where I go to get a big dose of motivation and inspiration. Everyone is so positive with each other, there is no negativity, and a great place for athletes to learn from one another.


Your profile page gives you a breakdown of your weeks training and shows your latest posts and friendly comments.

As well as being a social network, you can also use dailymile as a detailed training log.

There's also great forum pages where you can discuss categories like Running, Triathlon,Cycling, along with a whole lot more with other athletes.

I have a question in the forum under 'General Running' Who would you run with?. I've asked other runners - If you could run a mile with anybody dead or alive, who would it be and what would your question be to them?

I've had some great and interesting answers, to date:

  • Doris Day, it would be the happiest, musical mile with her amazing upbeat personality. My question would be - is it really windy in the windy city? - Melissa W


  • Katarina Witt, my absolute figure skating idol who I wanted to be just like. I would ask - how do you make those triple salcows, toe loops and lutz'z look so easy when all I can manage is just a single??? - Rebecca G


  • Tough question. I have two answers: 1. Pele; 1282 goals scored in 1363 matches; how is that possible? 2. Lance Armstrong; what do you do when your mind is telling you to quit? - Jonathon L



  • Oooh,Prefontaine Would love to go for a run with Tyson Gay. Lopez Lomong,I'd probably be in too much awe to be asking questions, but if Lomong, I'd want to talk to him about Sudan.-Holly T

  • Sporting wise, it would be Sir Steve Redgrave, 5 Olympic Golds in 5 Olympic games, making him the greatest Olympian ever. My question would be, how did you keep yourself motivated, fresh and still feel the love for your sport over such a long period of time?- Melissa W



  • Mary Decker. She was one of my favs in high school when I picked up distance running - Jim H



  • Mostly people who aren't famous who I know through the internet and what to connect a real persona to their internet presence. Having grown up around many people of fame and many more of supposed fame... there isn't much about being famous that impresses me, so... its all just normal people too numerous to name. - Bo A



  • Don Kardong, because he is funny. I'd ask him about the 1976 Olympic marathon where he came in 4th. - Mark D



  • I would run a mile with my oldest Sister Tracy. She ran track back in the day doing the Mile and the last leg of the Mile Relay. Very fast on her feet. She walks a lot now, and if only we could run 1-mile together it would please this runners heart. Also Valedictorian in her class with grades that were better that a pot of gold. Truly a role model for everyone that knew her. Thanks Sis, for giving me the heart to run. I love it.I would ask her what if felt like going to the (State High School Track Meet), something her brother never accomplished in the 2-mile run.I guess I'm a simple guy, but that's my heart. I would even buy her a new pair of shoes if she wanted me to, hahaha. God Bless..+ Jimmy. ( =  - Jimmy J

So head over to Dailymile, make friends join in the forums, and go and get yourself a great big helping of motivation. I would like to thank all my friends on the dailymile for all their support especially while I've been out injured.

Monday 13 September 2010

Achillies Injury - Complete Recovery Guide

Sport Injury Clinics are expensive places, I should know. So I thought why not share what I have learned through having my own injury. This may not be specific to everyone but I reckon this is a pretty good guide to anyone who has suffered or is suffering with an Achillies Injury. I have commented on the injury through older posts but I'd thought I would bring it all together in this Post.

OK lets rewind 9 weeks. This was the point to when I realised on a 12 mile run that I had to stop. The trouble with an Achillies injury is that although usually stiff first thing in the morning it warms up as you get up an about, so at the start of a run there is usually very little pain.

By the end of this specific run though I had pains shooting through my calf muscles that suggested enough was enough.

Although the Internet is a wonderful place to get advice, I decided I needed some proffesional advice personal to me.

The following is advice given to me for my specific injury. Please seek your own proffesional advice initially. But hopefully the advice below will be helpful to anyone who is suffering from a similar injury.

1. Using a foam roller

You can purchase a roller on the Internet or any good Sports Store. Firstly sit on the floor with your feet resting on the roller. Now lift yourself off the floor with your arms and hands at the side of you, put one leg on top of the other (as shown in the diagram) and roll yourself forward and back from the ankle to under the knee. As you roll back towards your heart push down more weight with your top leg to really get deep into the muscle. If you feel a particular spot, stop for a moment to give more time on that particular spot.

Make sure to work all around the muscles by turning your feet inwards and outwards to get to the side of the muscles. Spend about 3 minutes per leg.

To get a more intense workout on the muscles you can replace the roller for a tennis ball and really work on the problem areas.

For your information the two muscles that you are loosening here are the Gastrocnemius (the big bulky one) which attaches to the heel with the Achillies Tendon and the lower muscle the Soleus. In my case these muscles are so tight which is causing strain on the Achillies.

After completing the above for two weeks

2. Foot Exercises

The great thing about this exercise is that you can do this anywhere, any time. At your desk or on the bus! Probably not while you're driving though!

While sitting down extend your leg and gently pull your foot up towards you, twist to the left, point your toes down away from you and finally twist to the right. All the movement needs to be in the foot only from the ankle. This is a good exercise to get some strength back in the ankle area, aim to complete this for a few minutes each foot, 3 times a day.

3. One leg balance

Ok I'm guessing not many of us are expert tight rope walkers, so if you need something to grab onto near by you when you do this exercise I would recommend it!

This again gets strength back into the feet and through the core of the body. Raise one foot of the ground and what you're aiming for here is to keep balance for 2 minutes per leg. You will wobble around when first attempting this. Notice the small movements in the foot as you balance this is great in strengthing your feet and ankles.

4. Gastroc stretch

Remember this is the big bulky calf muscle. Stand in front of a wall in the stance as shown in the diagram. With feet flat you need to stretch out the back leg and lean forward slighty. The important thing here is to keep your back leg straight. Don't go to far into the stretch, you're looking for a 5 out of 10 feeling in the muscle. If it's hurting ease of a little and take in deep breaths while performing this exercise to get the oxygen to the muscle. Complete for a few minutes on each leg. 
5. Soleus stretch

This is the lower of the calf muscles. You peform this exercise exactly as the previous but this time, keeping your back leg foot flat bend your knee. This time you will feel the pull lower down. Again deep breathing with a few minutes on each leg and ease of the bend if you feel too much pain.
6. The Recovery Run

This is where I'm at now. I've been performing the above for about 5 weeks now (I have not run for 9). So the next step is getting back to running. Obviously this needs to be performed slowly and i'm afraid if you've not run for this sort of time, you are back to square one!

Firstly complete the two above stretches, walk for five minutes, before again stretching. Now a 5 minute slow jog (Any pain, STOP!). Stretch again, finish with a five minute walk and...you guessed it STRETCH again. When you're back home sitting in front of your computer reading the 'Running OK in the UK blog!!! Ice the Achillies, 3 minutes on, 3 minutes off. Repeat 3 times.

You now need to rest for a couple of days before repeating the above running protocol (you can still do all the above exercises in between). If everything was Ok then add 5 minutes to each run when you go out.

I hope the above is helpful to someone. It's a pretty long boring post if you are not suffering with this type of injury, but it is a very common one so maybe useful in the future but I hope not.

I've put in a couple of video links from the sportsinjuryclinic website which show the types of massage which can acompany the above exercises.


Thursday 19 August 2010

Barefoot Running?

Bit of a gap between post's. What with holiday season and my inability to run at the moment....Still injured.

Barefoot Running...It seems to be gaining a bit of momentum at the moment. It's starting to creep into mainstream running press. So in five years time will we all be coverted back to where we started?

Like many my first introduction to Barefoot running came when I read 'Born to Run' and my first reaction was no way, but since reading more about the subject...well I'm kinda sitting on the fence.

The reason we wear trainers is because basically our feet have got lazy over time. I for instance overpronate but if I was to gradually build up my barefoot running, the argument is my feet would actually correct themselves. Injuries would be a thing of the past?

Unlike 15000 BC there was not tarmac roads, broken glass and all manner of things that physically stop you from running barefoot. Even if you built yourself up with Barefoot training, and could run 50 miles, where could you run for that distance without incountering some sort of obstacle that otherwise would be easily overcome with trainers. I mean even the Tarahumara tribe wear a form of shoe albeit a basic one.


But we can now wear footwear such as the Vibram five finger footwear. Again proof that the argument for barefoot running is now mainstream, I mean we would not even have heard of such a product ten years ago.

I guess i'm still happy in my trainers especially on those cold wet days, but since I've been out injured for so long the thought has crossed my mind....Injury free? Barefoot running?

Like I said earlier the jury is out on this one. I'm not pro Barefoot running far from it, but I add this post to put the subject out there for argument.

Please let me know your thoughts on a growing subject.

Tuesday 27 July 2010

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling!!!

First, A massive Congratulations to Mo Farah and Chris Thompson on their fabulous achievements in Barcelona this evening. Mo won the Gold in the 10000m race with Chris taking an impressive Silver. This takes Team GB straight to the top of the medals table after the 1st days events in the European Championships.

From a personal point of view, I have made good progress in recovering from my Achillies injury. Not so much in the healing process but the learning process.
After a couple of months of easing back on the running, self medicating and reading just about everything on the Internet that there is about Achillies injuries, I came to the conclusion that.....None of this works! The bottom line is, get help. As great as the Internet is, there is so much contradictory information out there, you just don't know what is correct and none of it is specific to you.
So I went for proffesional help. I had heard from an Episode of Marathon Talk about a place down in Hove near Brighton called Stride UK. There is also a Sports Therapists Clinic that works along side them called Studio 57 . I was so impressed and glad I booked an appointment with them, what I got out of being there an hour and a half was much more than I got from trawling through the internet for a couple of months.

Lily looked after me, and after explaining my injury to her and my background in running it appeared obvious that I basically wasn't looking after myself properly, ie. Not stretching,Foam rolling etc.
Most my problems lie in the fact that my muscles especially my calf's are extremeley tense and tight which is not allowing the mechanism of my lower legs to work properly putting strain on the Achillies and thus causing injury.( I think that's basically it, although we went into alot more depth of the muscle make up etc. That of which i'll leave to the experts to explain).

After a deep massage of the calf muscle and ultra sound on the Achillies injury I was given a demonstration into Foam Rolling. I have a list of other techniques to use with the roller but the one I'm going to share here is specific for my injury.

Sitting on the floor with the lower legs on the roller near the ankle. You cross one leg over the other, lift yourself off the floor and gently roll the calf over the roller. To get to the whole muscle it is important to get to the outside and inside of the muscle also, which can be achieved by turning your feet outwards and in.







**Please note you should get proffesional advice
 before performing these exercises, I'm no therapist and like I said the Internet's full of advice but not all specific to ourselves**

So it's two more weeks rest and foam rolling before introducing some stretching for the calfs and Achillies before getting back into some light training again.

I'm missing the running and at times you get so frustrated in being injured you start thinking what's the point. But I have proper guidance in getting better now, and also who can't be inspired by that great Team GB performance tonight in Barcelona.

Tuesday 13 July 2010

Target...Windsor

After a frustrating couple of months with my achillies injury, I now have a new focus and goal; The Windsor half Marathon http://www.runwindsor.com/

74 days and counting. The time period is no problem and I'm back up to running 10 miles (12 this coming Friday). It's just my nagging achillies that are my only worry at present. But I'm putting in plenty of rest days in between runs, Icing, Wearing heel supports in my trainers and my everyday shoes, and my new secret weapon......Glucosamine and Chondroitin!

Someone swore by it on the Internet, and I have to admit I've noticed a difference.

I've also been trying out some pace training that I learnt from Episode 25 of the Podcast Marathon Talk http://www.marathontalk.com/archive/2010/6/29/episode-25-liz-yelling.html You basically benchmark your fitness by running one mile easy, one mile steady and one mile hard. My results came out like this:

Mile 1 - 9:36

Mile 2 - 8:12
Mile 3 - 7:05
 
Great fun (Well maybe not the last mile!) and gives you some good feedback.
 
I don't if it's the summer months, barbecues and the World Cup, but my search for a six pack is becoming a bit desperate at the moment. I've had some fleeting visits with the Swimming Pool, The Wii Fit and the bike for some cross training but the battle with the wrong foods goes on (although I do eat a lot of good as well). But I'm determined to get back on top of this.....Just not sure when?
 
 
That's life in my running world at the moment. A big thanks to everyone who stops by and takes a look at my blog. I know some of you from the Daily Mile and to The followers over there on the right of the Blog. Thanks again. You can also find me most days on the brilliant dailymile http://www.dailymile.com/people/ean371#ref=tophd

Bye for Now...Ian.

Tuesday 29 June 2010

Monday 14 June 2010

Ouch!

I finally can consider myself a runner….No I have not yet completed a Marathon or won a 10K or even run a 4 minute mile, but I do have……Achillies Tendonitis!!!


I’ve searched the internet and if it helps anyone, I have found out:

  • I have a running injury which apparently accounts for 11% of all running injuries.
  • The Achilles tendon is the largest and strongest tendon in the body and is located at the back of the ankle which attaches to the heel bone, and connects the leg muscles to the foot.
  • Achilles tendonitis can be either acute (occurring over a period of a few days) or chronic (occurring over a longer period).
  • It's the most frequently ruptured tendon in the body

 Causes

 
  • Increase in activity (either distance,speed or hills). Running up hills - the achilles tendon has to stretch more than normal on every stride.
  • Change of footwear or training surface.
  • Weak or tight calf muscles.
  • Overpronation can place an increased strain on the Achilles tendon. As the foot rolls in (flattens) the lower leg also rotates inwards which places twisting stresses on the tendon.
  • Not that I do but, wearing high heels constantly shortens the tendon and calf muscles. When changing to exercise in running shoes, the tendon is stretched beyond its normal range which places a strain on the tendon.(One for the ladies!)

 Symptoms

 
  • Localised pain along the tendon during or a few hours after running.
  • Tenderness of the tendon about 3-4cm above the point where it joins the heel bone, especially first thing in the morning
  • Swelling or thickening around the tendon

 Treatment

 
  • Rest. Stop your regular sport which has aggravated the tendon. You can still cross train with swimming or cycling
  • Pain relief anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen
  • Temporary benefit from a little extra padding under the heel. The temporary heel padding reduces the length of Achilles tendon when stretching is made with each stride. (I’m going to put the old insoles from my previous trainers and put them on top of the insole in my new trainer).
  • Massage. I’ve been trying over the last few days the techniques in the video below which seems to be helping.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yty47jNGJvQ&feature=related

 
And hey, It happens to the best of us!!!


 

Tuesday 8 June 2010

Thai Green Chitty Curry


Another of my recpies based on the Famous Thai Green Curry. Packed with Carbs and Protein, another great and tasty dish for us runners. I've tried this before using a reduced fat version of the Coconut Milk to try to be more healthy but it creates a runny sauce at the end. Far better to go for the full fat version and a nice thick creamy sauce....well we're allowed a few treats are we not?

Serves 4

Ingredients
  • Bunch of Fresh Corriander Leaves
  • 1 tbsp of Fresh chopped Mint Leaves
  • 2 sticks of Lemon Grass
  • Bunch of Spring Onions
  • 2 Cloves Garlic
  • 2 Red Chilli's
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • 1 inch Fresh Ginger
  • 1 tsp Fennel Seeds
  • 1 tsp Corriander Seeds
  • 1 tsp Ground Cumin
  • 75g Dwarf Beans (or Green Beans)
  • 1 tbsp Sesame Seeds
  • 2 tbsp Sesame Oil
  • 1 tbsp Fish Sauce
  • 400ml Coconut Milk
  • 500g King Prawns (Cooked)
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Thai Fragrant Rice
Method
  • Firstly you need to prepare your paste. Finely chop the Garlic Cloves and Lemon Grass sticks and put into either a food blender or mortar bowl. Add the Fennel Seeds,Corriander Seeds,Gound Cumin and Lime Juice and with your blender or by grinding with a Pestle crush the ingredients together until they combine to form a rough paste.
  • Finally Chop your Cilli's, Spring Onions,Dwarf Beans and Mint. Your preperation is done. Now for the quick and easy cooking part.

  • Heat the oil in a pan and when at a good heat add the Spring Onions and Chilli's. Keep the pan moving so the ingredients don't burn or stick in the pan.
  • After about a minute, grate in the Fresh Ginger and continue stir frying for another minute.
  • Add the paste and give that a little cook through for a further minute.
  • Add the Coconut Milk, Beans, Mint and Fish Sauce, give a good stir and season, allow to come to the boil and then reduce the heat and Cover.
  • You can let the Sauce simmer from anywhere between 15 and 25 minutes.
  • In ths time Cook and Prepare your rice.
  • Finally add your Prawns to the sauce and let them warm through for 5 minutes.
  • Plate up the Rice and spoon on your Prawns and Sauce.
  • To finish, add a sprig of Fresh Corriander and sprinkle over the Sesame Seeds.
  • Serve, Enjoy with a nice Glass of White Wine (Just a small one! Remember you have that 6 miler tomorrow!!!)


This can just as easily be made using Chicken. Just add cubed Chicken Breast at the beginning when you heat the oil and add the Garlic and Chilli's.