My invitation to a New Year Healthy Eating Cookery Demonstration at Ditchley Park arrived in the middle of the recent cold snap. Snow may have turned the world into a winter wonderland but the last thing I wanted to do was crank up my trusty old Mini and drive all the way to Ditchley, near Enstone, when black ice challenged even the strongest of drivers — and I am not one of those. Thanks to the organisers, however, a charming woman called Linda, seemingly unperturbed by the weather, volunteered to scoop me up on her way there.

The demonstration, highlighting healthy eating with an emphasis on serving a balanced plate for weight management, was run by nutritionist Sarah Zorab and Susan Hamilton-Mallet who prepared the food. They began working together last year and have shown that by combining forces, they can present very instructive demonstrations.

Their aim is to help us keep our blood glucose levels stable by eating balanced meals without resorting to processed food containing preservatives, flavourings, colourings, nitrates, sulphates and the rest.

As Susan explained, while cooking up the first dish in front of her audience, we can get excellent flavours from pure ingredients and add colour to a dish by using the wide array of vegetables now freely available at good food stores and farmers’ markets.

She then proceeded to show how we could produce really delicious dishes and bring them to life with a pinch or two of an exotic spice, Greek yoghurt, fresh herbs, lemon juice and lentils, which are a great source of protein, minerals and phytoestrogens.

Sarah works alongside a GP and frequently sees the benefits of improved health and better energy levels through diet. Susan is a self-taught cook who has a natural intuition for good food and flavour combinations. They share a passion for wholesome, healthy food.

Susan said: “Although most people know what they should be eating — more pulses, less starchy carbohydrates, sugar and over-processed wheat — they need help in putting theory into practice.”

She pointed out that most television chefs use far too much butter, cream and oil, with no regard to the growing problem of obesity in the UK. She is confident that packing a recipe full of fresh herbs and spices for robust and delicious flavours precludes any need to resort to ingredients that will increase our weight and do little to heighten our energy levels.

Before Susan begins preparing each dish for her audience, Sarah explains its nutritional values. Take today’s recipe (left), for example. The soup contains lentils, as well as tomatoes, which contain lypocene, a strong antioxidant. The onions, garlic and leeks are anti-microbial and there is beta carotene in the carrots and parsley. The dried chilli, and paprika add a delightful complexity of flavours and the lemon juice, which is rich in vitamin C, pulls the whole dish together.

Once the soup was cooked we were all handed a bowl to enjoy while she prepared a superb Moroccan Tagine, garnished with yoghurt and grated zest of lemon.

Sarah stressed that to help keep our weight stable it was important to control levels of glucose in the blood and prevent rushes of insulin into the blood stream that happens when eating a high carbohydrate meal or snack that results in hunger pangs.

Because she added roasted pumpkin seeds to one of her low-calorie salads, which are renowned for their complete nutritional value, this dish also helped energise us all. But what was equally important was that it tasted really terrific, as did all the food she placed before us.

Because their demonstrations are filling a need and proving very popular, Sarah and Susan are in the process of creating a company, which they aim to call The Balanced Plate. This will continue to offer cooking demonstrations that feature recipe ideas for quick, healthy and easy meals. They decided on this name as a balanced plate — which contains 25 per cent of starchy complex carbohydrates, 25 per cent protein and 50 per cent of non-starchy carbohydrates, such as green leafy vegetables, onions, tomatoes, green beans and peppers — is what we should all aim for when preparing a meal.

For more information you can email Sarah (on sarah@sarahzorab.co.uk).