Theme 1: The Global Cuisine Tour

A passport-free journey around the world — one month, one cuisine.

If you love travel (or wish you had more time for it), the Global Cuisine Tour is the perfect way to bring the world to your kitchen. Each month has a designated cuisine, such as Italian, Thai, Mexican, French, Middle Eastern, etc.,  giving you permission to explore new ingredients and techniques without overwhelm.

January – Italian

February – Thai

March – Mexican

April – Indian

May – Japanese

June – Greek

July – Korean

August – Spanish

September – French

October – Middle Eastern

November – Caribbean

December – Nordic/Scandinavian

It’s not about mastering every dish from a country, but about discovering flavours you may never have cooked with before: miso, preserved lemon, za’atar, tamarind, gochujang.
Expect your spice cupboard to grow — and your confidence to grow even faster.

This theme is ideal for:
✔ Curious cooks
✔ Foodies who love variety
✔ Anyone wanting to broaden cultural knowledge through food

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Fresh Lemon Ricotta Pasta (Italian Month)

A bright, creamy, 15-minute dish perfect for easing into new flavours.

Ingredients:

• Pasta of your choice
• Ricotta cheese
• Lemon zest + juice
• Olive oil
• Salt + pepper
• Optional: basil or chilli flakes

Method:

1. Cook pasta until al dente.
2. In a bowl, mix ricotta, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
3. Toss the hot pasta with the ricotta mixture until creamy.
4. Finish with basil or a pinch of chilli flakes.

Why it’s a great starter:
It teaches balance, brightness, and creaminess — and feels fancy with minimal effort.

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Thai Green Curry with Vegetables

Great for a “Thai month” — adaptable and flavour-packed

Ingredients:

• 2–3 tbsp Thai green curry paste
• 1 can of coconut milk
• Veg of choice (courgette, peppers, green beans, mushrooms)

Method:

1. Sauté the curry paste in a little oil until fragrant.
2. Add coconut milk and bring to a gentle simmer.
3. Add the vegetables and cook until tender.
4. Serve with jasmine rice.

Add tofu, chicken, or prawns if you like.

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Theme 2: The Ingredient Countdown Challenge

Start simple. End spectacular.

This challenge is playful, surprisingly creative, and brilliant for stretching your cooking instincts.

Try January: 1-ingredient meals, February: 2-ingredient meals and so on until you reach December: a 12-ingredient festive creation.

Cooking with constraints forces you to think differently:
How do you get the maximum flavour from minimal ingredients?
What counts as “an ingredient”?
How can texture, roasting, or slicing change a dish?

January’s simplicity teaches you restraint. As the year progresses, you learn how ingredients interact — building layers, complexity, and confidence.

This theme is ideal for:
✔ Minimalists
✔ Budget-minded cooks
✔ Skill-builders wanting to understand ingredients more deeply

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1-Ingredient Baked Sweet Potato (January Challenge)

Ingredients:
– 1 sweet potato

Method:

1. Pierce the potato and bake at 200°C for 50–60 minutes.
2. That’s it — but you will be shocked how caramelised, soft, and flavour-packed it becomes on its own.

(Optional: add salt or butter, but for the game, keep it pure!)

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3-Ingredient Creamy Tomato Gnocchi

Perfect for a “3-ingredient month”

Ingredients:

• 1 pack of fresh gnocchi
• 1 jar (or tin) of tomato passata
• A splash of cream (or coconut milk)

Method:

1. Boil the gnocchi until they float (approx. 3 mins).
2. Warm the passata in a pan, add cream, and stir.
3. Add the gnocchi and simmer for 2–3 minutes.
4. Season with salt + pepper (optional extras: basil, cheese).

A fast, cosy winner.

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Theme 3: The Colour-of-the-Month Challenge

A vibrant, plant-forward journey led by colour.

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Assign each month a colour — green, red, yellow, purple, orange, pink, etc. — and build your weekly meals around that palette. It’s fun, visually satisfying, and a fantastic trick for improving nutrition without thinking too hard.

January – Green

February – Red

March – Yellow

April – Purple

May – Orange

June – Pink

July – Blue

August – White

September – Brown

October – Black

November – Gold

December – Rainbow

A few ideas:

Green month: pesto pastas, spinach soups, kiwi smoothies, herb-packed salads

Red month: roasted tomato risottos, red lentil curries, cranberry bakes

Purple month: beetroot hummus, purple cabbage tacos, blueberry desserts

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Rainbow month (December): truly anything goes!

Colour-based cooking is also kid-friendly and markets beautifully for social media (hello, vibrant meal photos).

This theme is ideal for:
✔ Visual or artistic home cooks
✔ People wanting to eat more vegetables
✔ Families looking for a fun food activity

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Purple Power Bowl (Purple Month)

A visually stunning, nourishing dish packed with texture.

Ingredients:

• Roasted purple sweet potato
• Shredded purple cabbage
• Blueberries
• Quinoa
• Tahini or yoghurt drizzle
• Lime, salt, olive oil

Method:

1. Roast cubes of purple sweet potato at 200°C until caramelised.
2. Cook quinoa and fluff with a fork.
3. Build your bowl: quinoa, cabbage, roast potato, blueberries.
4. Whisk tahini with lime juice and salt, then drizzle generously.

Why it’s a great starter:
It’s colourful, plant-forward, energising — and Instagram-ready.

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Theme 4: The Zodiac Food Journey

Twelve months, twelve moods, twelve culinary energies.

This theme is whimsical and surprisingly inspiring. Each month corresponds to a zodiac sign, offering a mood, flavour, or style of cooking as your guide:

Capricorn (Earth) – Grounding meals: mushroom risotto, root veg stews

Aquarius (Air) – Innovative dishes: fusion recipes, creative pairings

Pisces (Water) – Seafood, broths, delicate flavours

Aries (Fire) – Spicy foods: chilli oil noodles, hot curries

Taurus (Earth) – Comfort classics: homemade bread, creamy dishes

Gemini (Air) – Versatile meals: tapas, small plates, snacky foods

Cancer (Water) – Home-style cooking, soups, soft textures

Leo (Fire) – Bold, show-off meals: roasts, flambé, BBQ

Virgo (Earth) – Simple, clean meals: grain bowls, fresh salads

Libra (Air) – Balanced dishes: sweet + savoury pairings

Scorpio (Water) – Deep flavours: rich sauces, slow cooking

Sagittarius (Fire) – Adventure foods: global street food

This theme adds a sense of story and personality to your cooking, making each month feel like a new creative phase.

This theme is ideal for:
✔ Astrologically curious cooks
✔ Story-driven thinkers
✔ Anyone who enjoys symbolic or thematic cooking

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Aries Spicy Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small onion, sliced
• Mixed vegetables (broccoli, bell peppers, carrots)
• 1 tsp chilli flakes or fresh chilli
• Soy sauce and sesame seeds to taste
• Optional: chicken, tofu, or shrimp

Method:

1. Heat oil in a wok or frying pan.
2. Sauté garlic and onion until fragrant.
3. Add vegetables and stir-fry until tender-crisp.
4. Add chilli, soy sauce, and protein (if using).
5. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with rice or noodles.

Whether you’re cooking solo or with the whole family, these themes are a wonderful way to bring excitement back to the table. Here’s to a joyful, flavour-packed year ahead.

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