Have something raw, delicious and extra nutritious like Arthur Potts Dawson's mackerel ceviche with raw salad and sesame seeds recipe that can be found in the Good Energy Good Kitchen guide. We sent the ever edibly adventurous Matt Reeves out to search for more raw delights.

As part of the Energy Saving Week challenge, my wife and I embarked on a day of eating only raw food. As this diet is made up entirely of plant-based, uncooked foods, the energy saving potential is significant, and many people also believe that eating raw food preserves more of the essential nutrients in the food. So, having a few good reasons to give this diet a go, I was looking forward to seeing what delights a raw food diet could offer me.

We started our raw food experience with pear spiced compote and cashew yoghurt. The yoghurt is made from cashew nuts that are soaked overnight and blended to a smooth paste. It tasted lovely – quite similar to yoghurt in texture with a nutty taste (naturally!) and high protein levels from the nuts. Mid-morning snack was a mango and spinach smoothie; the iron of the spinach mixed excellently with the sweetness of the mango.

For lunch we went for Raw Sushi – yes, I know sushi is usually raw, but on this day there was no fish involved in its production! Instead it’s made using a sunflower seed pate, with mixed veg and sprouted seeds as the filling and a sweet chilli dipping sauce on the side. I was particularly impressed with the sushi rolling expertise on show, but I hasten to add I didn’t do that bit (we wanted some of the filling still in the sushi and not on the floor!!). The raw chilli in the dipping sauce added a fiery accompaniment to the sushi which perfectly complimented the texture and flavour of the sushi.

For dinner we went for Thai green curry – the sauce made from coconut milk and green curry paste, mixed with raw vegetables and sprouted chickpeas. Instead of noodles, we used spaghetti made from vegetables like courgettes and sweet potatoes. The spicy curry flavour was stronger than you get from a cooked curry due to the fresh herbs in the curry sauce, and the clean taste of the veg spaghetti was a perfect foil for the heat of the curry.

Not all our food was homespun though. There’s an increasing number of raw food producers out there offering tasty treats for the raw foodies among us.  We snacked on the new Peppermint Raw Chocolate Pie from Living Foods of St Ives, which was a lovely treat to end our day.  All in all, our raw day was more vibrant, diverse and tasty than I had expected, and it will be certainly something I will be doing again – I might try and do a Raw Week next time!!

Download your free copy of the Good Energy Good Kitchen guide.