GO WITH YOUR Gut

Once a way to preserve food sans refrigeration, fermenting has come to the fore as a great route to good gut health. Try these recipes from

- Dr Tim Spector's new book Ferment

Fermenting is one of the most ancient, nutritious and cheap techniques for preparing and preserving food and drink. With little more than time, patience and basic equipment, the humblest of ingredients can be transformed into nutritious foods with a range of benefits for our gut health. In his new book Ferment (Jonathan Cape, £25), Dr Tim Spector, scientific co-founder of ZOE and pioneer of microbiome research, reveals his practical tips and favourite fermenting recipes, as well as explores all of the new science of this waste-friendly process. Here are two simple recipes to whet your appetite.

SIMPLE KIMCHI

This is a short cut for those people who want a faster recipe, cutting out the traditional two-stage salting process.

Ingredients (Makes 1 jar)

• 1 cabbage or Chinese/napa cabbage

• 1 daikon

• Sea salt

• 4 garlic cloves

• 1 bunch of spring onions, trimmed and sliced

• 1-2 tbsp Korean chilli flakes (gochugaru)

• 1 tbsp soy sauce

• 1 tbsp fish sauce (or fermented miso paste for vegans)

Method

1. Trim the cabbage and cut it into 4–5mm slices. Trim and peel the daikon and cut into thin half-moons.