About CafeSigrun

Hi. My name is Sigrun. I am Icelandic, born in 1974, mother of two and a wife to Jóhannes. CafeSigrun is my personal website and blog. It was started in 2003 and has been growing in popularity ever since. Up til the age of 20 I had zero confidence in the kitchen. I really mean zero. I ate pasta dry (without cooking it) because I was sure I would ruin it anyway. I could not boil an egg, I didn't know how to make bread or even a salad. My diet consisted of soups in a cup, toast (if feeling adventurous, with pesto) and yoghurt. I was constantly ill and lethargic and I didn't understand why. Although I cut out white sugar, sweets and cakes when I was 12, I still did not have a good diet and I was eating too much white wheat and starch. Much of what I ate was processed (such as soups or noodles in a cup). It played havoc on my stomach and my health in general. Then, I moved to London to study for my masters degree and I discovered all the wonderful and organic ingredients available. I started experimenting and I gained the confidence I needed and I decided to share my journey with others. It was three years and two hundred recipe books later that I started this website.

I post mostly my own creations for others to enjoy and share. I am not a professional chef, a dietician, a doctor and nor do I claim to be any of these. If my website can help you on the road to a healthier diet and lifestyle then I will be very happy. I do however advise that you talk to your doctor before you start a healthier lifestyle. A visit to a dietitician is always advisable and I recommend that before changing your lifestyle, especially if you are allergic to any ingredients or are lacking nutrients in your diet.
 
Please feel free to share the recipes although if you do, PLEASE mention where they came from by siting the url www.cafesigrun.com. I spend months each year creating recipes and to have someone nick them and post them as their own makes me want to shut the site down and blow something up. All the photos are mine as well and may not be used without my permission. If asked, I usually am more than happy to allow the photos to be used.
 
My recipes are a mixture of various diets as I am not an extremist in that area. I like hot soups too much to be fully raw although I enjoy raw food immensily, especially cakes. My diet is a blend of unprocessed, organic produce, fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes/beans, nuts, brown rice and barley, spelt products (spelt flour, spelt pasta etc.) tofu and more. My diet is also low on dairy (I use soy products, rice milk, nut milk and oat milk). I avoid animal ingredients even though I am not fully vegan. I use eggs (free range only) and organic milk products on some occasions. I sometimes eat fish although I am mainly a vegetarian. I haven't eaten meat for almost 15 years. So...as you see it is a mix and match of various ingredients and styles. 
 
CafeSigrun is a hobby of mine and I use nearly every spare moment testing out recipes in my small kitchen. Other hobbies (when I have time) include horseback riding, hiking and travelling. Me and my husband have travelled quite a lot in East-Africa, both on personal trips and as tour guides to countries such as Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania. Which in turn explaines the large number of recipes from these countries, many of which are from local people and friends.

My dear husband is the person behind the coding of the website and he is my main tester and critique as well. Without him this website would not exist (as most programmers would not be happy to be paid in cookies!!)
 
Feel free to contact me if you have any enquiries.

Yours

Sigrun