About

Welcome! I love meeting you here.

I’m Sandra, a vegan food blogger and aspiring photographer, based in Utrecht, The Netherlands. On Berries & Lime I share my latest plant-based recipes, celebrating whole foods and seasonal cooking.

About me

A former vet and keen cook, I turned vegetarian and subsequently vegan a few years ago. Starting this blog was a way of sharing my first steps and development in plant-based cooking, as I was looking for new ways to cook nutritionally balanced dishes for my family and myself. As I discovered just how varied, indulgent and fun plant-based cooking can be, this turned out to be quite a passionate process. Now, when I’m not playing with my two girls or assisting them in their school work, you’ll most likely find me experimenting in the kitchen or bent over my trusty Nikon, trying out new ways to photograph the results.

grilled peaches

About the recipes

The recipes I share are the food that makes me happy: made with whole ingredients, a variety of grains and legumes, vibrant-coloured veggies and a range of fresh herbs and spices.

The recipes vary from quick and easy soups, salads and treats to more elaborate dishes. All of them are about flavour and texture and getting the most satisfying result on your plate. But they’re also about the joy you can derive from the cooking process itself – be it making your own pasta, mindfully decorating a cake or discovering a new ingredient or preparation mode.

All recipes are naturally lactose free and due to the variety of ingredients I like to use, many are also gluten free and free from refined sugar. Using the search button on the recipe page, you can filter the recipes according to your dietary wishes.

About the ingredients

As you’ll see in my Asian and Middle Eastern inspired dishes, I love cooking with exotic ingredients. But I also feel strongly about using locally grown, seasonal greens and fruits, which in my case means the ones you’ll find in the North of Europe. There’s nothing as fun (or so I think) as going out and picking the first wild garlic leaves, nettles or sea buckthorn berries of the season and turning them into something new. Or using the veggies I planted in the garden and managed to harvest (almost) before the local fauna got to it.

Eating with the seasons means you’ll get the best flavour and quality, while at the same time lowering costs and environmental pressure. And for me personally, making the most of ingredients while they’re at their peak makes me feel more connected with the change of the seasons and brings fun and variety in my cooking.

wild garlic focaccia

All ingredients I use are easy to obtain, although some may require a trip to a health food store, Asian store or Turkish supermarket. As I live in The Netherlands, though, I can only speak for what is available here. When I do expect difficulties in finding specific ingredients, I try and suggest suitable alternatives in the recipes.

falafel

About you

Whether you’re new to plant-based cooking and are looking for ways to incorporate more meat-free meals in your diet, or you’re a seasoned vegan looking for fresh ideas, I’m here for you. Visit my recipe page to find healthy and indulgent recipes from breakfast to dinner and every possible treat in between. Or sign up, to get each new recipe delivered straight to your inbox.

As you may have noticed, I’m not a native writer in English, so if you catch me using strange expressions or making crooked sentences, I hope you’ll bear with me….

I hope you’ll enjoy the food as much as I do, or that you’ll be tempted to turn the ingredients into a completely different dish. If you do, I’d love to hear about it!

Contact me

If you have any questions or suggestions, don’t hesitate to get in touch! Leave me a reaction under the recipes, or reach me directly using the contact form at the top of this page. You can also find me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook. I’d love to connect.

lemon cake

Social media & sharing icons powered by UltimatelySocial