What do you eat, or drink, when you’re recovering from illness, the sort of illness that knocks you out and defies appetite? Dry toast, steamed rice or miso? Or perhaps just mint tea or water? When I was a child my parents’ default solution was sweet milky tea (which nowadays would make me gag) then, if that seemed to be okay, I was allowed a bit of dry toast then maybe some packet chicken noodle soup…and so on. When I had scarlet fever (yes, I know it sounds Dickensian but it was somehow still about in the 80s) I couldn’t eat for a week and the first thing I wanted was scampi and chips. I remember my brother coming into my bedroom with a handwritten menu that he had made for me. Since I had been quarantined from my siblings for seven days, this was a clear sign of recovery. Nowadays my default is miso followed by either steamed rice or dry toast.

This weekend, however, it has, for once, been rather sunny and my first thought after two days of eating nothing was not soup or bread, but a smoothie. What could be better than fresh fruit, all spun to liquid, for restoring energy and health? I’ve had two of these a day for two days, plus more sleep than a new-born, and the combination has left me bright-eyed and rosy-cheeked. Highly recommended for recoveries, breakfast and just general yumminess.

For 1-2 depending on the size of your glasses and appetites

Shopping list
apple juice, 100ml
orange juice, 100ml (I used stuff from a carton for both of these, but if you want to be extra-healthy then juice your own)
raspberries or strawberries or both, a good handful
banana, 100g (so ½ to a whole depending on the size of the banana)

How to
1. Easy. Put everything in a blender and blitz to a liquid.