Hi and welcome to my website!
My name is Anastasia Eden and my work here is all about compassionate, heart-centred living and profound self-honesty. A reminder that there is a light that flows through all things and that we are all connected. I work through exploring nature, delicious plant-based recipes, hiking in breathtaking locations and being the best version of myself that I can be.
“Me and my amazing assistant and good friend on a weeklong retreat for 35 people.”
I am a plant-based retreat chef, having spent most of my adult life in the spiritual retreat business… running retreats, teaching on retreats, organising retreats and of course, working as a plant-based chef on retreats. I was married for 12 years, working together with my former-husband… we were an amazing team in our day, working in the UK and abroad exploring every different aspect of running retreats. Eventually, our ideas about spirituality diverged and 2018 we chose to walk separate paths.
A bit about me…
I feel an incredible depth of compassion for all sentient life. I follow my heart, embracing what stirs my soul, trusting that within my perfect imperfections I am doing the best I can. My purpose here (like many of us) is to ‘be the change’ to keep unfolding, learning, and returning to love. I trust that it might help others find ever deeper levels of kindness, compassion, interconnectivity, and healthier ways of being.
My journey in life has been incredible with a rich diversity of experiences. Born in Northumberland, I’ve also lived in Switzerland, Germany, La Palma Island, and spent a lot of time in Kauai and Maui. I even had a short stint in the British Army in 1991 – 92 old for good measure, ensuring that I have a stellar work ethic, good timekeeping, and attention to detail! My home now is Wales… a place that I am coming to love beyond measure.
At times, like many of us, life has been exceedingly challenging, testing me to the core, and wringing me out. I feel humbled to feel a strength of spirit that can rise up from unfathomable depths.
I was a homeschooling mamma!
“Me and my son in Brighton 22 years ago.”
It’s an amazing honour to be a mum in this world. I have a son who constantly inspires me to be a better human! Being a parent is my greatest teacher in many ways. Now 25 years old, having miraculously graduated from university amidst the challenges of lockdowns, he was home-schooled for most of his childhood. Being a mamma is full of precious experiences that have shaped me as a human being.
We are all unique and incredible souls, each of us an important part of the ‘whole’.
We are in this together, to inspire each other to rise up, to remind ourselves who we truly are, and to live our hearts’ deepest longing of unity and heart-centred beingness.
“Me exploring waterfalls after running some workshops on Vancouver Island.” May 2019
The longing to return to who we truly are…
After a profound spiritual awakening in 1995, I’ve explored the depths of what it truly means to be alive over the years. It has always pointed me back to one thing… everything is within us, that we all just want to be ‘real’ and that there is a longing within each of us to return to who we truly are.
“Me playing with my friends, the Zebra Doves in Hawaii.” 2018
Whilst I honour our mystical and cosmic origins (after exploring with great enthusiasm over the years), these days my spirituality is deeply grounded with Mother Earth and the profound connection we can experience with all sentient life. It delights me to allow my spirit to express through every moment, in the extraordinary ordinariness of life.
Eating Compassionately, because we are what we eat…
I’ve enjoyed a healthy plant-based diet for 30 years, experiencing optimal levels of health along the way. For reasons unknown to me, the universe blessed me with the gift of being able to develop plant-based recipes. It’s always felt like magical alchemy happens in my kitchen. Not sure how! But it feels like a gift to be shared. This is the main reason I have decided in the last few years to solely focus on my career as a plant-based retreat chef.
Everything is energy! The energy of our food directly impacts sentient life on all levels, so it plays an important role here. By embracing a plant-based diet of the most conscious kind (organic, local, homegrown where possible) we find a natural affinity and respect for all life. We begin to steadily raise our vibration and attune to the divine flow of the universe.
I believe that what we eat is important… for ourselves, for our fellow animals and for our beautiful Earth.
“Gorgeous guests enjoying my food in Sweden.”
My recipes here (and in my books) are divinely inspired invitations into a world of transformational eating. They’ve been developed over many years of catering as a retreat chef on spiritual retreats. Having only ever served plant-based, wheat-free, conscious cuisine free without refined sugar I’ve been guided to create a plethora of new, original, vibrational raising recipes from scratch. My food has inspired many people to adopt a much more conscious way of eating food, which is a really humbling experience.
Let’s keep learning, growing, and inspiring each other. Let’s rise together with love, kindness and compassion and let those ripples spread outwards.
From my heart to yours
Anastasia