A few years after university, Maurice and I lived in Johannesburg. During this time we were lucky enough to travel throughout southern and eastern Africa, and it instilled in us a deep and lasting love for this remarkable continent. I can think of no other place that I would rather choose to return to – touching down on African soil simply fills me with an excitement incomparable to that of any other destination. It is overwhelmingly beautiful, with a wildness that is at once humbling and grounding, and demands a sense of personal responsibility that we rarely experience in Europe.

And yet, as we all know, this awe-inspiring continent also faces many challenges, including poor education and healthcare, limited employment opportunities, and the threat of terrorism, poverty and disease. Countless aid initiatives work to improve these situations, but as aid is rarely sustainable, the difference they can make is limited. And this is one of the reasons I was so impressed when I discovered Aduna, having stumbled onto their products in Holland & Barrett, and subsequently researched their brand online.

I have quickly fallen head over heels with this fantastic company, which is committed to improving the livelihoods of millions of African people, ‘through trade, not aid’. They create markets for under-used natural produce – Moringa, Baobab, Super-Cacao – that already grow abundantly in rural Africa, or that can be easily cultivated there by small producers. Once this has been achieved they connect rural farmers directly to this market via a smallholder supply chain, creating a life-changing income flow. Through this business model Aduna hopes to create a sustainable income for over ten million households in rural Africa! Surely reason enough to try their products – not to mention that they are nutrient-dense, delicious superfoods.

And so we come to baobab, the iconic trees that are synonymous with the African savannah. As succulents they are able to absorb and store water in their enormous trunks, meaning that even in periods of drought, when little else survives, the baobab is still able to produce it’s fruits. Hence it became known as ‘The Tree of Life’.

The baobab fruit is harvested after it has dried on the branch. It’s an amazing source of Vitamin C and fibre, and contains more antioxidants than any other whole fruit. As such it contributes to normal collagen formation, supports the immune and nervous systems and promotes healthy energy release. It is also citrussy and sweet, and ridiculously easy to incorporate into smoothies, porridges and baked goods.

I plan to explore more and more with baobab (just imagine a baobab macaron!), but for now, here’s a simple but delicious smoothie recipe. It incorporates all my favourite tropical flavours, so that even on a rainy April day, you can enjoy a little bit of sunshine.

#MakeBaobabFamous

Ingredients

1 banana (pre-chopped and frozen)

200ml coconut milk (the refrigerated drinking kind, not canned – I use Alpro)

Half a ripe mango, roughly chopped

1 heaped teaspoon of Aduna Baobab powder

Lime juice from one small segment

Half a passion fruit (optional)

Method

1. Blitz the frozen banana with the coconut milk until smooth and frothy. Pour two thirds of the mixture into a separate jug, leaving the rest in the blender.
2. Add the mango, baobab powder and lime juice to the blender and blitz until smooth.
3. Pour the mango mixture into a glass (it should half-fill the glass), followed by the banana mixture. Top with passion fruit seeds and enjoy a glass of morning sunshine!