From UK to Costa Tropical: Dawn’s Journey to a Sustainable Andalusian Dream

🌿✨ Dawn Punter is a fellow Andalusian author who lives on an organic farm in the stunning Costa Tropical, Granada province. 🍋🌴 In her writing, she blends her passion for sustainability 🌍 with a deep love of plant-based cooking (and eating!) 🥑🍴. Since moving to Andalusia in 2019, she has transformed her organic orchard into a haven for tropical fruits 🌟🍍 while crafting inspiring cookbooks 📚 that go beyond recipes, sharing stories of life, growth, and environmental care. 🌱💚 It’s my pleasure to share her journey with you, and I hope you enjoy her delicious solutions to the seasonal abundance of persimmons and bananas! 🍌✨

Can you tell us where you live in Spain, and what attracted you to this location?

I live on the Granada coast, affectionately known as the Costa Tropical. I left the UK eleven years ago, and for the first 4-5 years, we backpacked around the world, travelling by public transport and carrying only hand luggage. We interspersed that with stays in a holiday home we had on the Almería/Murcia border. Almería is incredibly dry (like a desert in parts) but has beautiful beaches. We took a holiday in the Costa Tropical and fell in love with the greenery, the streams, the colours, the seasons, and of course the views of the snow-clad mountains of the Sierra Nevada. In December 2019, during COVID, we decided to rent for a year and experience this new province. It took us a couple of months to decide this is where we wanted to live, but 15 months to find our dream farmhouse with a tropical fruit orchard.

*I would never have imagined myself owning a tropical fruit orchard with chirimoya, avocado, mango, papaya, and many more.*

How does your typical day in Andalusia differ from your life before moving to Spain?

Life in the UK was a frantic blur of travelling from one end of the country to the other to visit corporate customers in my role as a management and graduate development coach and facilitator. I ran my own business for a number of years, interspersed with working for some of the UK’s major businesses. At weekends, I loved spending time in my small-town garden or helping my sister on her allotment. Fast forward 11 years, I would never have imagined myself owning a tropical fruit orchard with chirimoya, avocado, mango, papaya, and many more. I’ve always tended to be up early—these days are no different. I spend most mornings in the orchard caring for the trees or harvesting. Then I like to spend some time cooking, writing recipes, and preparing food photoshoots for social media or my books. Depending on the time of year, I like to walk along the beach and grab a coffee in a chiringuito. Of course, when I’m writing a cookbook, I spend numerous hours writing content on sustainability, designing and testing recipes, and planning.

What were the main reasons you decided to move to Andalusia?

Spain is such a diverse mix of culture, history, and scenery. Andalusia is beautiful in so many ways: from the magnificent cities of Granada, Ronda, Córdoba, and Seville to the slightly slower pace of life. From the amazing history of Greeks, Moors, and Romans (and much more) to the simple clarity of light and colour here (I was used to the greyness of rain in the UK).

Is there anything you miss about your home country?

If I’m really honest … Ummmm ….. No, not really.

*With nearly 200 fruit trees and bushes, it’s a lot of work, much more than I imagined, but I wouldn’t change it.*

What are some highlights and challenges of running a farmhouse & an organic orchard in Andalusia as a foreigner?

I decided when we first moved in, that the orchard would be 100% organic. In reality, that is much harder than I imagined. Weeds love the super fertile soil here in the valley, and the trees grow at double strength. With nearly 200 fruit trees and bushes, it’s a lot of work, much more than I imagined, but I wouldn’t change it. Regarding being a foreigner, understanding the specific background to agriculture in the region is harder – the way things are traditionally done, the seasonal programme of growing, etc. but our neighbours have been incredibly helpful and my Spanish vocabulary has trebled.

How do you balance managing your orchard while maintaining such active social media channels?

I’ve recently merged a lot of my social media as it was becoming unmanageable. Everything has now merged in with @DawnsPlantKitchen (my original and much larger account). I’ve taken the opportunity to rebrand, and the feedback so far is very favourable. I also feel it has given me the opportunity to connect more with my followers by giving them a glimpse into my life as well as showcasing my recipes and food.

*I wanted my book to be more than just recipes.*

You can find Dawn on Instagram, her Facebook page, and TikTok under @DawnsPlantKitchen, or connect with her on Facebook: Dawn Punter Plant-Based Cookbooks.

Dawn’s website DawnsPlantKitchen.com is filled with easy and healthy plant-based recipes.

What inspired you to write ‘Alba’s Journal‘?

My friend, who was writing her own book, motivated me to write a book. I immediately knew I wanted to write a plant-based cookbook (extolling the benefits of a wholefoods plant-based diet is important to me). However, I wanted it to be more than just recipes. I wanted it to be about my life here on the farm, this beautiful area of Granada, and my journey to become fully vegan – in essence, my memoirs combined with my passions for cooking and sustainability. However, being my first book (and maybe, as I thought at the time, the only one), I didn’t feel confident writing it as me. So I invented the characters of Alba, a 10-year-old girl, Grandma, and Grandpa. What better way to see my new life in a semi-off-grid farmhouse, my discovery of growing things organically, and my plant-based journey than through the eyes of a child?

And so, the book was born… capturing all these elements plus 35 Spanish recipes made plant-based.

You can buy it in any Amazon store https://mybook.to/AlbasJournal

In your recent book, you discuss ideas for reducing food waste. What was the inspiration for that book?

My second book was an equally huge work of passion for me, driven by my keenness to reduce the amount of food wasted worldwide.

Packed with ideas, tips and habits to reduce food waste, plus 50 Plant-based recipes.

*Did you know the amount of food waste in the UK last year could have fed half the population?* Scary, isn’t it?

You can find it in any Amazon store https://mybook.to/WasteNotDawnPunter

On the Costa Tropical there is an abundance of bananas and kaki (persimmon). What are your tips for preserving these fruits throughout the winter?

Persimmons are a strange fruit. Kaki, as the main variety here is referred to, are often very high in tannin and difficult to eat unless they are squidgy ripe.

I tend to mash mine and freeze them in portions to use throughout the year in cakes instead of sugar.

Did you know if you mix mashed ripe persimmon with pure cocoa, a magic reaction happens when the protein and tannin combine? The result is a chocolate mousse-like jelly, delicious.

*Bananas are in the top 5 wasted foods in Europe!*

Overripe bananas are fantastic to use in vegan muffins and banana bread. As well as sweetening baked goods, they are a great egg replacement.

My favourite recipe for over-ripe bananas, however, is to freeze them in batches, then use them blended with other fruits such as berries or dragon fruit to make NiceCream (a dairy-free alternative to ice cream).

What’s your favourite Christmas recipe from Spain?

That’s a difficult one, as seasonal food here in Spain is mainly fish and meat-based (even sweet biscuits such as polvorones contain pork lard). Of course, these are all ingredients I don’t eat.

For the last two years, I’ve made a plant-based Roscón de Reyes, which is served on Three Kings’ Night, January 5, and on January 6, Three Kings’ Day. I’m currently experimenting with a lard-free version of polvorones, which I’ll post on social media if successful.

*The Roscón de Reyes, or Kings Cake, is consumed during Christmas in Spain.*

Since Christmas is approaching, how do you celebrate the holiday season in Andalusia?

My husband and I like to have a stress-free Christmas Day, so we usually spend the holidays as if it were a normal day. If the weather is good, we’ll go for a bike ride and visit a café for breakfast. I tend to make a plant-based version of a traditional British Christmas lunch, with seitan instead of roast turkey, and of course, Christmas pudding and mince pies.

Thank you so much for sharing your story and letting us into your kitchen and garden!

You can find Dawn’s healthy, no-fuss recipes on her website: https://dawnsplantkitchen.com/

Dawn’s cookbooks are available in any Amazon store:

https://mybook.to/AlbasJournal

https://mybook.to/WasteNotDawnPunter

You can find Dawn on Instagram, her Facebook page, and TikTok under @DawnsPlantKitchen, or connect with her on Facebook: Dawn Punter Plant-Based Cookbooks.