This week M+K sits across the table with Emma Leafe, Director, UME, a London-based producer of premium natural incense sticks and handmade incense burners. She talks with us about cooking and the power of scent.
1. My cooking inspiration…
Is Skye Gyngell for her seasonal Italian cooking. I also get inspired buying seasonal produce from farmers’ markets and at my local Zero-Waste shop and Pipoca in south west London. I am always exploring further ways of cutting down packaging in the kitchen, home and my business.
2. A meal that reminds me of home…
Natural ramen makes me feel at home in my body. But in terms of where I grew up, home … hmmmm … I have been a veggie since age 9, so I always ate unusual foods compared to my family and friends! A childhood memory would be something like roasted sweet carrots with fresh sprigs of rosemary and thyme, crisp new potatoes, a good spoonful of homemade horseradish sauce, alongside my childhood favourite Yorkshire puddings!
3. A life lesson cooking has taught me…
That food is a powerful way to explore the world and bond with people. So far I’ve travelled to South, Central & North America, Asia, Europe, the Levant and parts of Africa. During each trip, I found exploring local cuisine – or buying medicinal herbs from small stores, was such an important way of meeting people and learning about their culture. Exploring specific ways of eating too, like raw, organic food in California, introduced me to an incredible sub-culture, that I would never have discovered otherwise.
4. When I want to be creative I…
Go for a walk in the trees. I sit amongst the roots and re-energise. I turn off all my devices and stop checking social media. I get very still and inhabit a space in my physical world, that is more detached – so I can start to see the beauty around me and that I have already created with my energy. This allows me to become very present. I then create from that space of gratitude.
5. The most transformational book I’ve read is…
Tao Te Ching by Lao Tsu. I first encountered this book by ‘accident’ (like most things in my life). I randomly picked a large thin book from a tall shelf of art books, in a friend’s father’s art studio in Hampstead, where I was house sitting. I remember the morning light pouring in through a skylight; the stillness in the air … and the smell of turpentine. The words I absorbed like a sponge from the book were so profound, I must have stood there reading each page for quite some time, completely mesmerised. 11 years later, by another accident, I encountered the lost art of incense making. It’s curious how chance encounters gently show you the way.
6. The routines that keep me grounded are…
Burning a stick of natural incense to re-energise. I tend to burn natural incense before guests arrive – usually something calming like sandalwood as I find it transforms the atmosphere in the room. I now also practice Qi-Gong when I wake up for 30 minutes. This gentle movement and vibration are exactly what my body needs to shift my energy.
7. I recently learnt…
That the herbs used in the first known incense (found in thousands of years old texts) were treated like medicines. They were called ‘scent medicines’ by the ancients in the Orient. For these people, everything was about keeping your body, your emotions, food, work-life and relationships in balance. For me also, balance is the key to health and longevity. As my father always told me ‘everything in moderation.’
8. Favourite random act of kindness…
Is being open and present with people. Opening up your energy is a beautiful thing and can really help people to feel less lonely! But it’s a practice, just noticing when you’ve closed up, not making eye contact or hurrying along being busy. We are all probably struggling with a similar few set of things … we just imagine we are alone with our problems, but most people are walking around with the same issues in a different form – so being slower, more open and present are my favourite acts of kindness to myself and my community.
9. To make a difference in my community I…
Be myself, be authentic, and am open to listening. I aim to be generous with my time and give people the space they need to be themselves, without judgement.
10. Right now, I’m grateful for…
My strength. It’s been a wonderful few years – yet also the hardest few years of my life. So many personal transitions both light and dark have unfolded. However, I’ve noticed that through eventually walking through the fire of my fears … after being burnt repeatedly as a result of not being able, willing or knowing how to progress, I feel stronger than ever.
UME was created in 2011 by Emma Leafe through her own healing experiences and after several influential journeys: exploring temples, exquisite tea houses and sacred power places across the globe. Drawn toward the sacred arts in each place – and being captivated by the raw scents which perfumed these explorations, she discovered the lost art of incense making and began to explore the deeper rituals that surround it. She lives in London, UK.
To connect visit:
www.ume-collection.co.uk
https://www.instagram.com/umeincense/
