Do you hear the words ‘gut health’ and feel as though you should know what they mean – but actually find yourself surrounded by so much information that it has all become rather confusing?

Microbiome. Probiotics. Prebiotics. Fermentation. Fibre. Good bacteria. Resistant starch.

We hear these words constantly, but understanding what they actually mean – and, more importantly, what we should cook and eat – can be another matter entirely.

That is exactly what Joy Skipper hopes to demystify in her new series of seasonal classes at The Jericho Kitchen: Flavour, Fermentation & Gut Health, beginning with Autumn and continuing through Winter and Spring.

Joy is a qualified nutritionist, food writer and recipe developer who has worked with food for more than 20 years. She also worked with Dr Clare Bailey on The Clever Guts Diet Recipe Book, creating recipes designed to translate the science surrounding our gut microbiome into genuinely delicious everyday food.

And that is very much the philosophy behind these classes.

So, what actually is our gut microbiome?

Our digestive system is home to an extraordinary community of microorganisms, collectively known as the gut microbiome. Rather than thinking simply about digestion, scientists now understand that this complex little ecosystem interacts with many aspects of our health.

But looking after it doesn’t require a cupboard full of supplements or an entirely new way of eating.

Much of it comes back to something reassuringly familiar: cooking real food and eating plenty of variety.

Different vegetables, fruits, beans, pulses, nuts, seeds and whole grains provide fibre and other compounds for our gut microbes, while traditionally fermented foods such as kefir, live yoghurt, sauerkraut and sourdough can bring another dimension to the way we eat.

Joy’s approach is particularly appealing because flavour comes first.

This isn’t a class about eating something because you feel you ought to. It is about understanding why certain ingredients are useful and then learning how to turn them into food that you genuinely want to cook again.

Joy’s published recipes give a lovely flavour of her approach. They range from Bircher muesli with kefir and blueberry chia pots to ferments, preserved lemons and no-knead sourdough. There are also wonderful savoury dishes such as spinach dahl, warm red rice salad with courgettes and toasted slaw with halloumi.

Simple, colourful, generous food – rather than anything that feels remotely medicinal.

Autumn, Winter & Spring

Making these classes seasonal was really important to us.

Our gut doesn’t require the same prescribed menu every week of the year. Autumn might bring squash, apples, brassicas, beans and the beginnings of fermentation and preserving; winter lends itself beautifully to pulses, roots, warming spices, ferments and deeply flavoured dishes; while spring brings bitter leaves, herbs, fresh vegetables and lighter ways of cooking.

Across the series, Joy will explain what is happening inside our gut, why diversity matters, where fermented foods fit in and how to incorporate all of this naturally into everyday life.

Most importantly, you will cook.

Because we believe the best kind of food education happens around a chopping board, a pan and eventually a table.

You won’t leave feeling that you have been given another complicated set of rules to follow.

Hopefully, you’ll leave understanding your gut a little better – and with a collection of delicious recipes and simple ideas that gradually become such a normal part of the way you cook that you barely have to think about ‘gut health’ at all.

Flavour, Fermentation & Gut Health with Joy Skipper – Autumn, Winter & Spring at The Jericho Kitchen.