When we first moved to Malaysia six years ago with four children who have only ever known life in England, our largest expense was food. Being Hampshire Hogs - whose summers were filled with blackberry picking by the roadside and wonderful afternoons in strawberry farms, my children had a cultural shock when told that we can no longer buy punnets of strawberries with our weekly shop.

Here in Malaysia, two mouthfuls of blackberries cost a whopping RM18, and berry smoothies could cost anything from RM10 upwards per glass. Even in expensive restaurants, the strawberry in strawberry smoothies comes from a plastic squeezy bottle and resembles sticky jam concoction, nothing like the real thing at all. Disgusting!

Being a yogi mother, apart from the costs, I object to fruits being transported from halfway across the world, or grow in artificial environments that are totally unsuited for them naturally. Strawberries should stay in Europe, to be enjoyed in summer, not hot-housed in Malaysia or flown halfway across the world in cargo planes!

Malaysia is rich in fruits that can be used to make delicious Malaysian smoothies:

Papaya & Banana Delight

• 1 mango, ripe
• 2 bananas
• 1 cup plain natural yogurt
• 1 tbsp lime or lemon juice
• 1 tbsp honey
• 12 ice cubes

Blend together.

Mango & Pineapple Smoothie

• 1 cup plain natural yogurt
• 1 cup unsweetened juice
• 1/2 banana, sliced
• 1 mango - peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup nonfat milk
• 2 tablespoons cream of coconut

Blend all together.

Suggestions

1. Buy these fruits in bulk. Cut them up into pieces and freeze individual portions for later use. They taste like expensive ice-blended that fancy coffee chains sell!
2. Try using soy milk as a substitute for milk. Its nutritious and locally sourced.
3. To give an extra oomph to your smoothies, add a tablespoon of wheatgerm or muesli. Particularly good for the fussy child.

Jacqueline Koay is the author of the Kundalini Yoga Cookbook and several other award-winning books. She is a yogi and a mother of five and she is passionate about yoga, dance and babies. She would like to make the world a better place. Her website is jacquelinekoay.com

Photos: My children, niece and nephew blackberry picking in Hampshire, UK.