Chatting Healthy Cooking, Autumn Recipes & Sustainability in the Kitchen with Melissa Hemsley

We caught up with cookbook author and sustainability champion, Melissa Hemsley to celebrate the launch of her latest cookbook, Real Healthy. Melissa has previously written/co-written five best-selling books, and is known for her accessible recipes that suggest healthy and easy-to-make recipes for all to enjoy.

We love the focus of your new book Real Healthy on unprocessing your diet. What are your top tips for cutting ultra-processed foods out of your diet?

I wrote Real Healthy for anyone who wants to return to real food and unprocess their diets. In the UK, we eat, on average, a diet that is made up of 2/3rds ultra-processed foods.  Even though we grow incredible fruit and veg in the UK – and we know how delicious and good for us it is – sales of fruit and veg continue to drop and sales of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) continue to rise. Multiple studies show us that high ultra-processed diets are linked to serious poor physical and mental health outcomes. 

UPFs are popular as they are convenient and accessible, and as more and more of us are busier than ever, they seem like the easier option. I hope Real Healthy is a helping hand for anyone that wants to cut back on UPFs with delicious and doable recipes that are as convenient as possible.

Some of my tips for cutting back (all of which I show you how to do in the book):

– Get morning ready by meal prepping some nourishing breakfasts to kick start your day.

– Whatever your favourite comfort food is, freeze in batches so that you always have something cosy and comforting ready to go.

– Every time you do a weekly shop, buy one less UPF and buy one more whole food. In a year, you’ll have cut out 50 UPFs and consumed 50 more whole foods in one easy swap. 

– Check your labels. I know we don’t have time to get a magnifying glass out on every product we buy, but prioritise a few items you buy frequently and check that you’re happy with what’s on the label.  You might find a similar product that isn’t a UPF on the shelf next to it.  

What are your personal favourite everyday recipes from Real Healthy?

As we are drawing into autumn now, my favourites I’d recommend are the One Pot Lazy Lasagne, the White Chicken Chilli (ideal for popping in a flask and taking to work to stay hot and lovely until lunch), the Coconut Cauliflower Traybake,  the Breakfast Bake (which I make once a week and lasts me 3 or 4 breakfasts and is delicious warmed up or just as good cold if you’re running out the door) and the No Bake Peanut Chocolate Bars which I make a few times a month then leave in the fridge and try not to eat them all at once. 

Where do you find the inspiration for new recipes?

Everywhere! Mainly the seasons inspire me. I’ll look at what’s in my local greengrocers or what arrives from the farm in my weekly veg box and go from there.

What advice would you give someone who wants to improve their home cooking?

Get into batch cooking. Cook once, eat twice (or cook once, eat as many times as you can).  This means you can eat well every day without having to cook up a storm each time you eat. You save energy and kitchen resources, as well as saving on waste. Plus you can spend more time enjoying the cooking process and most of all enjoying having your feet up enjoying the eating process!

We really admire your writing on sustainability. Could you share three tips for making your kitchen/food consumption more sustainable?

As well as batch cooking…

Vote with your spending power. See some companies I like to support below and where you can try to buy minimally processed and minimally packaged products. 

Use up what you’ve got before shopping again. Once a week I make some crispy golden Fridge Raid Fritters by grating up any veg that needs finishing. If you don’t think you’ll eat all your produce, freeze it. We can successfully and safely freeze more than we think.

If you eat animal products, eat less and buy better quality.  My recipes and cookbooks celebrate veg and wholefoods.  I am an omnivore so when I buy animal products, I do my research and buy the best I can source. In a recipe, I bulk out meals with more beans and lentils and veg – so in my Big Batch Bolognese, you’ll see seven types of veg as well as minced beef and lentils. 

What small and sustainable British brands do you love?

I adore Hodmedods – they’re a collection of farmers who are growing beans and pulses. Did you know you can buy British chickpeas?

Maldon Sea Salt is delicious! I use it everyday and it’s famous the world over with home cooks and professional chefs alike.

I’ve been a customer of Riverford Organics for 15 years. Each week I receive a seasonal (mainly unpackaged) veg box on my doorstep and I leave the box out from the week before which gets collected as they drop off the new one. They reuse the egg cartons, mushroom cartons etc. and most of the fruit and veg comes loose.

I love Tori Murphy cushions and my Shanti Sundays bolster – which I like to lie over on the floor once a day to give my back a stretch for five minutes. I used to rest my baby on it while breastfeeding too.

I’m a massive fan of Angie Burret quilts, she collects fabrics and materials and turns them into bespoke quilts, each side different from the other. 

Finally, please could you share your favourite pieces from Genevieve’s collection?

The deep pink cardigan which I’m wearing right now over my nightie doing some emails on the sofa!

I mainly wear dresses all year round so I love this cardigan as it will suit all my dresses and then I’ll wear with some GS socks, the brighter colours the better.  I also love long walks, “if in doubt, walk it out” so excited to give the GS walking socks a go. 

Discover the Alva Cardigan and GS Walking Socks here.