MY LIGHT BULB MOMENT
Food delivery guru Jennifer Irvine
Jennifer irvine, 44, is the founder of The Pure Package, a bespoke healthy meal delivery service. She lives in Surrey with her husband, Stephen, and four daughters, Lily, Jasmine, rose and violet.
I GREW up in Cork, Ireland, on my parents’ farm, where we were self-sufficient. My mum made cheese, yoghurt and butter and, along with my brother and two sisters, I had to fetch water from a well and forage for food, such as mussels, on the beach.
It was hard work, but an idyllic childhood, and fostered in me a love of fresh, natural produce.
I found school difficult, as I’m dyslexic, and wasn’t able to go to university in Ireland because I didn’t pass the Irish language exam. Instead, I moved to the UK to study and worked at Neal’s Yard Dairy to support myself.
At that time, in the late Nineties, there was little good-quality convenience food available. After meeting my husband, we moved to New York for his job, but, as I didn’t have a visa, I couldn’t work. This gave me time to develop The Pure Package concept. I thought about how much I would love a nutritionist and chef to prepare my meals, to make delicious food and help maintain a healthy weight.
When we moved back to London in 2003, I started from scratch at my kitchen table. I didn’t have any investment or money for marketing, so I approached journalists and offered them meals to try in return for filling out a survey.
They loved the food and wrote about it — that’s how I got my first clients, including a Michelin-starred chef and actress Patsy Kensit.
The business grew quickly, and I had to buy extra fridges, which we put in the bedroom, as well as a chiller in the garden.
A former colleague who was a chef came to my kitchen every day to prepare the meals and I would deliver them in my car.
Now, we’re based in New Covent Garden Market with a team of 30 people and are delivering 10,000 meals a week.
I’ve also since launched Balance Box, a more affordable, nationwide healthy meal delivery service for people who want to either lose or maintain weight.
Actor Stephen Fry is a customer and credited our meals — along with walking — for helping him lose 5st. Other clients tell me they have great energy levels, glowing skin and strong hair and nails.
jenniferirvine.org; pure package.com; balancebox.com