The Sunday Post (Dundee)

Bean chilli and babies: At home with cookbook queen Ella

- PRUDENCE WADE

Often seen as a poster girl for wellness, Ella Mills – aka Deliciousl­y Ella – actually isn’t so keen on the term.

“The word ‘wellness’ makes people think of weird and wacky things in LA, with shamans and cleanses,” says the food writer.“when you hear it, you don’t necessaril­y think of going for a walk and then making a bean chilli, which feels more within your remit. The wonderful and wacky make more interestin­g stories, which I so appreciate, but the reality is, in most people’s eyes, what we need is a meal that’s pretty easy to make and you can make a really big batch of, and then just chuck in the freezer.”

With her latest cookbook, Deliciousl­y Ella Quick & Easy, Mills wants to help make healthy eating feel less alienating. And the fact it’s built around speedy recipes is no coincidenc­e – she and her husband and business partner, Matt, welcomed their first child, Skye, last year.

The book may be all about ease – but it was born out of blood, sweat and tears. Ella says: “This cookbook has actually been, on a personal and emotional level, the hardest project I’ve ever done. I went back to work with it four weeks after Skye was born, so I was pretty all over the shop at that point. She came on to the shoots with us and I had her in a sling and was feeding her on set – so I was breastfeed­ing and food styling at the same time.”

With a baby, another on the way, and a business to run, Ella has a new appreciati­on for how simple wellness should – and could – be. “It’s going on a walk or doing a five-minute meditation,” says the 29-year-old.“it’s not the big, expensive, complicate­d, timeconsum­ing things, it’s the simple, everyday practices that you can have in your life to help you feel happier, calmer, healthier, more energised.”

She emphasises how cheap and easy things like chickpea stews and lentil daals can be, and her efforts to make recipes that are more accessible are admirable.

Still, some might struggle to shake their preconcept­ions of Ella as the granddaugh­ter of Lord Sainsbury, and the fact her first book in 2015 was seen as a big part of the widely-criticised “clean eating” movement which she has since distanced herself from.

The majority of the recipes in the book involve affordable, hearty ingredient­s – but this is still Deliciousl­y Ella; you can’t help but notice the odd thing many people probably wouldn’t be able to get at their local corner shop, like tapioca flour and tahini.

Food is a big part of Ella’s ethos, but she’s started seeing it as just one part of a bigger picture. Each chapter in the new book explores a different issue, from mental health to the environmen­t.

“We too often look at our diet and the way we eat in isolation, and actually, I’m not sure that’s helpful to any of us,” says Ella.“the way we live and the way we eat is so reflective, and often when people think about getting healthier and making a change in the way they’re eating, they go first and foremost to their diet. There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s what I did as well. But at the same time, there’s so much more to it. Broccoli is great, but broccoli isn’t the answer to everything.”

Instead, Mills says she’s interested in wellness (for lack of a better word) as a whole – how your mental health can affect your gut, the impact sleep has on your wellbeing, even analysing your relationsh­ip to people and the world around you as a whole.

“It’s increasing­ly important to look at all of it in context, and not get too overly focused on one thing or another,” she says.

So, if you do want to have a healthier lifestyle, it’s worth looking at all aspects of it – not just diet. Mills’ top piece

Broccoli is

great but

it isn’t the

answer to

everything

 ??  ?? ● Ella Mills, creator of the Deliciousl­y Ella food blog, with husband Matthew and one-year-old daughter Skye
● Ella Mills, creator of the Deliciousl­y Ella food blog, with husband Matthew and one-year-old daughter Skye

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