On Saturday morning, instead of my usual East London brunch that always involves eggs and sometimes involves a Bloody Mary, I headed into central London for brunch with Ella Woodward of Deliciously Ella, a hugely successful healthy eating blog (two million hits a month!) that’s packed with simple-to-make, totally delicious plant-based recipes that are free from dairy, gluten and refined sugar.

Proof that good things can come out of bad situations, Ella started the blog as a way of documenting her transition to a plant-based diet after being diagnosed with Postural Tachycardia Syndrome, which left her in chronic pain and suffering from unbearable stomach issues, constant headaches and heart palpitations. After researching holistic approaches to healing, she swapped a diet that consisted mostly of cereal, pasta, Ben & Jerry’s, Nutella and handfuls of Haribo, for one that was based around wholefoods and plants, and gave up meat, dairy, sugar, gluten, anything processed and all chemicals and additives. She’s since added an app to the growing Deliciously Ella empire.

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Arriving at the Marylebone location we were greeted by Ella (just as friendly and glowing with health as you’d expect) who was putting the finishing touches to a table decorated with jam jars and milk bottles filled with fresh flowers and floral patterned straws, napkins strewn with hearts and prettily patterned bowls filled with fruit, granola and super foods.

Ella hosts regular cooking classes and started the brunches because she found that one of the things people loved most about the classes was talking to other people who are on a similar journey. At Ella’s request we introduced ourselves and explained what brought us here, a situation that usually gives me the fear, but the atmosphere was warm and supportive and it was interesting to hear everyone’s story (like me not everyone was vegan and no, we weren’t ejected on the spot).

We were joined by the founders of cold-pressed juice company Imbibery London and talk inevitably turned to juicing. I’ve always fancied doing a juice cleanse but worry about how I’d get through the day fuelled with nothing but, well, juice. Recently after a particularly busy period in her life Ella did a juice cleanse and saw it as a chance to reconnect with her body, slow down for three days, watch lots of Keeping Up With The Kardashians (her televisual weakness) and go to daily yoga classes. She said that at no point during the three days did she feel hungry and by the end she felt fully rejuvenated. I’m in!

When someone around the table said how expensive eating like Ella can be, she said that yes, if you were to bake every day it would be expensive but what she eats day-to-day is relatively inexpensive. Her go-to breakfast is a smoothie of berries, bananas and spinach, lunch is salad or roasted veggies (see the recipe section of Ella’s blog for loads of ideas) and one of her favourite dinners is brown rice cooked with black beans, tomato, tamari, wilted spinach and mashed avocado, which she makes in a batch on a Sunday.

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{On The Menu}
  • Coyo mango coconut milk yoghurt
  • Blueberries, raspberries and banana
  • Homemade cinnamon pecan granola
  • Pumpkin seeds
  • Cacoa nibs
  • Goji berries
  • Rude Health Soft & Fruity Bircher
  • Homemade blueberry muffins (the recipe will be in Ella’s first cookbook, out next year)
  • The Pressery Almond Milk
  • Unoco coconut water (which isn’t pasturised so it keeps all of the goodness of a real coconut)
  • Imbibery London Green Juice, a goodness-packed blend of celery, spinach, cucumber, apple and lemon

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    Two hours passed quickly with conversation covering eating healthily at festivals (one brunchee was just back from Glastonbury and filled her rucksack with healthy snacks including bags of carrots), how friends can find your new lifestyle hard to deal with, sticking to your principles when you eat out (don’t be scared to ask how dishes have been prepared and if none of the main meals work put together your own meal with a selection of sides) and what’s coming up for Ella (look out for an update of the blog coming soon and a book next year). Ella’s enthusiasm for the way she eats is infectious and I headed home resolving to make more changes to what I eat. And to up my table decorating game. No more eating lunch in the kitchen while checking my favourite blogs for me. Oh no.

    Have you tried any recipes from the Deliciously Ella blog or app? Which are your favourites? And have you ever done a juice cleanse? Which one? How did you feel? Would you do it again? Do share!