When did your love affair with food begin?

I grew up the youngest of five kids, with not much money, and was cooking for my family from the age of eight. Later, I was always the one at parties cooking at midnight. I did a degree in addiction counselling and a good way of encouraging people to turn up was by offering free food. Again, I found myself in the kitchen because no one else wanted to cook and people were often more relaxed around food.

Your first book, The Self-Care Cookbook: Easy Healing Plant-Based Recipes, which was published by Penguin in 2019, is focussed on what we might now call “conscious eating”. Were you always a fan of food that nourishes and nurtures?

Not until my husband and I were struggling to have kids. After having five late miscarriages over the period of five years, I examined my diet. I wasn’t brought up on a vegetarian diet, but I soon discovered how a plant-based wholefood diet can reduce inflammation and improve mental health. I started feeling more positive when going through a really difficult time.

When did you start your catering business?

I was done with working in mental health; it was too draining. When my husband was made redundant, we thought we’d go to Barcelona for six months with our two young kids. We ended up staying for three years. I set up a food business over there: I’d cook something fresh every day from my apartment, take a photo and post it online. People would come and pick up a bento box for €5. It was super basic, but people loved it. We came back to Brighton about seven years ago and I set up Gem’s Wholesome Kitchen, initially by making energy balls for local health food shops and then offering a home-delivery service.

Your business was a word-of-mouth success in Brighton, but how did you then expand it?

Partly due to hard work, but my first book has really helped. Penguin said The Self-Care Cookbook would never go out of fashion and it was right; I was on Saturday Kitchen recently and the book sold out everywhere. I do a lot of work with Soho House, including pop-up kitchens at Brighton Beach House. I share recipes with brands like Sweaty Betty and create energy-boosting menus for corporate meetings. I’m aware that there’s some scepticism around plant-based eating, so I developed a bean burger and a plant-based lasagne that are so good you don’t miss the meat. I’m not a fan of processed vegan food and I’m certainly not here to dictate what anyone should or shouldn’t eat. There are no rules.

How would you describe your work/life balance?

Hectic. I have learned to have more boundaries around work and to say no more often; I try not to take any work calls or emails while getting the kids ready for school. Our son was diagnosed with autism last year, so I need to be around for him, which often means working at 5am or when the kids are asleep. The most important thing is to be present when they need me.

What will your new book focus on?

The Healing Cookbook is about food that heals and boosts your immune system, whether you are feeling mentally or physically unwell or are healthy and want to stay that way. My recipes are always accessible to the working woman – or man: they don’t have long lists of ingredients, are super easy to follow and hopefully help people to sleep better, feel more positive and have a spring in their step.