Keeping It Simple With Amelia Freer

Let Amelia teach you to cook here and follow her on Instagram here.

We are loving your online courses. What a natural you are on camera, your energy and passion is amazing. How do you feel filming?

Amelia-Freer: Honestly, I feel immensely self-conscious in front of the camera, and I am acutely aware of the choice of words I use – as food can be such a triggering and emotional topic to discuss – and I don’t want to inadvertently upset those who might be watching. Instead, I try to convey compassion and understanding as much as possible.

But overall, I’d say that I find the whole thing very uncomfortable, and need to make copious notes, have time to process them and then have the support of my team to help me through it. But I also know it’s a good way of taking in information for visual and auditory learners, and so I will continue to push through that imposter syndrome as far as possible!

Have you purposefully made things on your own terms, you must have been approached by TV companies?

Amelia-Freer: I have been approached by various TV companies over the years, but finding a programme that I wholeheartedly agree with has been a little hit and miss (I won’t get involved in anything that I feel is shaming or blameful, for example). But I’d never say never if the right opportunity came along.

Your home is clearly your haven. Is being there central to your ability to create and stay happy and grounded?

Amelia-Freer:

I am a real home body, and having a happy, organised and bright home is pretty central to my overall sense of wellbeing. I am also a natural introvert, so spending time quietly at home is the best way for me to recharge.

Even better if I can get out into my garden for a couple of hours. It’s amazing what some time in nature can do to shift my headspace.

How has your message changed over the years and has the pandemic effected that?

Amelia-Freer: I hope that fundamentally, my message has been pretty consistent throughout the years, but I am definitely more conscious of the difference now between working one-to-one with clients (where it is reasonable to be more prescriptive and specific about dietary changes, supplements and other interventions) and sharing information with a much wider group of people (who inevitably have very varied needs and therefore my messaging needs to be far more general).

I am also very keen on promoting the benefits of self-compassion and kindness when it comes to food, particularly in our post-pandemic world. We also know that the more self-compassionate someone is able to be, the easier it is for them to make healthy choices. It is wholly unsustainable to make changes from a place of self-hatred or loathing.

You have a passion for growing your own produce, how much this is about conservation of the land that you live on and the necessity for good quality foods?

Amelia-Freer: I love growing my own food because it is the antithesis of my mostly-online work existence. It is concrete, slow and at the mercy of nature – and screens have no role in the garden. So for me, there is a big mental health component as to why I grow.

But of course, taking care of the little patch of land we call home is so important, and there is definitely an element of wanting to know the provenance of my food as far as possible. It’s pretty easy to know this when you’ve grown it yourself! Plus,

I tend to grow varieties and crops that are not so easily available in the shops, that perhaps are specifically high in certain nutrients or antioxidants, for example.

And I can’t overlook the taste. There is nothing quite as delicious and vibrant-tasting as food picked a minute or two before eating. It’s a delight and a huge privilege.

In your opinion with the climate crisis, is it good and necessary to grow our own and do you know of the small changes in how people shop for food or even grow their own indoors for those who don’t have outside space?

Amelia-Freer: I’m not sure that growing our own is the solution to the climate crisis – there is just so much more to consider from a systemic perspective that also has an impact.

It’s also a real challenge to be self-sufficient in the UK unless you have a decent area of land and plenty of time to tend it. I think being much more conscious purchasers and consumers of food is therefore a good place to start, regardless of our budget. Strategies to do this are plentiful, but could encompass everything from committing to reducing or eliminating food waste in the home, to choosing loose produce over those packaged in single-use plastic, to shopping seasonally and avoiding air-freighted food, to supporting regenerative agriculture and reducing meat consumption.

Of course, growing our own is a lovely way of connecting with nature and becoming more attuned to her plight, but I think it’s probably more important to think a bit bigger than this too.

How do you manage your larder/food shop and how would you advise someone changing their eating habits to set themselves up to succeed? How do you manage food waste?

Amelia-Freer: Oh, I am really into food management and kitchen organisation – and increasingly so as life gets busier and more complicated.

I think that our immediate food environment –  the shops we frequent, the food we buy, the way we arrange our cupboards and fridge and the strategies we use to make cooking as efficient as possible are all crucial (yet often hugely overlooked) factors in whether or not it is possible to eat well in the long term.

These simple yet highly effective strategies can also help us to save a significant amount of money, and reduce our environmental impact by minimising food waste. I won’t say much more, but definitely watch this space!

Do you watch the big Netflix docs like ‘Seaspiracy’ and ‘Kiss the Ground’ and ‘What the Health’ and if yes how do they impact you personally and in terms your messaging?

Amelia-Freer: I don’t tend to watch many of these documentaries as I find that I get rather frustrated with their sensationalist narratives.

However, I do read a lot of the more dispassionate reviews about them, and I try to find out the facts and science behind the headline stories they share as I inevitably get asked questions. Each certainly has a good point to make, but the producers tend to cherry-pick information to support their specific storyline, rather than sharing the grey areas and bigger picture too.

Being well balanced probably wouldn’t make such great TV! So I’d say that they don’t really impact my messaging – I try to stay on a very consistent and balanced path as far as possible (allowing for the fact that the science will change over time, so that path will vary a little to reflect those changes, but this tends to be pretty gradual).

I read your article on your skin care routine, you obviously have a good knowledge of the valuable natural ingredients used in many products, is there a chance you would venture in to creating your own products?

Amelia-Freer: I am not a skincare expert, and although I’d love to work collaboratively alongside a natural skincare brand, my role would very much be along the lines of helping users integrate skincare as part of a much wider lifestyle of nourishing food, regular enjoyable exercise, restorative sleep, active stress management, connection and more.

What is your opinion on vegan diet, is it the key to a healthy future for the earth and us as individuals?

Amelia-Freer: This is a complicated question. The evidence is increasingly clear now that we need to eat significantly more plants and less animal products to support the health of our planet.

And of course, there are very valid and concerning ethical issues at play too (not least because new trade deals are potentially allowing the sale of meat into the UK that would be illegal to produce here due to unethical or concerning animal husbandry practices). So on the one hand, yes, becoming significantly more plant-based as a population is likely very important.

However, from a purely nutritional perspective, there are significant potential challenges with a wholly vegan diet.

Firstly, plant-based does not automatically mean healthy – it is more than possible to eat a very unbalanced and ultra-processed vegan diet. Secondly, there are a number of essential nutrients that can be lacking from a plant-based diet – especially things like B12, iodine, zine, iron, calcium etc. It’s therefore really important to be informed and conscious of these potential nutritional deficiencies, and take the appropriate steps to mitigate them, when moving towards a plant-based diet.

It’s also worth mentioning that ruminant animals, especially cows and sheep, are thought to play an essential role in re-building and maintaining the health of our arable (plant crop) soils.

We can’t keep taking plants from the land without putting back, so I personally do still eat some carefully chosen meat (perhaps red meat once a month or so), but buy in from regenerative farmers with transparent welfare practices here in the UK. It’s undoubtedly expensive, but I think that probably reflects the true cost of ethical meat production nowadays. As with most things nutrition, it’s quite a bit more complex than it may first seem.

You are affiliated to Women Supporting Women. What part do you play in that organisation?

Amelia-Freer:

I am now involved in two charities that are very close to my heart. I am a founding ambassador of Women Supporting Women, and have donated over the last 3 years, including 10% of the profits from my latest book, Simply Good For You to their cause, alongside attending meetings and supporting them both online and behind-the-scenes where I can.

They are a branch of the Prince’s Trust, and specifically support underprivileged girls and young women to access support, training and mentorship to help them fulfil their potential in life.

I am also newly an ambassador for Chefs in Schools, a brilliant initiative that supports schools to improve the food and food education offered to pupils, and campaigns to improve children’s health through better food. They both do amazing work and I’m looking forward to supporting them in any way I can over the coming months and years.

What are your passions in your down time?

Amelia-Freer: Gardening, playing with flowers, spending time with my friends and family and long, deep baths!

Oh, I am really into food management and kitchen organisation – and increasingly so as life gets busier and more complicated. I think that our immediate food environment – the shops we frequent, the food we buy, the way we arrange our cupboards and fridge and the strategies we use to make cooking as efficient as possible are all crucial (yet often hugely overlooked) factors in whether or not it is possible to eat well in the long term.

These simple yet highly effective strategies can also help us to save a significant amount of money, and reduce our environmental impact by minimising food waste. I won’t say much more, but definitely watch this space!

Amelia’s 30-part online video course, The Joy of Healthy Eating is available through Create Academy.

Her 4th book, Simply Good For You shares over 100 super quick and easy nutritious recipes for the whole family to enjoy.