My Philosophy
Life is all about balance. Eat clean, nutritious food 80% of the time, leaving room for fun for the other 20%.

I have forever been a ‘foodie’. From a young age, my favourite programme was ‘Ready Steady Cook’ and I have always loved creating, eating and talking food. However, as I got older, I started to make connections between food and health, and realised that simple changes in eating habits could lead to a much healthier, more energised and ultimately happier life.

I have three children, a husband and a dog and on top of running a hectic household, I also have a super busy life. This is at the heart of my approach to cooking and eating as I understand the pressures of every day family life. Our busy lives mean that it isn’t always practical for meal planning and cooking to be at the top of the ‘to do’ list and lack of time often pushes us towards convenience food. I devise practical and clean eating recipes for busy families – for working parents and their kids. Quick and healthy meals which are big on taste and which will delight even the fussiest of eaters, young and old alike.

There are a multitude of healthy eating books and bloggers ‘out there’. Many are written by gurus that don’t necessarily operate in the real world – they don’t have children or don’t hold down regular jobs. Their books and Instagram posts are beautiful but I question whether people really change their eating habits as a result. Many also promote such a strict regime that there are no pleasures left in life. I like to think that I am fun-loving, with a bit of a naughty side, and instead of ‘preaching’, I want to share my ‘no aggravation’ approach. I am passionate that clean eating should not be the remit of a ‘trendy’ minority, and my wish is that people from all walks of life feel that long-term healthy eating is achievable. I’m also supportive that people with food intolerances, or people who just don’t want to eat certain foods, (such as wheat, dairy and refined sugar) have some real options for wholesome, tasty recipes suitable for the whole family. I write my books and blogs because I want to share the knowledge I have gained through years in the health and fitness industry. I want everyday people to know that creating quick and healthy meals is totally achievable once a few store cupboard ingredients have been purchased and that no fancy cookery expertise is required.

I strongly recommend following the 80:20 rule with your diet, meaning you eat clean and lean 80 per cent of the time, which leaves room to splurge on whatever you want for the remaining 20 per cent. Using the 80:20 rule as guidance should help you stick to a healthy eating plan in the long-term as nothing is forbidden. People shouldn’t feel under pressure to diet and I am hugely impassioned about teaching people to eat healthily without feeling deprived.

I don’t eat healthily for the sake of eating healthily. I eat healthily to allow me to spoil myself without guilt – be it with wine, cake, curry or chocolate, whenever I want. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with a mung bean stew or a wheat grass shot but it’s not what I want to eat every day, it’s certainly not what my kids want to eat (ever!!!) and it doesn’t appeal to a huge proportion of the population. My experience has allowed me to create new recipes based on family favourites that are both healthy and wholesome and my books and courses are my way of sharing this with the world at large.

I believe that we are all on a journey in life and I like to think of clean eating as like climbing up the rungs of a ladder to a healthier and happier world. Although you really want to get to the top of the world position, it may seem intimidating to climb to the top of the ladder in one go and so the ladder has to be climbed a rung at a time. Ditching dairy, wheat and sugar and only eating organic produce may seem really daunting at first. Substituting buckwheat for flour may seem a rung too far! However, starting with simple changes and focusing on just one thing at a time, gradually you will find yourself climbing the rungs of the clean eating ladder. So maybe giving up dairy and substituting it for almond milk, or eliminating gluten from your diet, will be your first step. Some steps will be quicker than others (and you may even skip a few steps along the way) but as you begin to make lifestyle changes, you will gain confidence and start to feel more energised. You may even fall off the ladder a few times, but don’t beat yourself up. It is better to be slowly climbing the ladder one rung at a time and choosing healthier alternatives than not to climb the ladder at all. Oh, and of course, in order for the ladder to be stable, you need a strong foundation on which to base it and this is where practical advice, knowledge and experience – ‘the Kate philosophy’ – comes into play.

My Philosophy Life is all about balance. Eat clean, nutritious food 80% of the time, leaving room for fun for the other 20%.

My Philosophy
Life is all about balance. Eat clean, nutritious food 80% of the time, leaving room for fun for the other 20%.