How to stay well and feel good during family Xmas dine and wine celebrations? IRMA asked Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley, the founders of Hemsley + Hemsley as they are the perfect testimonials for a healthy approach to delicious food.
Both started as consulting nutritionists in 2010 and worked for clients like Louis Vuitton and Vivienne Westwood. Since then they became regular contributors for Vogue UK and kept creating bestselling cooking books. Their latest Good + Simple, which was published this year, is packed with easy, delicious and nutritious recipes. When you are in London visit their first Hemsley + Hemsley Café at Selfridges and enjoy their delicious meals.
1. The first and most important point: Enjoy every moment! Guilt is a destructive thing, there is no room for it around food!
2. Stay hydrated. It’s all too easy to forget to drink when it’s cold and when you’re sipping on something festive, plus that central heating will turn you into a wrinkly raisin in no time if you don’t watch out! Keep a jug of water around and flavour it with citrus fruit slices e.g. orange and fresh herbs like mint or cucumber and lemon so that you’re more tempted to drink it.
3. Make a big batch of pep-up tea paste (from Good + Simple) — it’s a delicious and easy blend of turmeric, ginger, cayenne and lemon — freeze it in ice cubes if you have to. This is your remedy to cut cravings, help digestion, clean your palate and of course pep you up in the morning!
4. Don’t feel you have to eat everything at once! We love eating and feasting and sometimes the joy of having all your favourite things on one table or stacked up in the fridge can make you feel like you have to experience the lot in one go. If you’re too full after Christmas lunch for the cheese or the pudding take a break — it’s not going anywhere.
5. Make soup — cook up a big batch of a simple vegetable-based delicious soup. Freeze some portions and keep some in the fridge over the holiday season. When there’s so much going on and you’re too tired to cook, it’s always great to come home to something simple, homemade and nourishing that you can eat with a spoon on the sofa (or in bed if you must!).
You can order their book here.