Melissa Hemsley on our overconsumption of ultra-processed foods and why she doesn't believe in guilty pleasures

Despite this, Melissa is not anti processed food. She is keen to distinguish between different types of processing; "Most food is processed because it has to be washed, packaged, cut. Almost everything we eat is processed unless you’ve got a lovely veg garden." Her focus is on encouraging people to eat more 'real food', which she defines as colourful, varied, and as unprocessed as possible.

Melissa recognises the realities of modern life: "We are busy, we're time poor. It's almost impossible to miss ultra-processed foods, they're wherever you look. They're so convenient and they're delicious."

Her solution is to help people find simple ways to cook more from scratch, without making food more complicated or expensive. "Hopefully me really rambling is not going to add to making things more complicated, but Real Healthy is about real food and so the reason why it's super colourful is we are told to eat a rainbow of vegetables."

Flexible, family-friendly cooking

As a mother and someone with a busy work-life, Melissa’s advice for family cooking is refreshingly honest. She admits, "I like to have dinner at five because I think it helps me sleep a bit better, and also I'm the mother of an almost 2-year-old. That also helps me justify it."

Melissa doesn’t pretend that feeding children is easy, noting, "My daughter is going through her phases of one day she'll eat everything. The next, she's like, don't look at me, I don't want to eat." She acknowledges the emotional side of food, for both children and adults: "Food is so emotional. People have got all sorts of things wrapped up in food and smells and how food should be. Look at Christmas and how many people get irritable because it is not like the Christmas they envisage, food-wise."

Her main tip for encouraging children (and grown-ups) to eat a wider variety is to get them involved: "If there is some input from another, they will be more invested in the meal and they will be more likely to at least have a bite of it. Even if it's a simple thing like the grating of the cheese at the end, or having a little stir – any kind of interaction." She is also pragmatic about so-called "hidden veg" strategies, suggesting a mix of blending vegetables into sauces and serving some visible on the side: "That's the best of both worlds."

Batch cooking and meal planning are central to Melissa’s family routine, but she insists it can be gentle and flexible: "It doesn't need to be a full week. It could just be as simple as if you're making lasagne; make it in a bigger tray so you've got one-and-a-half portions, or make two. Then you've got a spare one." She also champions the use of frozen fruit and veg, "because then you don't have that, 'Oh, I can't use it all up.'"

Food memories and favourite dishes

Melissa’s love of food is rooted in her multicultural upbringing. With a Filipino mother, a British father, and time spent in Germany, her childhood was a blend of culinary influences. She recalls, "I think that's where I got my love of cabbage sauerkraut. I love my cruciferous vegetables. I feel lucky that my mum brought me up in the vein of what we've been talking about, eating that food from early on."

Her favourite dish, which she craves especially at family celebrations, is a Filipino classic: "It is called lumpia, a Filipino spring roll. My favourite filling is minced beef, grated carrots and celery. It's basically bolognese and lumpia. There's no tomato." She describes eating these spring rolls even when they are "cold and floppy and flabby the next day", proof of their deliciousness.

Melissa’s kitchen is full of practical tips and little pleasures. She likes to grate vegetables into meals for speed and nutrition for "whenever I think to myself, 'I just don't think I've eaten enough veg today. What can I quickly do without having to get a pan and steam some broccoli?" For that reason, her favourite kitchen tool is a grater.

When asked about her guilty food pleasure, Melissa resists the label. "I try not to think about food with guilty pleasure – I love sitting outside in a pub garden with some chips, some vinegar and ketchup, and a glass of white wine with ice cubes."

The joy of good food

For Melissa, good food is about anticipation, enjoyment, and togetherness. "Good food to me feels like looking forward to something, it's the gathering of it. It's the eating of it and the not rushing off afterwards. And it leaves you feeling amazing in the moment and great afterwards."

Her message is clear: cooking and eating well doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive, or boring. With a bit of planning, a dash of colour, and a willingness to get everyone involved, 'real food' can be at the heart of everyday life.