When Deliciously Ella announced that she was opening her first deli earlier this year, Instagram waited with baited breath. Since then, The Mae Deli at 21 Seymour Place has been one of London’s latest hotspots for healthy eating.
When Yogamatters were invited down to review the Deli, meet the team and do some serious recipe tasting, needless to say we jumped at the chance. Here’s a little account of all things Delicious…
The Mae Deli is a joint partnership between Ella and her now husband Matthew (Mae stands for Matthew and Ella). It’s a hub for delicious food, health and happiness. “The food at the Mae Deli is all about celebrating the amazing, versatile and exciting things you can do with natural foods” and is founded on Ella’s principles of “using natural, unrefined ingredients to create delicious, nourishing meals full of interesting flavours and textures.”
Ella’s journey to healthy eating began in 2011, when she was diagnosed with a rare illness called Postural Tachycardia Syndrome, which resulted in a long road of doctors, hospitals and medication. Growing frustrated with the lack of progress she was making with western medicine, Ella started exploring healing through dietary and lifestyle changes – this is when the DE food blog was born.
A record breaking best selling first book and 847K Instagram followers later, Ella has become a sensation and authority in the wellness industry. It made sense that The Mae Deli would be the next venture in her offering.
In her own words…
“Changing my diet gave me my life back, but since my journey in healthy eating began, I’ve never believed that you should have to sacrifice taste for nutrition. I’ve loved every day of sharing all my creations on my blog, book and social media, but it’s a dream come true to have a space where I can share my love of healthy food with you all, and make these creations come to life.”
The beautiful little café is artfully designed with a welcoming atmosphere. Every dish is clearly labeled with ingredients on display – a transparency that was important to Ella after her own experience of having to ask restaurants/cafés what is in the food so that she could make suitable food choices for her body.
We were greeted by helpful, knowledgeable staff and we opted for a rainbow coloured lunch consisting of a 4 salad bowl made up of maple roasted sweet potato, turmeric roasted cauliflower and lentil salad, red veg, paprika and black beans and to top it all off, turmeric hummus made from chickpeas, tahini, rapeseed oil, garlic, turmeric, lemon and chives.
Sweet treats followed including Ella’s famous Cacao & Almond energy balls and one of the latest editions to the Deli, the Peanut Butter Slice, which we were told was ‘to die for!’ (and they were right!). Green juices, matcha lattes and powerhouse smoothies make up the drinks side of the menu and breakfast is a whole other affair worth visiting for (think creamy porridge topped with almond butter, strawberry chia seed jam and coconut chips or rye bread topped with The Mae Deli’s peanut butter & jelly).
As expected, the food is nothing short of delicious. It’s all that you would expect from the wellness guru and more and we can’t wait to go back. After sampling the delights of the Deli, we caught up with Ella herself to talk all things health and wellness…
Can you sum up your food philosophy in 3 words?
Wholesome, nourishing and delicious!
Your cookbooks and recipes have resonated with so many people all over the world. What do you feel is your biggest achievement so far?
Having my book translated in over fifteen languages is such an achievement for me, knowing that the healthy message is spreading all over the world! Opening The Mae Deli is also something I am super proud of; it’s been something I’ve dreamt of doing for so long so it’s incredible for me to see it work in real life!
It seems that you travel a lot with your work – how do you keep healthy on the go?
I always make sure I’m prepared when I travel. I always pack things like raw nuts and seeds, homemade granola, energy balls, jars of nut butter, tahini, oats and quinoa, just to make sure I have things to snack on and ingredients to whip up a really quick and easy breakfast. I also make sure to look up some healthy restaurants online before I travel, just so I know I have some options for eating out which definitely puts my mind at ease!
What’s the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
You get back what you put in, my mum always says it but it’s so true – the more time, effort, love and passion you put into anything, the more you get back.
What is the toughest decision you had to make in the last few months?
Running your own business means making tough decisions everyday. It can feel like a lot of pressure at times, but it’s an amazing learning experience.
Many people only contemplate setting up their own business. What advice would you give to spark the catalyst of following your passion?
Having passion for something is the most important thing. As long as your passion is there, your heart is in it and you put your mind to it, I strongly believe that you can achieve anything. There are always going to be ups and downs but it’s important to not let that set you back. It’s all a learning curve and you tend to grow from every experience you have outside of your comfort zone. Sometimes you just have to go for it and think what’s the worst that can happen!
What do you do to stay active and how has it changed your life?
I love to have a varied workout routine throughout the week, so I don’t get bored and my body doesn’t get used to the exercises. I often include a mix of boxing, spinning, Pilates and yoga every week. I like to book in the workouts at the beginning of the week to help motivate me. Getting sweaty and really moving is the best way for me to relieve stress and for me to feel really positive too. I always come out of a workout having such clarity and positive energy, which really helps me to be super productive for the rest of the day!
Do you have any favourite tips and tricks to stay healthy and happy every day?
I think health and happiness go hand in hand. Be kind and loving to yourself, it makes you feel so much better which in turn makes your life more fun. Adding a smoothie everyday or an extra portion of fruits or veggies is a great place to start for getting healthy – it sounds small but across the week that’s 21 extra portions, which makes a real difference. Remember you can start with sweet potato wedges and guacamole, it doesn’t have to be steamed greens! Healthy living isn’t a diet, it’s a lifestyle and you have to find a balance that works for you. It’s not an all or nothing approach and it has to be fun, that’s the most important thing of all!
If you could have one meal for the rest of your life what would it be?
Probably my pesto pasta – it’s such an easy meal to make using such simple ingredients and tastes so delicious. It’s my number one go-to comfort meal!
What is your typical breakfast, lunch and dinner?
Things like porridge in the mornings with almond milk, berries and peanut butter. Smashed avocado on rye toast with lots of lemon and chilli at lunchtime or a bowl of recipe testing leftovers, and a vegetable pasta in the evening with brownies and energy balls or juices and smoothies as snacks.
Describe your perfect day…
It would probably be waking up, making me and Matt a bowl of creamy porridge with lots of berries and delicious nut butter. Then going for a long walk in our favourite park with Austin. We’d then pop into the deli for a mae bowl for lunch, taking some power balls and rocky roads home for later! I’d then go to a really energising yoga class in the afternoon, with an amazing restorative meditation to end the class. Then I’d go home and have a huge dinner feast with all my family and friends, followed by a movie, an epsom salt candlelit bath, some nighttime reading and a long night’s sleep!
What’s next for Deliciously Ella?
I’d love to keep sharing my recipes and food with people who love them through my blog and books for as long as possible! With the recent opening of Mae Deli, Matt and I are hoping to share that with more people too!
For the latest news and recipes from Deliciously Ella follow her blog here or pop down to The Mae Deli to treat yourself to a delicious breakfast, lunch or supper (or perhaps all 3!)
