Meet Food Blogger, Pamella Bustard

Q1. We love your style of cooking, where did your love of food come from?

Since being an active teenager and developing a love for food technology classes, I became a lot more conscious about what I was eating and wanted to learn how to create healthy dishes. Ironically this turned into an obsession with food and exercise which escalated into a serious eating disorder and meant taking a year out of school.

As I was recovering and my head was in a better mindset, I made it my mission to completely re-educate myself about food, health, exercise and balance. Over the past 10 years I’ve learnt to love food again and enjoy both being creative in the kitchen and eating out with family/friends. I still lead a very active lifestyle and see food as a way of nourishing and fuelling my body to give it the energy it needs. 

Q2. Where did you learn to cook? Are you professionally trained?

I’ve learnt everything myself, I think part of the fun of being a freelance recipe developer and blogger working with health food brands is having an idea, experimenting in the kitchen and seeing what happens! My recipes are healthy, mainly gluten/wheat-free, some are vegan and dairy-free and contain no refined sugars - so it’s been interesting to discover how alternative ingredients work (and those that don’t!).

Q3. What is your relationship with food Like? Do you follow any particular diets or refrain from eating any foods?

I’ve touched on this above but it’s gone from being controlling, depriving and toxic to much more ‘well balanced’ over the years. Although I can’t eat wheat and keep added/refined sugars to a minimum, I enjoy filling up on wholegrains, lean protein, plenty of fruit and veg, healthy fats and dairy products. I used to be vegetarian for seven years and although I still eat a mainly plant-based diet, I like having the flexibility of eating lean meat and fish. 

Q4. Congratulations on your pregnancy, has your diet changed much since becoming pregnant?

Thank you! My diet has pretty much stayed the same apart from craving carbohydrates; I used to follow a higher-protein, lower-carb way of eating but since being pregnant I’ve listened to my body and been introducing more oats, sweet potatoes, brown rice, plain popcorn, skin-on chips - I can’t get enough of potatoes (in any form) at the moment!

Q5.What are you most looking forward to in motherhood?

I can’t wait to bring a little human up with my husband and teach him about the world! Our life is going to change in ways we perhaps haven’t anticipated but we’re so excited for the next chapter and re-discovering things through our baby’s eyes. 

Q6. Apart from the obligatory food cravings (!), what are your go to quick fix mid-week meals?

Although my job involves creating food, when it comes to midweek meals I like them to be nutritious but quick and easy. A good tip is to make a huge batch of something like a veggie curry or lean chilli con-carne so it’s ready to heat up in the week and even serve up in different ways to keep it interesting. I love making omelettes, big salads packed with grains, pulses, veggies and nuts/seeds, plus jacket potatoes with some form of topping. 

Q7.What do you look for, when sourcing your ingredients to cook with? 

I always check for added sugars and the salt content, plus if there are too many artificial ingredients that I can’t pronounce; I like to use natural, wholesome, unprocessed things to form the basis of my meals and recipes. Also - the best before date to make sure no food is wasted!

Q8. Which groovy food company products do you like using?

The organic coconut sugar and virgin coconut oil are staples in my cupboard - I use them in so many of my #IndulgingInnocently creations: Coconut oil is one of the most versatile ingredients for all kinds of cooking and baking while coconut sugar is a great alternative to refined sugar in sweet recipes.

Q9. What book are you reading at the moment?

To be honest I’ve not read many books in a long time - the most recent one is a baby book by Giovanna Fletcher - ‘Happy Mum, Happy Baby’. I’m trying to get as clued-up as possible about being a parent!

Q10. If you could sit on a beach, anywhere in the world where would it be? 

My whole family used to go to Puerto Pollensa every year since I was a baby for 18 years and we’d take a trip over to the stunning, secluded beach at Formentor. Clear waters and surrounded by mountains, it will always have a special place in my heart.