I’d first heard of Healthy Yummies when watching the Food Network. The show was called Red Hot and Yummy and focused on the owner of the company (Nicola Smith) as she went from first client contact, to menu planning, sourcing, cooking and serving the event (attention was also given to all the obstacles she encountered during the process: truck too big for the driveway etc…)
On TV Nicola came across as very down to earth and approachable. A boss you’d like to work for kinda person. With vivacious red hair and always sporting a 50’s housewife headscarf, she seemed far from boring. Her vision was to own a van in which to serve good, seasonal and healthy food and with serious dedication, long hours, a touch of luck and a marketable idea Healthy Yummies was born.
The episode that cemented my liking for her was one in which she was hired to cater for a Jamie Oliver shoot. She was highly excited about the prospect of meeting him and planned a healthy yet scrummy sounding menu. At crunch time Mr 15-minute-meals only asked for a bacon sandwich and moreover had one of his minions get it. Much to Nicola’s dismay he didn’t eat her food or show his face. Ho Hum.
I met Nicola when she was serving her creations alongside her 1970s Bedford Ice Cream Van. She later told me she named it Elvira May to commemorate her grandmother who helped her buy it and sadly passed 2 days after she got it.
I chose the lettuce cup which was filled with slow cooked black beans, tomato salsa, sour cream, a beetroot puree, coriander and a specially sourced cheese. Sounds simple enough but when done well simple food can be the best. The beans were deliciously meaty, the salsa was well seasoned and had a nice kick, and the beetroot puree was sweet, smooth as butter and somewhat comforting. All in all it was the best thing I had all day.
Nicola was clever in her choice of menu too, she told me she opted for veggie as the other menus were heavily meat based. This approach allowed her plates to be healthier, both in calories and size. What I had was packed with flavour and colour, ample, and I really didn’t miss the meat.
And although Nicola’s company is called Healthy Yummies I think it would be fair to say that yes, they are conscious of the healthy aspect of the food they produce but that in no way means they compromise on oomph. Take a look at their sample menu (http://www.healthyyummies.com/sample-menus/lunchdinner/). I wouldn’t pass up the chance to try any of those things and I certainly wouldn’t consider myself sacrificing anything for health or dietary reasons. Would you consider a breakfast of ‘black pudding, apple chutney and spelt bread’ a chore, or a lunch of ‘beef fillet, jerusalem artichoke and sloeberries’ hard to swallow? Nah
You can find Nicola’s new and somewhat larger truck (named Theo after her nephew) at food fairs like the Good Food Show where I met her, or indeed you could hire them.
Healthy Yummies
9/10
90 De Beauvoir Road
London N1 4EN
Tel: 0207 275 7120
www.healthyyummies.com
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