What a huge year 2024 has been. I really feel like I’ve worked the hardest this year than any other in my career to date. It’s been a little mad at times, especially with some really challenging things going on in my personal life such as moving house, losing my beloved cat Didier, and also Ada going off to school. There have been some momentous moments for me and, work, unfortunately doesn’t pause for you to take in those things.
However, it’s been a VERY busy and exciting year for me this year and I got to work with some amazing brands. Here are some of the milestones I reached this year in my work.
Launching my own meal into the shops
I launched my OWN meal into the shops in partnership with Little Dish. This is something I never thought I’d actually do. I can’t believe I have a product in the shops that parents can buy and offer to kids. This was a few years in the making, but in 2024 was fast tracked and I got to visit the kitchens where they were made and meet the team responsible for cooking them. I also went to tonnes of meetings about the product – from initial brainstorming to multiple taste tests with the kids, to pack design meetings and finalising nutritionals etc – I was there through every part of the journey! And what a journey it is to get food products out and into the shops. It’s not been too easy, but I’m SO proud that I did it and especially of the final product we created – My Lasagnette. It’s delicious, original, contains added extras and really fits in with my ethos and what meals and foods I feed my kids at home. Let me know if you’ve tried it.
Having my own meal in ALL the UK’s biggest Supermarkets
My Lasagnette soon became a best seller for Little Dish and therefore, within a few months of going on sale it was rolled out into all the major supermarkets in the UK. As a result it’s now available in almost every supermarket from Waitrose, to Asda and Morrisons and even online with Ocado too! This all happened so quickly, in a matter of months. So it was a lot of work, but also very exciting for me. Watch this space for more news on this at the start of 2025 too.
Launched “How to Feed” with Charlotte Stirling-Reed
This year I also launched my very own podcast – How to Feed – my brand new podcast that helps parents to navigate the trials and tribulations of feeding young children! “How to Feed” actually spent 4 weeks in the “Parenting Podcast Charts”, which I did not imagine in my wildest dreams, and hit number one for the first 2 weeks of it being released. I was lucky enough to speak to Joe Wicks, Giovanna Fletcher, Imogen Horton and Anna Martha as part of the series. If you haven’t listened to it yet, please do give it a go!
Developed a meal that was served to 50,000 young children in the UK
Throughout the year I collaborated with Zebedees nursery catering provider to create a meal for each of their menus that they roll out every 6 months. During the first part to the year we collaborated on a Lasagne recipe, which was served to around 50,000 children at nurseries. Later on my Easy Peachy Sponge was added to their menu and served to the same number kids for a pudding. Included in these numbers were adapted dishes based on my recipe for the many children with special dietary needs that Zebedees cater for. Apparently both dishes were popular, and we’ll be collaborating on more meals developed by me, for the next menu cycle.
Working with Baby Centre
I was so excited to announce that in 2024 I become a Medical Expert for Baby Centre, achieving a long-held career goal of mine. In this role, I will regularly write and provide content for Baby Centre – an online parenting magazine. This opportunity is important to me because I understand that many parents seek answers online about feeding their children, and this way I am able to be a reliable source of support, answering parent’s nuanced questions on a regular basis, regardless or not of whether the know about my website and my Instagram page.
Running workshops for the LFH group
This year I also teamed up with Luxury Family Hotels to run some workshops for their guests. I thoroughly enjoyed this and met some incredible people at the workshops. I was also lucky enough to visit a couple of their hotels which are honestly the most wonderful experience for kids. I’d definitely recommend their hotels to anyone with young children.
Visited Soneva…for work!
I also was incredibly lucky to team up with Soneva – the most incredible resort in the world – and visit their Jani and Fushi resorts in the Maldives. Here I was helping to deliver one to ones with parents, run workshops on various topics including fussy eating, cooking with kids and weaning young babies and also delivered some cookery sessions to young children at the kids clubs. I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this trip. Really truly a once in a lifetime.
Although these are just the highlights of my 2024 year, there REALLY was so much more. I worked with some other fab brands such as Arla and Tommee Tippee, Bugaboo, The Baby Show and also became a member of The All-Party Parliamentary Group on a Fit and Healthy Childhood.
I can’t wait for what 2025 has in store – honestly it’s going to be a monster year again, I think as I have some huge announcements to make in the first weeks and months of 2025 kicking off. Watch this space for some BIG NEWS and do sign up to SR Nutrition’s Newsletter to find out all my exciting news first!