ella and matt mills

When Ella Mills began recording her first clumsy efforts at vegan cooking six years ago - “I’d mash up aubergine and stir it through pasta” - not only was the notion of plant-based eating virtually unknown but so too was the idea of a podcast. Ella instead typed up her recipes on what now seems the almost antiquated medium of an online blog. Now, plant-based eating is so mainstream that the likes of Tesco and Tyson Foods are ploughing millions into the trend, while the podcast has become the medium du jour. And so the foodie heavens have aligned for the launch of Deliciously Ella: The Podcast (available now on iTunes and Acast).

It won’t be the first time either, as Ella and husband Matt share in the first episode. Launched in 2012, the Deliciously Ella blog struck a timely nerve with an emerging wave of young women turning online for food and drink inspiration. Then in 2015 the couple met, moved in together and got engaged within four months. As fate would have it, this was mere weeks after the launch of Ella’s first cookbook, providing a new commercial arm to the brand (in the form of CEO Matt) that has provided a driving force ever since. The couple now have a London deli and a successful retail line under their belts.

This glimpse behind the scenes will no doubt be lapped up by established Ella fans. But the surprisingly frank insights the podcast offers will also strike a chord with anyone looking to start out in business, too. Many (knowingly or otherwise) will be following a trail blazed by Deliciously Ella.

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