Listen to Melissa Hemsley

Fields of Cornish saffron, seal-filled coastal walks, lying in bed watching a surf competition below… Bestselling food author and sustainability champion Melissa Hemsley shares her standout Watergate Bay memories.

Melissa Hemsley

Passionate about the power of food to make us feel good – “food that tastes delicious, nourishes our bodies, [is] grown with the seasons and with respect for the people who grow it” – Melissa Hemsley is the author of five cookbooks. She also writes for The Telegraph and Vogue, and judges numerous food and sustainability awards.

She’s stayed at Watergate six times, drawn to Bay in May and November. From walking everywhere to letting the weather make you rest, maximising eating time to minimising food waste, listen to some of Melissa’s personal highlights in just 11 minutes:

Watergate Bay · A Watergate Bay perspective from Melissa Hemsley

Eating well, feeling good

Melissa’s latest book, Feel Good, is all about the relationship between food and happiness. “I wanted to explore comfort, connection and community,” she says. Comfort food can also be good for you, she insists. “It doesn’t have to be about cheesy, high fat, high sugar, high salt food,” she says, “I’m half Filipino, so comfort food to me is ginger fish soup – because it reminds me of my childhood. Just the smell of ginger boiling is a comfort to me in the same way sausages and mash are, from my English side.”

All in all, Feel Good is about having less stress in your life. “It’s not just about what we eat, but how we’re eating it, how we’re preparing it,” she says. “So there are less ingredients, less time in the kitchen, less washing up, and more time kicking back – whether that’s you on the sofa, or hanging out with family or friends.”

Sounds ideal to us.

Buy the book

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