Meet Kate AKA The Food Doula
I’m Kate Longden, The Food Doula: Self Taught Chef, Nurturer, Cooking Coach and Founder of the original food hug meal delivery service offering edible support across the UK. Back in 2018 I begun delivering home cooked meals across the UK, after having my first child, Olive, and realising time to nourish yourself in the way you *really* need during the fourth trimester is.. a challenge!
Thousands of meal deliveries later, to all corners of the UK, I continue to support those most needing a food hug, new parents, folk recovering from operations or undergoing treatment, people following frameworks guided by nutritionists to support their health or anyone navigating life's ebbs and flows, needing nourishment when time is tight or times are tough.
I’m certain the most loving and thoughtful gift, to yourself or others, is food. Gifting food not only offers nourishment, but is the gift of time and the opportunity to rest. Food is a love language we can all speak. It says, I care for you, and is a way of being there, even when you can’t be there in person.
You can gift yourself this too, in cooking, through harnessing energy when you do have it, to batch cook (make extra) food for those times you possess no energy or willing to cook. Batch cooking/ fridge prep is a gift to your future self, who you should always have in (kind) mind. The Food Doula headline is … you are the special guest. The further into business, motherhood and life I go, the more I have come to realise that my main priority should be my nervous system, because it is quite literally the control centre for how my hours, days and weeks play out, and how they feel.
So… making food to support my (and your) nervous system, is my jam! The key is having a well stocked kitchen full of nutritive tools to make food to FEEL GOOD IN and that tastes amazing, because punctuating our days with food pleasure & sensory joy is a must alongside the framework of foods that nourish us. This is why I’m slowly launching a new space in the food doula eco system… The Store cupboard & Apothecary Library, to order pantry tools and herbal botanicals to your store for a proactive preventative approach to health to utilise in cooking and potion making!
Our mission
The Food Doula provides bundles of nourishing and comforting, home-cooked dishes for those who need support. In the beginning, the focus was on new parents, but we have grown to send food to anyone, in any time of change, transition, challenge; Going back to work, illness, bereavement, moving house for example. A food hug when the ebbs and flows of life result in us needing a bit of extra support, edible support.
All our food is personally sourced, with free range, grass-fed meats and high- quality seasonal vegetables, because we believe that ingredients that are taken care of, take better care of you. Every wonderfully nourishing dish is prepared and immediately frozen, locking in nutrients, to be enjoyed whenever you need one less thing to do in the day for whatever reason.
Life is punctuated with many transitions, some happy, some exciting, some tough and some overwhelming. We can run on adrenaline during these times, before extreme tiredness kicks in. The result is that when we most need and deserve a good meal we may survive on toast, takeaways or random fridge face plant concoctions. From my experience, nourishing food, as well as rest during life transitions, support our ability to achieve being-well (or well-being) and staying-well.
The dishes included in our bundles are focussed upon providing carefully balanced nutritious meals with a dollop of indulgence. Our mission is to support tired folk when life is full on, and nourishing the body and mind can all too easily fall by the wayside.
Gifting yourself or someone else food is gifting not only nutritional nourishment but rest and time.
