Helen Best-Shaw founded her food blog, Fuss Free Flavours in January of 2007 after food shopping one Saturday.
Walking back to her West London flat weighed down with her bargain bounty of fresh fruit and vegetables from the local market - herbs, lentils, pulses and flatbreads from the local Middle Eastern shop - Helen was struck by the number of people carrying bags from the cheap supermarket.
She could see the cheap ready meals and unhealthy food through the thin carrier bags. This led her to consider the definitions of cheap and value, bargains and promotions. She realized that there is a huge difference between eating well cheaply and eating cheap food.
Helen's insight that day was the catalyst for starting her blog. She wanted to share simple recipes for delicious meals that are achievable and affordable. For Helen, the fuss free approach to cooking works best. She does not have a large or grand kitchen and will often write about the effort-to-glory ratio; that is, dishes that are impressive but, when you know a few tricks, are very easy to prepare.
Her simple mantra for fuss free food and healthy eating is, “Eat a generous portion of (raw) vegetables with every meal whenever you can.”
If you can follow that rule 80% of the time, as well as the wise words of Michael Pollan, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants,” you cannot go too far wrong.
Helen loves great quality meat, fish and dairy as well as cakes, puddings and other treats. She simply prefers to eat and enjoy them in moderation.
Since its early days, Helen has grown and developed Fuss Free Flavours to include recipe development; reviews of books, equipment, events, restaurants and more; and food travel.