Mind the menu: meet Heather Thomas from The Mindful Kitchen

***Rachel Khoo would like to thank all the inspiring people who helped make the Khoollect studio a hive of creativity. Although the Khoollect studio’s doors have now closed, you can keep up with Rachel’s newest adventures on RachelKhoo.com and on Rachel’s Instagram and Facebook pages – and, continue to enjoy the Khoollect website’s stories and recipes, which will remain available.***

Meet Heather Thomas, one of the creative foodies behind The Mindful Kitchen. Heather was raised with a passion for nature, sustainability and food. Her upbringing was spent closely connected to nature and was the start of a life dedicated to helping others find happiness through delicious, conscious food.

The Mindful Kitchen offers interactive and educational food workshops, which, with a unique approach to nature, sustainability and food, reveal how each individual can make a difference within themselves and around the world. The Mindful Kitchen starts with teaching others how to be truly present for a meal and enjoy it with all their senses. After all, there’s no better way to connect with others than through the simple act of sharing a meal.

The Mindful Kitchen offers workshops that are interactive and hands-on. In them, you’ll be tasting, making and sharing stories that will challenge the way you see food.

Tell us about yourself and your business, The Mindful Kitchen …  
I grew up in one of those places where I walked past the farms my food came from on my way to school in the morning. I never had to learn that I was dependent upon the land; by osmosis I absorbed the idea that I was part of nature, and that I was there to provide for it as well as take from it. I’ve identified as an environmentalist since childhood, and I’ve always wanted to translate this personal passion into action. Fast forward a few years later, and, together with my friend and business partner Marian Reed, we’ve launched a pop-up eatery and workshop hub in Copenhagen where we’ve fed over 10,000 people. In 2016, we decided to rework the success of the Copenhagen eatery and pop up into The Mindful Kitchen. With the desire to bring nature-based food experiences home to London, we’re hoping The Mindful Kitchen workshops inspire our guests to nurture our planet.

Tell us about The Mindful Kitchen…where did it being and what’s it all about? 
Despite identifying as a self-described environmentalist since childhood, a few years on I started to feel powerless in the face of climate change. I began to read voraciously on the topic of food sustainability, and while scientists focus on the energy system, I began to realise that maybe an army of average people could really contribute to reducing the impact of climate change by doing something we all love, and all have to do every day – eat! If solving climate change was as easy as telling people not to eat steaks, almonds or avocados from the other side of the world – we wouldn’t have a problem. I got inspired. That’s how The Mindful Kitchen workshops were born, they offer experiences that aim to create ‘uh-huh moments’.  We literally teach people how to play with their food so that they can reveal the extraordinary behind the ordinary every time they eat. I’d love The Mindful Kitchen to become a trusted community people turn to reduce their climate footprint.
What inspired your love of mindful cooking and sustainability? 
I went through a period of my life where I had let my spiritual basket run dry. Through this, I learned about the concept of beginner’s mind; when you look at something familiar and force yourself to pretend you have never had an encounter with coffee, pencils, your keyboard before. A light bulb went off and I realised that I could use beginner’s mind and adapt the principles of mindfulness to anything and get positive results. How does this connect to food?  Well, one November afternoon I was in the supermarket with my boyfriend.  I was mindlessly piling organic avocados in our basket and I had an epiphany. We were in Copenhagen. When was the last time you saw an avocado farm in Scandinavia? In that instant, we decided to spend the next year radically changing our diets by only eating seasonal foods. We made a rule to ensure that 80% of our food came from within 200km and 20% from organic, fair trade sources. Soon enough, June rolled around. Walking along the canal, I picked up a punnet of fresh strawberries from a farmer’s stall and sat down in the sunshine.  Without even thinking about it, my brain went into beginner’s mind mode. Each juicy burst of berry flesh was intoxicating; this was three years ago and I can still feel the sun on my face and feel the refreshingly cool sweetness on my tongue. From personal experience, I knew that food and mindfulness could blend seamlessly to connect one to nature.  Two months after the strawberry moment, I taught my first workshop.
The Mindful kitchen
You’re based in London and Copenhagen; where are your favourite places to eat in each city?
London’s Artusi on Bellenden Road has an ability to add local flavour and experience with their small kitchen and cosy dining room. I also love Tom Hunt’s Poco in Broadway Market. He has an holistic approach to sustainability, 90% of his produce comes from the UK and he has a food waste reduction system in the restaurant.
I eat at home a lot more in Copenhagen than I do in London – it’s just part of the culture.  But, when I do head out you’re quite likely to find me at MOTHER pizza.  The sourdough ovens take pride of place. My favourite Copenhagen craft beer bar, Fermentoren, ‘The Ferm,’ is the spiritual home for my group of friends. Brews change daily.

 

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Gabi Van

Gabi Van is a passionate food writer, qualified chef and brunch-lover hailing all the way from sunny...

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