Ella Woodward Explained

Ella Mills
Birth Date:31 May 1991
Birth Place:Rugby, Warwickshire, England
Education:Rugby School
Alma Mater:University of St Andrews
Occupation:Food writer
Known For:Deliciously Ella brand
Spouse:Matthew Mills (m. 2016)
Children:2
Parents:Shaun Woodward
Camilla Sainsbury
Website:https://deliciouslyella.com

Eleanor Laura Davan Mills (née Woodward; born 31 May 1991) is a British food writer and businesswoman, best known for the plant-based 'Deliciously Ella' food blog and brand. On her mother's side she is part of the Sainsbury family.

Early life and family

Woodward was born on 31 May 1991 in Rugby, Warwickshire, England,[1] the daughter of the politician Shaun Woodward and his wife Camilla, daughter of politician Tim Sainsbury and granddaughter of Lord Sainsbury, of the Sainsbury's supermarket owning family.[1]

After attending Rugby School and Hurtwood House,[2] Woodward graduated with a degree in history of art from the University of St Andrews in 2013.[3]

In April 2016 she married Tessa Jowell's son, Matthew Mills, who is also her business partner.[4] [5] The couple have two daughters, Skye, who was born in July 2019 [6] and May, born in October 2020.[7]

Career

Woodward writes about food in a blog she founded in 2012 named Deliciously Ella which was also the title of her first book, published in 2015.[8] Her second book, Deliciously Ella Every Day was released in January 2016.[9] A third book, Deliciously Ella With Friends was released in January 2017.[10] She was an advocate of clean eating but turned against it after a media backlash that questioned its health benefits.[11] Her clean eating series of books was called by The Guardian "arguably the most successful fad diet cookbook series in recent years".[12]

In 2014, the Deliciously Ella App was launched containing over 100 recipes.[13] The app with plant-based recipes, yoga videos and guided meditations is available in the App Store and Google Play.

In 2015, Ella and her business partner, Matthew Mills, opened The MaE Deli, Seymour Place, Marylebone.[14] In 2016 they opened their second site, The MaE Deli, Weighhouse Street, Mayfair. In early 2017, a third site was launched named The Kitchen Counter, in Herne Hill, as an extension to their development kitchen.[15] In March 2018, after less than a year, the Herne Hill site was closed down, as was the Marylebone deli, due to debts accruing of £720,000.[16] [17]

The Deliciously Ella brand also includes food products sold in stores. These products started with energy balls and eventually expanded to more than 30 products. They expanded to the United States in 2019.[18] [19]

Books

VegNews listed Deliciously Ella: Quick & Easy as one of the "Top 100 Vegan Cookbooks of All Time" in 2024.[20]

Notes and References

  1. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 2003, volume 3, p. 3458,
  2. Web site: Hall of Fame - Alumni. Hurtwood House. 5 June 2023.
  3. News: Mills. Simon. Ella Woodward, author of Deliciously Ella, wants us to feel good about healthy food, without being 'smug'. 31 August 2016. London Evening Standard. 8 April 2015.
  4. News: Lexi Finnigan . Deliciously Ella ties the knot on the tropical island of Mustique . The Daily Telegraph . 2016-04-26 . 2016-07-08 .
  5. Web site: Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. ey.com. Ernst and Young. 27 July 2017.
  6. Web site: Deliciously Ella names baby after Tessa Jowell, her late mother-in-law. 28 July 2019. The Guardian.
  7. Web site: Login • Instagram. www.instagram.com.
  8. News: Olivia Parker . Deliciously Ella: I want to get people excited about veg . The Daily Telegraph . 24 January 2015. 10 March 2016.
  9. News: Elizabeth Grice . Deliciously Ella: 'There's a pressure to be sparkly and shiny all the time' . The Daily Telegraph . 2016-01-23 . 2016-03-10.
  10. Book: Deliciously Ella With Friends. www.hodder.co.uk. 26 January 2017 . Hodder and Stoughton. 9781473619517 . 27 July 2017.
  11. News: Lizzie Edmonds . Clean eating and why Deliciously Ella and the Hemsley sisters are turning their backs on it . . 2017-01-10 . 27 July 2017.
  12. News: Bad fad – Ruby Tandoh on how clean eating turned toxic | Life and style . . 2016-12-13 . 27 July 2017.
  13. Web site: Gloss. Get The. An App a Day: Deliciously Ella. 2021-04-12. Get The Gloss. en.
  14. News: Ben Norum . Deliciously Ella to launch The Mae Deli in Marylebone . . 2015-11-02 . 27 July 2017.
  15. Web site: Deliciously Ella to open The Kitchen Counter in Herne Hill - Hospitality & Catering News . Hospitalityandcateringnews.com . 5 April 2017. 27 July 2017.
  16. Web site: Jonathan Prynn . Vegan blogger Deliciously Ella shuts down Herne Hill café | London Evening Standard . Standard.co.uk . 9 March 2018. 14 August 2018.
  17. News: Jerome Starkey . Food blogger Deliciously Ella swallows losses of £720,000 | News . The Times. 12 March 2018. 14 August 2018.
  18. Web site: How Deliciously Ella Succeeded With Health Aware Younger Consumers . www.bordbia.ie . 23 November 2021.
  19. News: Glascott . Sarah . Deliciously Ella - Meet The Woman Behind The Fastest Selling Vegan Cookbook of All Time . 23 November 2021 . TheTaste.ie . 3 October 2018.
  20. Web site: The Top 100 Vegan Cookbooks of All Time. January 16, 2024. Pointing. Charlotte. January 16, 2024. VegNews.