Rebecca J Farrington

www.rebeccajfarrington.co.uk What the French can teach us about living (and eating) well Facebook Instagram Linkedin Hi Reader Bonjour from France! I’m spending a few days with my friend and fellow health coach, Sarah, at her beautiful property in South West France. It’s the kind of place where time slows down and meals are savoured rather than rushed. What strikes me every time I’m in France is how naturally healthy the lifestyle feels. People take their time to eat — sitting down, chatting,...

rebeccajfarrington.co.uk Getting the big soup pan out again Facebook Instagram Linkedin Hi Reader Last weekend I got the big soup pan out for the first time since spring. You probably have one too — heavy, lives at the back of the cupboard all summer, and reappears the moment the evenings start drawing in. Leeks softening slowly in olive oil. A couple of tins of white beans. A big handful of kale, good stock, and a splash of cider vinegar right at the end to wake it all up. Nothing clever....

rebeccajfarrington.co.uk Why I stop eating by 6pm Facebook Instagram Linkedin Hi Reader A few years ago I started stopping eating by 6pm — not for any dramatic reason, just because it felt better. No snacking in front of the telly, no "one more bit of cheese" while I'm tidying the kitchen. Dinner happens, then the kitchen closes. What I didn't expect was how much it seemed to change my sleep. It's not just what you eat — it's when you stop Sleep and blood sugar are more tangled together than...

rebeccajfarrington.co.uk Cooking for a film crew hunting Cornish tuna Facebook Instagram Linkedin Hi Reader So a bit of a different one this week — no science or research notes, just a look at what I do as part of my 'other' job as a private chef. I was lucky enough to cook for a film crew at The Tuna Club in Falmouth. Two days of private catering, right on the water, with the sort of views that genuinely make you catch your breath. The brief? To serve evening meals, lunches and breakfast to...

rebeccajfarrington.co.uk This summer got away from me a bit Facebook Instagram Linkedin Hi Reader I'll be honest with you — my routine has been a bit of a mess this summer, and not just in the kitchen. The batch-cooked lentils, the fridge that's actually stocked, the meals that happen because I planned for them — all of that took a back seat to a busier work schedule and the general looseness that August seems to invite. My running dropped off too, which genuinely annoys me. But the flip side...

rebeccajfarrington.co.uk The run I finally got back to this week Facebook Instagram Linkedin Hi Reader I went for a run this week for the first time in months. Work took over completely this summer — evenings disappeared, and my usual after-dinner run just fell off the list. I hadn't really noticed how much I missed it until I laced up my trainers on Tuesday, podcast in, and headed down toward the harbour. It didn't feel like exercise. It felt like getting something back. It's the difference...

rebeccajfarrington.co.uk 5 small food swaps that steady your blood sugar Facebook Instagram Linkedin Hi Reader I keep a fairly short list of things I actually rely on, day to day, to help keep my own blood sugar steady — not rules, just small, repeatable moves that keep showing up as useful, both in the research and in my own kitchen. Five of them, to be precise. None of them ask you to give anything up — just small additions that make the food you're already eating work a little harder for...

www.rebeccajfarrington.co.uk Why the order on your plate matters more than the calories Facebook Instagram Linkedin Hi Reader Years ago, when I was trying to work this out for myself, I ran a fairly unscientific experiment on my own meals. One night: a bowl of plain jasmine rice, nothing much else. Another night: much the same rice, but alongside grilled salmon, a soft-boiled egg, and a big pile of greens wilted in sesame oil. I didn’t have a glucose monitor back then, but the difference in...

www.rebeccajfarrington.co.uk Why I stopped being afraid of fat Facebook Instagram Linkedin Hi Reader The cheese email clearly hit a nerve — the response has been lovely, and quite a few of you wrote back with a version of the same follow-up question: if cheese might actually be fine, what’s the real story with fat more broadly? It’s such a good question. And I’ll be honest — it’s one I used to find quite confusing myself. For years, fat was the enemy. Low-fat everything. Margarine instead of...

www.rebeccajfarrington.co.uk One of the most debated foods in nutrition — and why the answer isn't black and white. Facebook Instagram Linkedin Hi Reader A wonderful question landed in my inbox this week from one of you — and I suspect quite a few people have been quietly wondering the same thing. Is cheese healthy? Or should we be feeling guilty every time we reach for the cheese board? I'll be honest with you: this is one of those topics where the science is genuinely all over the place....

www.rebeccajfarrington.co.uk A gut health lunch at Polgoon Vineyard Facebook Instagram Linkedin Hi Reader I wanted to share something with you before it goes anywhere else — because if you're getting this email, you're someone who genuinely cares about your health, and this feels made for you. On Tuesday 30 June I'm hosting a Gut Health Lunch at Polgoon Vineyard in Penzance. It's a beautiful three-course lunch with a talk woven through it — not a lecture, not a seminar, just a really good...