Deliciously Ella: ‘I had such a deep sense of imposter syndrome that made me feel so incredibly anxious’

At 23, Ella Mills felt unprepared for the success of her vegan food franchise Deliciously Ella, particularly amid the backlash to clean eating. But healthy food has been her mainstay and now, ten years on and a busy mother herself, she’s making plant-based cooking quick and easy

Deliciously Ella: ‘My go-to green pasta’

Sarah Caden

“Looking at broccoli made me gag,” says Ella Mills and she says it fully aware that her aversion to the superfood crucifer will be a bit of a shocker to some. Dislike of broccoli is not exactly rare in the general population, after all, but from Deliciously Ella, the admission is like Willy Wonka saying he’s dairy intolerant. Broccoli is, in a way, her business.

Mills makes this admission with intent, however. In explaining how, during her first and very nauseous pregnancy in 2019, she hated the sight of broccoli, she chips at the perfectly healthy image she feels has been both the blessing and curse of her career. It is more than a decade since Mills — then Ella Woodward — seemed to take modern food and health by storm. She was only 21 when she launched the website Deliciously Ella, full of plant-based recipes she cooked in her parents’ kitchen.