Tom Hunt: for pleasure & planet
Who: Eco-chef Tom Hunt is on a mission to help us eat delicious food that doesn’t cost the planet (or our wallet). His latest book - Eating for Pleasure, People & Planet - helps people shop, eat and cook sustainably.
Why: Tom has been cooking veg and educating on the value of more sustainable diets for many years. He is a pioneer of ‘Root to Fruit’ eating, helping reduce waste through recipes and tips that encourage consuming all edible plant parts.
Favourite veggie dish: “Vegan paella - it’s so versatile, rich in umami and satisfyingly savoury.”
1. Let’s start from the very beginning - can you tell me about your family and upbringing?
I was born in Winchester and lived in a small village, an idyllic and beautiful place. When I was about 10 years old we moved to the Dorset countryside to a community farm, so I really grew up with a love of nature. My parents then bought a house which came with two goats - Boot and Cassie - which I was responsible for milking before school. It was a tough job in the cold winters, but the milk we had made it worth it! The farm taught me a lot about the value of animals and their role in giving us food.
2. What type of food did you eat growing up?
As a child I had an illustrated cookbook I would cook from all the time. I have happy memories of cooking with my grandma, flipping pancakes and cooking roast dinner. It was the 80s and we ate simple food like pasta, fish fingers and curry. When I went veggie she cooked from the Cranks recipe book a lot. Whatever the food, we ate around the table together every evening - I think this is the main reason I work in food today.
Left: Tom’s wonky carrot cake. Right: Tom’s beetroot chocolate cake. Credit @ChefTomHunt.
3. What drew you to working with food?
I always had two passions growing up: Fine Art and food. While I was getting my education in Fine Art I worked at the local pub. Here I met chef Ben Hedges - an eccentric cook who was ahead of his time. He thought a lot about sustainability and was the first (and probably only) UK chef ever to get certified organic by the soil association. When I finished my Fine Arts degree I knew it was time to pick up the knives - I felt that I had neglected this side of me.
I worked with Ben for 6 years before I joined River Cottage and then started my own concept which evolved into Poco restaurant. In these years I had lots of freedom to create and explore with food.
“These days, fish farms have a whole pallet of colours they use on their salmon - most fish is artificially dyed.”
4. Is there anyone connecting food and art in exciting ways?
Absolutely - I am deeply inspired by an artist duo called Cooking Sections who have an incredible project called Climavore. They look at climate change and food through the Art lens. They are nominated for a Turner Prize and you can see their work at the Tate Britain through August. I love their piece on the colour Salmon. These days, fish farms have a whole pallet of colours they feed their salmon - most farmed salmon is artificially dyed. They bring the artist's perspective to this reality in a completely fascinating way.
From Tom’s book - Left: A Swede posing as a Ham. Right: BBQ Purple Sprouting Broccoli. Credit @ChefTomHunt.
5. When did the role of sustainability in food come into focus for you?
I was acutely aware of sustainable gastronomy from an early age given my work on the farm, with Ben Hodges and at River Cottage. However, it wasn’t until I met Tristram Stuart in 2011 that I decided to make food sustainability my core focus.
I created an event cooking with “food waste” on the South Bank with Tristram’s team called the Forgotten Feast. This path eventually led me to coin the term “Root to Fruit” a philosophy to help explain the concept of zero food waste.
Over time, I came to realise that food waste was only the tip of the iceberg. My exploration of sustainable food has all come together in my recent book Eating for Pleasure, People & Planet. It details 12 points designed to help people take practical steps towards eating more sustainably, imbued with a philosophical and value-based approach to food. I believe we’ve lost touch with the value of food, so we need this deeper layer of meaning to reconnect. This process of uncovering the value of food led me to the three guiding principles in my book:
Eat for pleasure
Eat whole foods
Eat the best food you can
“We have lost our connection with the origin of food and nature as a whole: the work I do is focused on mending that connection. After all, food is nature ingested.”
6. What has been the greatest learning from writing and publishing Eating for Pleasure, People & Planet?
I realised how everything really begins with the quality of our soil and agriculture. Where possible, we need to get to know where food comes from. We have lost our connection with the origin of food and nature as a whole: the work I do is focused on mending that connection. After all, food really is nature ingested.
On the practical side, I learned how important perennials are to soil health. Perennials grow back year over year, which reduces tilling and allows carbon capture in the soil as well as nutrient retention and development.
Left: Tom biting into his “pulp fiction” burger - made with leftover juice pulp. Right: Tom’s Saag Paneer. Credit @ChefTomHunt.
“[The] “eat the best food you can” [principle] is so important. Budgets, food access, and socio-cultural norms all play a role - we need to allow for everyone to do the best they can.”
7. Eating more sustainably can feel overwhelming. Where would you suggest people start?
Begin with a box of seasonal vegetables - whatever is accessible to you. Start by using these whole foods. Reducing waste is another great way to reduce impact while saving money.
These days, I think of myself as a flexitarian climavore. I eat to reduce my impact, prioritising foods that are better for the environment. While I eat a predominantly plant based whole food diet, I am happy to very occasionally eat meat and fish produced in the most exemplary way. For example, oysters, clams and muscles are great natural ocean filters.
I don’t believe there is a perfect diet - we are all human and often at the whim of external circumstances and our emotions. This is why I think my third pillar “eat the best food you can” is so important. Budgets, food access, and socio-cultural norms all play a role - we need to allow for everyone to do the best they can.
8. What are your top tips for cooking delicious veg?
Writing my book taught me how often cooking with plants is actually the most nutritious, economical and delicious way to eat. My advice is to flip the menu and place vegetables centre stage, adding dairy and meat sparingly. Another great tip is to simply treat veg as you would do meat: marinate, slow roast, spice. We really need to let go of protein as the centrepiece.
Left: Tom’s daughter enjoying her current favourite - veggie sushi. Right: Blackcurrant, squash and sage tart. Credit @ChefTomHunt.
9. What are some veg parts that we often discard that are actually edible and delicious?
First things first, never peel anything. Root greens are great - I love beetroot leaves which are in the same family as chard but even more nutritious. When we remove these parts of the plant we also remove a crucial component of our diet - fibre - which we need a lot more of!
10. You have a two year old, what tips do you have for parents looking to add more veg into their children’s life?
I think children and adults are actually quite similar. The solution is really around reconnecting us with nature. The three things that really make a difference are exposing us to a variety of foods, cooking and engaging with food together, and growing foods to really understand its origin.
“I think this guilt can in many cases be more harmful than the food itself. We are emotional beings so we need to concede for moments when we break the rules.”
11. If you could give one piece of advice on how to achieve health in its physical and emotional forms, what would it be?
A whole food, plant-rich diet is key. Movement is really important too. I find it hard to understand how food makes me feel...I believe that consuming “unhealthy” foods is often accompanied with a feeling of guilt. I think this guilt can in many cases be more harmful than the food itself. We are emotional beings so we need to concede for moments when we break the rules. As someone who loves food, “eating for pleasure” means exploring the diversity and richness of wonderful ingredients, indulging in its variety and richness in a thoughtful way.
