Only the Beginning

hate to think people are out there with problems, who don’t feel comfortable talking to friends or family, and don’t know what to do or where to turn,” says Lucy Watson, who first came to the public eye in 2012 when she joined the cast of Made In Chelsea, and has since made a name for herself as a businesswoman, author and animal rights activist. “I would recommend counselling to anyone,” she continues. “It’s the best thing you could ever do for yourself.” It’s a warm lunchtime in May at our cover shoot, and Lucy is perched on a makeup stool, biting into a vegan brownie and chatting about her experiences with counselling, breaking into the family business, and what she’s most known for now: the wonders of vegan cooking. With her award-winning debut cookbook, Feed Me Vegan, along with a vegan eatery under her belt, and a brand new book – Feed Me Vegan: For All Occasions – launching soon, she’s somewhat of an expert on the subject. I tell Lucy how excitedly my friends flicked through the pages of her first book, recommending their favourite recipes. “That’s the thing with these books, they’re not only for vegans,” she says. “They’re for everybody.” Having bought it myself, I can vouch for that. I’m not vegan, but the recipes are delicious, nutritious and simple to make – not to mention affordable. And that’s one of the things Lucy wants from these books; to make vegan food more accessible. All you need is a taste for flavour and a willingness to try something new – something Lucy recognises with her own transition to veganism. “As you learn more about food; the nutrients you get from plants and how healthy it can be, I think you start to appreciate vegetables a lot more,” she says, and having become vegan two years ago, Lucy is aware there is still so much to learn. “I’m on a journey myself and I think the people buying the book are on the journey with me.” The more I speak to Lucy, the more I realise who she is. The tough, strong exterior we saw back in the MIC days certainly remains, but there is so much more to her. She is determined in her business ventures, but also a passionate, sensitive woman who loves animals and wants to do all she can – in her own life and the world around her – to protect them. Given that Lucy spent much of her childhood living on a farm, her love of animals comes as no surprise. And while this passion has influenced her career and taste for vegan eating, this wasn’t always the case. She recalls being much more difficult as a child – with less culinary flair – living on a diet consisting mostly of macaroni cheese and pancakes. Her dad Clive – chairman of the City Pub group and an experienced businessman – was more traditional when it came to mealtimes though. Meat was always a part of their dinners, but when Lucy learned exactly what it was, she was devastated. “I remember being very upset,” she says. “I was hurt and angry – I felt tricked.”

She refused to eat meat after this, and it wasn’t long before her mum and sister Tiffany followed suit.

"My sister is my best friend. It’s so nice working with someone you completely trust, and someone who you agree with on almost everything"

When her parents separated shortly after, Lucy and Tiff lived with their mum, and continued their childhood in a primarily vegetarian household. Being so young when her parents separated wasn’t easy. In fact, this led Lucy to her first experience of counselling. “I’ve had counselling my whole life,” she says. “I started it when I was young and really struggled with my parents’ divorce.” It’s clear when speaking to Lucy just how important family is to her. Her dad in particular (who has made several appearances on MIC alongside his two daughters) has been a key influence in her latest venture. In May this year, Lucy, her dad and Tiffany opened a vegan eatery, Tell Your Friends, in London.

Quickfire Q&A

Favourite meal? Spaghetti carbonara (book 1) Broccoli cream pasta (book 2)

Go-to breakfast? Tofu scramble with avocado on toast

Hangover food? Tofish and chips and sticky toffee pudding

Go-to order at Tell Your Friends? Buddha bowl and jackfruit chicken bites

Post-workout snack? Energy balls and/or a vegan protein shake

“My sister is my best friend, so we work well together,” Lucy explains. “We’re both quite headstrong and know what we want, but we have similar ideas. It’s so nice working with someone you completely trust, and who you agree with on almost everything.” When not writing a book, or opening a restaurant, she is tirelessly building her brand. Lucy smiles as she talks through all her current projects, the fond memories of working on MIC, and hopes for the future. She’d like to return to TV, but only for the right thing – Lucy will only work on projects or with brands whose values reflect her own. But with animal causes and charities close to her heart, she is a busy woman. She’s an ambassador for PETA, supporting them by raising awareness wherever she can – “it’s as simple as if they ask me to do something, I’ll do it, because I trust them” – but wants to get more involved and really “get her hands dirty” with animal sanctuaries in particular. “I want to be in on the action with these people that are doing amazing things. They’re the people I look up to.” It seems Lucy has everything figured out, but she’s still human. Having counselling as a child wasn’t the only time she sought support for her mental health, and Lucy has continued to see a counsellor on and off her whole life “for pretty much anything – relationships, work or emotions”.

What got me through was learning that everyone is going through similar things. I owed it to the viewers to be real

Over the years, Lucy’s learnt what she needs from a counsellor in order to really benefit from therapy. “I’ve had some really bad counselling sessions, where it feels like they’re just saying what they think they should say, or like they are not listening to what I’m telling them,” she says. But it was her last counsellor, around three years ago, who really helped her. “She was so intelligent; her way of looking at situations was amazing. It’s so easy to get lost in your thoughts, but a good counsellor is one who can help you untangle them, and understand what they mean.” Something that’s been prominent in the headlines recently has been the mental health of individuals involved in reality TV. So naturally, I’m intrigued to hear how Lucy found the support offered to those on MIC, in the form of counsellors. “I’m not a verytrusting person, and I think they struggled with that with me,” Lucy says. “I got less and less trusting as time went on and I think eventually that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Towards the end, I wasn’t willing to cooperate with the counselling; I’d rather source my own counsellor.” In the past, her struggle with trust is something that has affected other aspects of her life. “I had major trust issues in relationships; I was reading into things the wrong way,” she says. “I didn’t even trust my own opinion.” Having had difficulties with trust, joining the cast of MIC at just 21 and navigating life and new-found fame in the public eye for four years, until she left in 2016, can’t have been easy. “I wouldn’t say there were particular challenges for me on the show. The

thing that I struggled with the most was the editing; you forget on a TV show that it’s about ratings,” she notes. And this is something many of us viewers can forget too. Consider Big Brother, or Love Island – there's so much going on that we don’t see. Life isn’t one-dimensional, and while many of us will see Lucy through the screens of our TVs or phones, having her sit beside me talking about her life, I remember how much of what we think we know, isn’t true at all. “I felt a pressure to be the source of drama, which in reality, is very different to who I am,” Lucy explains. “I found it hard to perform some days – if it was a particularly emotionally driven situation. But what got me through was learning that everyone is going through similar things. I owed it to the viewers to be real.” Despite its ups and downs, MIC is a part of her life. In fact, it’s where she met her long-term boyfriend, James Dunmore. “I think it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done,” she says. As we speak about leaving the show, I’m curious to know whether these pressures have eased off, despite working so much on her other projects and having quite the following on social media (1.4 million Instagram followers and counting). Lucy responds with a fresh breath. “Oh it’s completely eased off,” she says. “I think that now I’m in a steady relationship, people are maybe comforted by it.” With such a supportive following, Lucy believes her honesty and realness both on and off the show have paid off. “I think they like the fact that there was a journey, and now it’s come out in a happy ending.” We agree that this is a natural part of life; as you start to settle down, everyone is happy for each other.

LUCY'S GO-TO

Grilled cheese & sauerkraut toasted sandwich

This has to be one of my favourite quick lunches. The flavours go so well together; the mustard gives everything a nice kick, especially when combined with the maple for that touch of sweetness. I use Violife’s ready-sliced cheese, but you can use whichever you prefer. The ready-sliced is perfect for toasties though...

SERVES 1 | 10 MINS

2 tsp Dijon mustard 1 tsp fresh dill ½ tsp maple syrup 2 slices of good-quality crusty bread 50g vegan Cheddar cheese, grated 70g beetroot and red cabbage sauerkraut 2 tsp vegan butter

In a bowl, mix the mustard with the dill and maple syrup, then spread this mixture on one side of each piece of bread. Layer the cheese and sauerkraut onto one slice, then put the remaining slice of bread on top and squash down firmly. Heat the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the sandwich and cook on both sides until it's golden brown and the cheese is melted. Serve.

“As a group of friends, you all go through changes at the same time,” she says. “It’s weird how your conversations change and adapt as you move on in life. They go from talking about boys and parties, to work, to your home and even babies and marriage – suddenly you think: ‘Oh my God, I’m becoming my mum!’” James, who recently opened up about his grief after losing his two sisters to cystic fibrosis, fully supports Lucy and her work – you’ll even spot him in her books. But while being Lucy’s partner in crime, he’s working on his own stuff too.

He recently returned from a charity trip to Borneo with Barnardo's, and is now preparing to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money and awareness for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust; an incredible endeavour that must bring up a mixture of emotions, both painful and rewarding. “It really is and it’s been tough on him,” says Lucy, fully supportive of this new venture.“He said Borneo was one of the most amazing things he’s ever done. He loves sports, fitness activities, anything that’s challenging, but he also wants to raise money and awareness for cystic fibrosis.” And while Lucy is quite the fitness fanatic herself, she isn’t sure whether she’d consider taking on such a challenge. “Maybe I would,” she says. “But James and I do everything together and our lives cross over in a lot of ways, so I’m happy he’s found something he’s really passionate about.” When it comes to fitness, yoga is Lucy’s game, as a means to find some quiet in an otherwise loud mind. “I think yoga and meditation are one of the best things you can do,” she says. “If you have a good instructor, it can change your life.” And while she’s taken advantage of positive outlets such as this, Lucy recognises that she’s extremely lucky to have not had any serious mental health issues. “I’ve always been quite stable with my mental health. I’m very black and white and generally know when something’s wrong,” she says. “Mum encouraged us to talk about things so I usually know how to fix a problem – I haven’t come across anything in my life where I’ve been like: ‘I don’t know what this is and I don’t know how to overcome it.’ I’m very lucky. “But in terms of my general wellbeing and energy, I feel so much better for what I’m eating, and probably do feel happier. When you have more energy and feel good, obviously it affects your mood.” As the finishing touches are applied, we can’t help but turn the conversation back to her book and any advice she has for those looking to make a change in their lives. “Vegan living is growing and more people are moving in that direction, but a lot of people who aren’t ready to go vegan fully are having meat-free days, or vegan weekends,” she says. The prospect of change can be overwhelming, but books like hers can make it less daunting – almost like a bridge between two extremes. “My advice is to research everything. Watch documentaries

and absorb it all – and get a good cookbook,” she says. “The first two weeks are the hardest, almost like breaking an addiction, but after that you stop missing the foods you were eating before. “I’m so excited to do the book tour,” she says. “Meeting all these amazing people trying to make a change; it’s like a group of friends. I’m excited – I just want to help people.” I consider our conversation as we say goodbye. Yes, she’s an author, and yes, she’s the woman from Made In Chelsea, but she’s more than that. Passionate and determined, Lucy has so much to bring, and sure enough, she’s just getting started.

‘Feed Me Vegan: For All Occasions’ by Lucy Watson is out on 6 September (Sphere, £18.99). Follow Lucy on Instagram @LucyWatson

By Ellen Hoggard