The healthy Hemsley Sisters: Feeling good inside and out

Sisters Melissa and Jasmine Hemsley share their take on a wholesome lifestyle in a new TV series, 'Hemsley + Hemsley: Healthy and Delicious'. Hilary Biller spoke to them

It is said breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Melissa: I love leftovers in the morning and breakfast this morning was leftover coconut dahl heated up and I stirred some spinach into it. It's perfect for making in bulk and freezing for lazy weekdays or when you just don't have the time to cook something from scratch.

Jasmine: I had a meeting at our Hemsley Selfridges café this morning so ate one of our flaxseed buns with egg and bacon, with our homemade probiotic ketchup for dipping, and a "hardcore green juice" which is veg based.

A career in food wasn't on the cards. Where did it all start?

Jasmine: I'd been working full-time as a model since I was 19 and had become fascinated by the many different ideas surrounding health and nutrition. I began to develop and grow the Hemsley + Hemsley way of eating through research, study and self-practice, while sharing tips and tricks.

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The turnaround moment came after a trip to Australia where we were determined more than ever to bring that holiday feeling of sunshine and vitality back to our hectic London lives.

Melissa: I worked as a footwear brand manager, and later in marketing and promotion for gastropubs and bars, and caught the cooking bug and helped spread the word.

With so many mixed messages in the media about what constitutes a healthy food lifestyle, what's your advice?

Melissa and Jasmine: The fact that food has become so confusing is exactly why we wanted to share our experiences and findings so that people can go back to real foods again and from there tune in to what it is that's right for them to make them feel their best. We take a holistic approach towards well-being with food at its heart because our passion doesn't just lie in healthy eating, but in tasty food that we enjoy.

In going back to real foods with no worry of kilojoule-counting or fear of fats, you can get away from all that guilt and deprivation. Our style is back to basic nutrition - meat and two veg and avoiding grains and processed, refined and sugary foods. Dining out on a rainbow of vegetables means our recipes attract vegans, vegetarians, paleo, primal and raw foodies alike.

What is your quick go-to meal when you are hungry?

Melissa and Jasmine: We love cooking and we also like an easy life, so for us it's all about making things good and simple. We cook food in big batches, portion it up and then freeze it so that there is always a tasty meal to come home to.

We are also fans of one-pot cooking to save on the washing up. Time-saving tricks and forward thinking prep leaves us more time to enjoy a meal and stops us getting caught short.

A dish like our slow-cooked chicken curry ticks all the boxes when you are on a time constraint. The words "slow-cooked" and "in a hurry" don't seem to go together, but they do when it comes to this recipe: five minutes preparation in the morning and then let it simmer away in the slow cooker while you're at work. We love serving it with cauliflower or broccoli rice.

There's nothing nicer than a glass of wine with a special meal. Yes or no?

Absolutely, yes. We love a nice glass or two. When we're eating out we look for choices such as organic and biodynamic wines to avoid unwanted tannins and sulphites.

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What are three favourite ingredients that you use over and over again?

Jasmine and Melissa:

1. Bone broth is definitely our No1. It's at the heart of our philosophy and our N01 "superfood", especially during the colder months.

2. Proper sea salt is the key to tasty food. Regular table salt is highly processed and bleached and bears little resemblance to natural salts like rock and sea salt which are dried in the wind and sun. 3. Turmeric is a great pick-me-up for the whole system - detoxifying, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial (good against viral and bacterial infections). This bright orange root contains curcumin, known to have extremely potent medicinal properties.

You share loads of lovely recipes on the show. What three stand out as the most popular?

Jasmine: Pablo's chicken, which is our answer to fried chicken, free from breadcrumbs and vegetable oil but crunchy, crispy, succulent and delectable. Our baked version is almond crusted, unbelievably good and a hit at any dinner or picnic we take it to.

Melissa: The one-pan Full Monty is great comfort food that you can eat at any time of day. Eggs, spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms and bacon all come together in one pan for a slap-up meal. Everyone loves our cinnamon banana bread and this one makes a sweet and satisfying breakfast or snack.

Catch 'Hemsley + Hemsley: Healthy and Delicious', on BBC Lifestyle, DStv channel 174 Tuesdays at 9.30pm