Pollen & Grace have taken the London food scene by storm with their delicious and healthy food-to-go. Their innovative, nutritionist-designed range includes breakfast pots, lunch boxes, snacks and sweet treats that are all free from gluten, wheat, dairy and refined sugars. Like us, they use natural, nutrient-dense ingredients that not only taste good but make you feel good too!
We caught up with founder Stephanie Johnson to find out the inspiration behind the company, her favourite dish from their delicious menu and her typical day in food:
Where did the idea behind Pollen & Grace come from and what gave you the push to create it?
Pollen + Grace mostly came from a frustration with the lack of ‘free-from’ lunch options that were actually tasty and exciting. About 3 years ago when I was working in London, free-from was still pretty limited, and when I found out about my intolerances I really missed exciting food (I was a chef previously, so food has always been a big part of my life). I started making my own lunches to take to work and they gained a lot of attention, so I decided to start doing that full time! I guess I always wanted to create my own business, and have a complete obsession with food/ the food-to-go market. I couldn’t find what I wanted so it was the perfect fit.
What was the initial response?
We started small - making lunches from my home kitchen that I would bike to nearby offices to deliver. We knew all of our clients individually and could see the demand was there, it was just about finding the right way to execute. Soon a couple of gyms and yoga studios approached us about stocking the food and it sort of went from there - retail made sense so we decided to transition from lunch delivery and took on Planet Organic a couple of months later, which was huge for us!
Pollen & Grace Founder Stephanie Johnson
Describe your typical day in food?
Most meals tend to be in the office, so for breakfast I’ll grab leftover chia pudding with coyo and granola if I want sweet or boiled egg with quinoa if I want savoury. I go to a FRAME class before work most days too so by 11am I need a second breakfast, which is usually banana with peanut butter.
For lunch, we all eat together and the kitchen makes lots of exciting dishes using the leftovers from the day - lots of curries/broths/stews with salads, hummus and falafels - it’s definitely my biggest meal of the day.
I keep dinner light - my go to is usually asian broth, or ginger greens served with lime baked cod or salmon.
What’s your favourite dish on the Pollen & Grace menu?
My favourites tend to change quite often, depending on the season, but it’s currently the Mango + Turmeric Chia Pudding for breakfast, the Probiotic Box for lunch and the Beaty Bar at pretty much any time of the day.
What inspires you?
The Pollen + Grace team are my biggest inspiration - seeing everyone so involved and excited pushes me every day to make things amazing.
If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring entrepreneur – what would it be?
Don’t be afraid to start small! Your product/business will develop and grow naturally with you, and you’ll learn so much along the way.
Do you have 3 simple tips for a happy, healthier day?
1. Do something just for you each day, whether that be meditating, exercising or taking a bath.
2. Never skip breakfast (it’s the best meal of the day!)
3. Write tomorrow’s to-do list at the end of the working day - everything’s fresh in your mind then, and you’ll relax/sleep much better in the evening.
Browse the menu and find out more on the Pollen & Grace website, or check out this delicious recipe for Healthy Chocolate Brownies With Orange & Baobab Sauce.
