Emma Hatcher

Hey, I’m Emma, a cookbook author and recipe writer, living in Brighton with my partner Rob and one-too-many dying houseplants. 12 years ago I was diagnosed with not-so-sexy Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Removing wheat from my diet helped for a few years, but when my symptoms returned, I was told to give up all lactose, gluten, coffee and more too. Without much change, I became increasingly frustrated – until many years later a new dietician suggested following a Low FODMAP Diet. It was a light-bulb moment. The diet didn’t only decrease my symptoms, but completely changed my life.

I realised however, that although the science was empowering – nobody knew about it! And there were a huge lack of recipes out there that were both delicious and low FODMAP (free from common ingredients such as onion, garlic, dates and milk). I created this small space on the internet with the aim to share my story, raise awareness of the Low FODMAP Diet and to help others in the same position. My debut cookbook, The FODMAP Friendly Kitchen was published by Hodder & Stoughton in 2017, and you can find more out about that here.

Life is about balance; there will always be a large place for cheese and wine in my life. But stomach aches and an unhappy gut have become routine for so many of us and gut health is so important. It’s time to think a bit more about what we’re eating; because often small, simple (and delicious) changes for those of us with IBS, really can make all the difference.

Lovely to meet you and I hope you enjoy looking around x