There’s no stopping healthy eating café owner Tembi Huna, who has just started a new meal preparation service. SUE BRADLEY finds out what’s cooking

COUNTING calories and creating dishes for people with special needs is all in a day’s work for cafe owner Tembi Huna.

The former biomedical science researcher has just launched Fresh Fitness Fuel, a new meal preparation service for people in Swindon, which she runs from her Morley Street business Healthy Lane.

It’s geared towards individuals with specific health and wellness goals but possibly not the time or ability to plan and prepare their weekly menus.

Whether it’s keeping a close eye on calorie content to aid weight loss or muscle gain or assist with physical performance; coming up with sugar substitutes for diabetics or preparing meals that will help customers feel more energised, Tembi makes it her mission to create tasty bespoke dishes using quality ingredients that customers can pick up on Sundays and take home to eat during the following week.

She and her team can prepare meal packages that comply with existing plans drawn up by customers’ personal trainers, doctors or nutritionists, or start from scratch.

They can also work with experts to come up with tailor-made menus that cater for specific dietary needs such as allergies and intolerances.

Fresh Fitness Fuel is already proving a winner with body builders looking to gain more muscle through protein-rich meals high in antioxidants and vitamin C, which assists in the absorption of iron, and it’s becoming well known for its newly launched ‘cheeky chickens’, available in ‘herbie’, ‘jerky’ and ‘barbie’ flavours.

“We understand that nutrition is key to achieving health and fitness goals, and we know that counting calories does not appeal to everybody,” says Tembi.

“At the same time our meal preparation service brings our customers convenience: we can save people hours in terms of not having to plan menus, shop for ingredients, cook and then clean up afterwards.

“We offer different packages that enable us to cater for diverse needs.

“Most importantly, we offer flexibility for people to choose the meals they like to suit their needs and goals.”

Tembi hails from South Africa and has three science degrees and several years of post-graduate experience in the bio medical industry, which has helped her gain an in depth knowledge of human health.

In 2007 she left her senior scientific officer role at the University of Cape Town to join the National Institute for Medical Research (Francis Crick Institute) in London, before getting a job working in the oil and gas engineering industry.

Her move from the laboratory to the kitchen came after friends commented on her passion for healthy eating and encouraged her to open her own business.

Tembi dipped her toe in the water in 2014 with a Swindon-based salad delivery service before going on to open Healthy Lane, a café offering dishes that are both nutritious and delicious and a range of vitamin and mineral-packed juices and smoothies.

Each of the recipes for the tasty and nutrient-rich dishes served at Healthy Lane is based on Tembi’s meticulous research.

“The food we offer at the café is based on the meals that I eat at home,” explains the self-taught cook.

“My aim is to make each dish really nutrient-rich and make sure people get as much as possible out of every serving.

“Our bodies need a whole spectrum of nutrients, and the type of food we eat can have a major impact on our overall health.

“Ultimately healthy food is not bland and boring. It’s not just about carrots and leaves, there is meat and fish too, and I’m working to increase what I offer in the café for vegetarians and vegans. In addition, around 90%

of the menu at Healthy Lane is gluten-free. We are really pleased the people who come to the café have embraced the idea of healthy and fresh food.”

As if running a café and bespoke meals preparation service wasn’t enough, Tembi puts a lot of effort into keeping herself up to date with latest developments.

“I am always reading,” she laughs. “Science is very dynamic and things change all the time, so I have to be careful what I use. I’m also doing a course in nutrition so that I’m well equipped to give people the best possible advice.”

All in all, Tembi believes she’s able to offer services that really do cater for 21st Century health needs.

“We all have health, wellness and fitness goals but not everybody has the time and knowledge to come up with meals geared for their precise requirements, which is where Fresh Fitness Fuel can help,” she says.

www.freshfitnessfuel.co.uk

 Healthy Lane, 31 Morley Street, Swindon l www.healthylane.co.uk