Ella Woodward

Ella Woodward – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Ella Woodward (also known as Ella Mills) is a British food writer, entrepreneur, and wellness influencer. This article explores her life, challenges, successes, and inspiring wisdom — plus a curated collection of her most memorable quotes.

Introduction

Ella Woodward, widely known by her brand name “Deliciously Ella,” is one of the most influential voices in plant-based living and wellness in the Britain-based health-food space. Through her blog, books, app, and products, she has helped demystify how to eat more plants in a sustainable, joyful way, not as a punitive diet but as an expression of care for the body and the planet. Her journey—from confronting chronic illness to building a successful lifestyle brand—offers lessons of resilience, balance, and authenticity that resonate well beyond nutrition.

Early Life and Family

Ella Woodward was born 31 May 1991 in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Eleanor Laura Davan Mills, née Woodward.

Her father is Shaun Woodward, a British politician, and her mother is Camilla Davan Sainsbury, of the Sainsbury family (a prominent name in British retail).

Growing up in a family with public service and entrepreneurial ties likely influenced her sense of purpose and capacity to operate across different spheres (media, food, business).

She attended Rugby School and then Hurtwood House before studying History of Art at the University of St Andrews, from which she graduated in 2013.

In 2016, she married Matthew Mills (who later becomes her business partner). The couple have two daughters.

Youth, Health Crisis & Turning Point

Ella’s journey to wellness advocacy was forged through adversity. In 2011, while she was in university, she was diagnosed with a rare condition called Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (PoTS)—a disorder of the autonomic nervous system.

The symptoms were severe and debilitating: constant fatigue, palpitations, chronic pain, blackouts, and gastrointestinal problems. She once described being bedridden 95% of the time.

While conventional measures gave her limited relief, she began exploring dietary and lifestyle changes, particularly plant-based recipes and gentle wellness practices. Her health challenges became the spark for her to chronicle and share her experimentation in a blog called “Deliciously Ella.”

Thus, what started as a quest for personal healing evolved into a public mission.

Career and Achievements

The Blog & Early Growth

Ella launched her blog in 2012, posting plant-based recipes, wellness diaries, and reflections on health.

Cookbooks & Writing

Her debut cookbook, Deliciously Ella (2015), became a runaway success—often described as one of the fastest-selling debut cookbooks in the UK. Deliciously Ella Every Day, Deliciously Ella With Friends, The Plant-Based Cookbook, and Quick & Easy.

Ella’s contributions in writing helped shift perceptions: healthy eating could be aesthetic, enjoyable, and social—not austere or isolating.

App, Products & Expansion

In 2014, Ella launched the Deliciously Ella App, featuring recipes, wellness content, yoga, and mindfulness tools.

Alongside, she and Matthew built the Deliciously Ella brand of food products—starting with energy balls and growing to more than 30 items stocked in major UK retailers and expanding into the U.S. by 2019.

They also ventured into brick-and-mortar presence through The MaE Deli in London, as well as a development kitchen called The Kitchen Counter. Some of these physical locations later had to close due to financial strain.

Critically, Ella has publicly wrestled with the backlash against "clean eating" trends—acknowledging that rigid rules are unsustainable or potentially harmful. She has tried to evolve her messaging toward balance, enjoyment, and moderation.

Recognitions & Influence

Her influence has been acknowledged with awards such as the Ernst & Young Rising Star Award in London.

By 2024, her brand was listed among the Top 100 Vegan Cookbooks of all time (for Deliciously Ella Quick & Easy) by VegNews.

Historical & Cultural Context

Ella’s rise came during a period when interest in plant-based diets, wellness culture, and influencer-driven health content grew sharply. The 2010s saw a surge in “clean eating” as a trend, social media fueling lifestyle branding, and consumers seeking authenticity. Ella managed to ride this wave—but also had to confront criticisms around overpromising and nutritional oversimplification.

The controversies around “clean eating” (e.g. implying moral value on food choices) led Ella and others to re-evaluate how wellness messaging should be delivered—less dogma, more accessibility and self-compassion.

In the broader food industry, Ella’s brand reflects the shift from simple blogging toward fully integrated wellness enterprises: content + products + experience.

Legacy and Influence

Ella’s influence is multifold:

• Normalizing plant-based living: She made it accessible, beautiful, and social.

• Bridging wellness and business: Transforming a blog into a full-fledged brand is a model for health entrepreneurs.

• Conversations about wellness ethics: Her public grappling with critique of “clean eating” signals more mature narratives in the wellness space—nuance over extremes.

• Inspiring new voices: Many later wellness bloggers and creators cite her as an influence.

Her legacy will likely be judged not only by sales and followers, but by how well she navigates the tension between health marketing and responsibility.

Personality and Talents

Ella is often described as warm, open, and genuine. Her tone is conversational, modest, and aspirational without being overly polished. Her strengths include:

• Storytelling: She weaves personal health struggle with recipes and philosophy, making her message relatable.

• Aesthetic sensibility: Her style—food photography, minimal interiors, natural colors—resonates visually.

• Adaptability: She evolved from rigid “clean eating” messaging to more balanced wellness views as she learned.

• Community-building: She has insisted on engagement with followers, replying to comments, building trust.

She’s candid about her mistakes and vulnerabilities, which strengthens her credibility.

Famous Quotes of Ella Woodward

Here are some notable quotes that reflect her voice and philosophy:

“When life gives you Monday, dip it in glitter and sparkle all day.” “The most important thing is to snack on things that are filled with real food and nourishing ingredients that will leave you feeling energised and happy.” “There’s no such thing as ‘bad’ food or ‘good’ food.” “I love social media, but it made me quite anxious.” “Healthy eating isn’t supposed to be about self-denial; it’s not a punishment.” “I was a very, very slow learner. I was good at nothing.” “A delicious smoothie is a really easy way of taking on lots of amazing skin boosting ingredients …”

These lines reflect themes of joy, balance, self-acceptance, and nutrition as pleasure rather than punishment.

Lessons from Ella Woodward

1. Adversity can fuel purpose
   Ella’s path was shaped by her health struggle, which gave her authenticity and urgency.

2. Start with honesty
   She began by blogging her experiments rather than policing others—showing what works, what doesn’t.

3. Evolve your message
   She shifted away from rigid “clean eating” language when its pitfalls became clear, showing growth and humility.

4. Balance idealism with practicality
   Her recipes often use accessible ingredients; she doesn’t demand perfection.

5. Community matters
   Engaging seriously with followers helped her build loyalty and trust.

6. Business demands risk
   Some physical ventures failed, yes—but she learned from them rather than hiding from mistakes.

7. Sustainability over perfection
   The wellness journey is lifelong and sometimes messy—embracing that allows more people in.

Conclusion

Ella Woodward’s story is not just about food or diet—it’s a narrative of resilience, reinvention, and integrity. Through sincerity and creative content, she has built a brand that marries aesthetics with care, influence with accountability. Her journey from chronic illness to wellness entrepreneurship offers a blueprint for anyone seeking to align passion with purpose.

If you’d like, I can also help create a slideshow, timeline, or focus on her nutritional philosophies, or even translate this into another language. Do you want to proceed with that?