This week M+K sits across the table with Clare Hopkins, Co-founder of Balance Me, a natural skincare brand. She talks with us about her approach to cooking, creativity and beloved family lunches.
1. My cooking inspiration…
My mother.
2. A meal that reminds me of home…
Sunday roasts – we always sat down to eat as a family for breakfast and supper and our grandmother would come every Sunday for lunch. Our parents have a beautiful dining room that overlooks their garden with a wood behind. We have had many happy meals there with family and friends.
3. A life lesson cooking has taught me…
To cook a meal for someone is an expression of love. If people eat good food they are happy. I remember cooking for 20 with very few ingredients when I was 18 travelling across Africa in an overland truck for five months. With a little extra effort and planning (after a tough day travelling on bumpy roads), it was possible to make a delicious meal with few ingredients. It was there that I learned that I could cook. I also never appreciated how amazing my mother’s cooking was until I left home for the first time and lived in France. It was also a time of growth as I started to become aware of different cuisines and cooking methods.
4. When I want to be creative I…
Bake or make things – recently I have been mastering natural deodorant. I also love cooking with my children. It is a great skill and children love the process and also eating the results!
5. The most transformational book I’ve read is…
On cooking I love Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. The main character expresses her feelings through cooking, so that when other characters eat the dishes she makes, their feelings mirror hers. I also love books about travel and other countries and cultures, like ‘A Suitable Boy’, ‘Shantaram’, ‘Girl Boy Other’, ’Half a Yellow Sun’ and ‘Purple Hibiscus’.
6. The routines that keep me grounded are…
Yoga, swimming and walking in nature. I’m not very good at sitting doing nothing so I find my meditation through movement!
7. I recently learnt…
How brilliant my local community is. We’ve all been staying at home but we have wonderful neighbours. In London everyone can be so busy that even though you live next door to each other you don’t see or know each other very well. During Lockdown we have done birthday celebrations over the garden wall, socially distanced outdoor movies and NHS clapping and street dancing – it has been wonderful for us all to have some social interaction.
8. Favourite random act of kindness…
A home-cooked meal. My partner is also really good at packing the car when we go away on holiday!
9. To make a difference in my community I…
The pandemic has really brought our local community together. Often lots of people disappear at the weekend or are busy doing activities/going out/working in London. Because we have all been locked down we have all been around so much more. We now have a road WhatsApp group!
10. Right now, I’m grateful for…
My family – we’ve spent a lot of time together and even though it has been an intense period, I’ve loved it. We’ve really got to know our local park (I normally rush through it to the next child activity, but instead I’ve spent each morning walking with the children before work/home-schooling and really been able to appreciate discovering new parts and seeing trees change from early Spring to Summer. Also, I love outdoor swimming so appreciate that our local reservoir has opened up so I can swim outdoors again and that I live 5 minutes away from a heated outdoor Lido!
Clare Hopkins is one half of Balance Me. Along with sister, Rebecca, they founded Balance Me to manage the skin concerns they had developed after long term stress and fast-paced living. They had developed skin reactions over time from sensitivity to hormonal breakouts. They turned to natural skincare to solve their skin concerns. Rebecca retrained as a reflexologist, while Clare harnessed her passion for aromatherapy, having discovered the power of essential oils as a student, and travelled the world to learn yoga saying goodbye to a successful business career. Fast forward to today and their award-winning, clean formulas restore skin balance for every life stage and age. They have evolved and innovated as they have juggled with work and life, and hit those key life milestones themselves: from the first signs of ageing, through to early motherhood and beyond!
To connect visit:
https://www.balanceme.com/
https://www.instagram.com/balancemeskincare/
https://www.facebook.com/balancemeskin/
https://twitter.com/balancemeskin
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0ulqQN5v67xySmfdlgVkfQ
