These whole-food-championing sisters are the authors of two bestselling cookbooks, and live and work in London, where they write, cook and run their Hemsley + Hemsley Café in London’s premier department store, Selfridges.
What 3 things make the biggest difference to your skin's health?
It may not be original or sexy, but it’s the simple things that make the biggest difference to all of us – drinking lots of water, getting enough sleeping and eating nourishing food.
What's your best advice for maintaining your wellbeing during periods of heightened stress?
1. Meditate.
20 minutes a day whenever you can find the time. Just zone out and tune in.
2. Breath.
If you’re feeling a lot of resistance on a certain aspect of your life, whether it’s writer’s block or a tricky situation, taking a step back to breathe, move on to the next thing and come back when you are ready and look at it from a wider angle often helps.
3. Eat well by prepping ahead.
Have a Sunday Cook-Off, make the most of your freezer by cooking double portions and freezing future meals in batches, digitally detox as much as possible every evening by turning off your phone, emails and a particularly hard one – avoid watching movies on your laptop in bed!
What seasonal foods are bringing joy to your plate this month in the UK, and how are you enjoying them?
Courgettes – we love spiralizing them to replace noodles or spaghetti in dishes, and they’re delicious with a slow-cooked beef ragu! We’re also enjoying them raw in salads.
Samphire – it’s such a short season so we love making the most of this salty sea veg. It pairs beautifully with grilled mackerel and caramelised lemon, you can find the recipe here.
Peaches are so sweet and juicy at the moment too. For a savoury dish, they’re great in our Peach, Pea and Goat's Cheese Salad and for something sweet, our Roasted Frangipane Peaches recipe is divine with a cup of tea.
What simple daily ritual brings JOY into your life?
1. Tongue scraping in the mornings - yes really! Can’t do without it!
2. Starting the day with warm lemon water, for a digestive helping hand.
3. Walking the dogs and getting fresh air and vitamin D.
4. Making a big pot of soup for the week and having a bowl to come home to at the end of a long day.
Which MV Skincare Product is your favourite and why?
Melissa: I love the MV Skintherapy Rose Booster – it smells like heaven and just applying a few drops to my skin feels like it’s moisturising my skin so deeply. I love wearing it at night and throughout the day on no-make-up days!
Jasmine: The Signature Mineral Mask – mixing it in the little pot and then applying it with the fanned brush takes me right back to my facial with Sharon every time and forces me to take 10 mins horizontal time out for a bit of a nervous system reset at the same time.
“My treatment with Sharon was totally relaxing – especially Sharon’s hypnotically soothing voice. I left with such happy skin and a lovely neck and scalp massage too.” Melissa Hemsley
“I stepped off a long haul flight and into Sharon’s hands and felt instantly grounded. The facial was very tailored, picking the products that I needed based on what scents I was attracted to and therefore what my body was telling me I needed! Sharon is a very gifted practitioner who uses reiki during the treatments for a completely new experience.” Jasmine Hemsley
