Lunch at The Mae Deli by Deliciously Ella, London

My lunch at The Mae Deli was as fab as I'd been hoping. And having been following their Instagram account for a few weeks since before the deli opened, I had high hopes.

If you haven't heard of The Mae Deli yet allow me to introduce it - the deli-slash-café is the latest venture of Ella Woodward aka Deliciously Ella (aka my healthy eating crush.)

She's teamed up with her fiancé Matthew, hence Mae - Matthew And Ella.

It's no secret that I love Ella's recipes so I hot-footed it over to the deli as soon as I was back in London.


And I've now concluded that I need to move somewhere in London with close proximity to The Mae Deli. I blimmin' loved it (quelle surprise).

Just down from Marble Arch out of the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street, the deli is located on a pretty road full of other enticing-looking eateries and charming buildings.

It's beautifully decorated both outside and in, with two floors for hungry guests.






Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was packed when I arrived at around 1.15pm, but lots of the busy Londoners were getting boxes of deliciousness to go, and I only had to wait a few minutes for a spot to eat in.



The premise is simple for lunch and dinner: there are hot dishes and there are cold dishes. You can have a bowl of either hot or cold, or combine the two, and you can choose four different things to have in your bowl.



(Apparently bowl food is a big trend in the food world for 2016, in case you didn't know).

There're also many tempting breakfast options.


I went for a Mixed Mae and absolutely adored it (too strong an emotion for food? Meh). Choosing which four things to have wasn't easy but I sure loved it all. Here's what I ate (and just look at how wonderfully colourful it all is!)...


Maple-roasted sweet potatoes (with paprika and cumin too). OMG these are absolutely fantastic. They're cooked to perfection and thus almost creamy in texture and they're in this delightful sticky, smoky, sweet glaze. Ella (yes, she was in the deli herself) said they've become something of a staple and I can see why!


My hot choice was aubergine and chickpea stew which was absolutely divine. I really like mixing hot and cold foods too.


Broccoli and kale salad (which also featured Chinese cabbage) in a lovely dressing - simple and delish.


Beetroot houmous. This had the perfect texture and although the flavour wasn't super strong it complimented the other foods delightfully.

And there's a choice of three dressings/sauces - I went for maple-tamari.


I also really rather liked the colours left on my plate afterwards. OMG I really want to eat that lunch again.

It was my ideal kind of meal and words cannot express how much I enjoyed it. Afterwards I was full but pleasantly satisfied, rather than stuffed and bloated. And I suppose that's what Ella wants us all to learn - healthy food can be so delicious and full of flavour that it leaves you feeling awesome, satisfied and not bloated.

That's not to say I couldn't have wolfed down one of these brownies...


But I resisted because the deli prices aren't the cheapest and I am actually funemployed right now. It's not extortionate and I was more than happy to pay what I did, but until I'm earning some deece dollar (or someone else is treating me!) I may have to try and resist going to The Mae Deli every time I'm in London. Or, you know, not.

They also do fab-sounding smoothies and juices which were very tempting indeed.

The staff were charming and very friendly and the atmosphere was most pleasant. Did I mention I loved it?

As I left, I even unintentionally papped Ella taking a snap for the deli's Instagram account!


So perhaps unsurprisingly I thoroughly recommend a visit to The Mae Deli. And when you go, take me, yeah? (Please?!)

The Mae Deli is found at 21 Seymour Place, London, W1 5BH. Should you need me, that's probably where I'll be found too.