Food & recipes

Trolley Spy: Emma Forbes

By Michael Van Straten

Michael Van Straten pokes his nose in Emma Forbes’ shopping basket.

What’s on the menu?

A typical breakfast would either be a bowl of organic granola with a handful of blueberries and semi-skimmed milk or a pitta bread toasted with either manuka honey or lime marmalade. I always have a cup of rooibos tea with semi-skimmed milk as well.
Lunch would be either a bowl of homemade soup (watercress is my favourite) with some crackers or a tuna salad with everything from olives, avocado and apple with lemon juice and olive oil.
Dinner options would be either grilled salmon with couscous and salad, or roast chicken with roast vegetables and mashed potato.
I snack on rice cakes with honey, grapes, bananas, dried fruit, nuts or a piece of dark chocolate.
I stock up on granola, fruit, yoghurt, chocolate and bread.I am a sucker for any kinds of cakes and I love rice pudding. How often I indulge in them depends really – sometimes I am good for ages, other times I am bad all week. Life is too short to live without them though, so I would never not eat things I love.

Emma Forbes has founded a new lifestyle website: forbesstyle.com

Michael’s Verdict

As the daughter of director Bryan Forbes and actress Nanette Newman, Emma had a celebrity upbringing, including living next door to Elton John! Elton took her and her sister to Disneyland and babysat when their parents went out. He used to give them disgusting lollies called ‘fudgsicles’ and that must have upset their health-food fanatic mother. It doesn’t seem to have done any harm as Emma is a model of nutritional balance and good sense.

Her typical breakfasts are great starts to the day with good carbs, protein, calcium and lots of protective antioxidants. I would normally drink rooibos without milk, but this tea is a major source of antioxidants and flavonols without the caffeine or tannins in black or green tea.
Emma enjoys lunch of homemade soup – watercress with crackers; or tuna salad with olives, avocado and apple. As tuna has a higher residue of toxic mercury than other oily fish, salmon, sardines, herring or mackerel would bea better option.
Dinner is usually grilled salmon with couscous and salad, or roast chicken with roast vegetables and mashed potato. These are yet more healthy options but I would like to see rather more vegetables as there are not the minimum five portions a day. And where is the cheese for extra bone-building calcium? • Rice cakes with honey, grapes, bananas, dried fruit, nuts or even some dark chocolate are the snacks that Emma enjoys and there is nothing bad about any of them. They are all sources of good nutrients, including the dark chocolate.
When it comes to vices Emma admits to chocolate, which is not bad in moderation; cakes once in a while are good for the soul and, if you choose well, for the body too. Emma should not describe herself as ‘bad’ because she indulges sometimes.