Walking This Way

This week, Lise is joined by Helen Hopkins, the Mealtime Maverick, batch cooking expert and debut author of Mix and Match Batch, published by Penguin. Helen's story is one of those that sounds almost too much to be true: going viral on Instagram, landing a book deal and navigating perimenopause and deep grief, all at the same time. For any midlife woman who has ever felt like she's holding everything together with fraying string, this conversation will feel like a warm hand on the shoulder - coupled with a fridge full of delicious food!

In this episode, join Lise and discover:
  • How Helen's Instagram account grew from 4,000 followers to over 80,000 in just ten weeks, after a single batch cooking reel racked up 3.1 million views, and why that viral moment arrived at the most emotionally complex point of her life
  • Why Helen abandoned traditional freezer-based batch cooking in favour of fresh fridge batching, and how spending roughly one hour in the kitchen can produce five to six flexible meals for a family of four for between £35 and £45
  • The emotional thread running through the cookbook itself: why recipes for stew and sloppy joes carry her parents with her, and what it means to have created something her late father, a lifelong reader, would have been proud of
Quote of the episode
"Cooking is about putting ingredients together, making something delicious, sharing it with people that you love, and having the opportunity to connect." - Helen Hopkins

Useful links
  • Helen on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mealtime.maverick/
  • Mix and Match Batch by Helen Hopkins, published by Penguin: available on Amazon and wherever books are sold
  • WIN a signed copy: Leave a voice message via the link below telling us about your cooking or batching experience, and Helen will gift one lucky listener a signed copy.
Be a part of the show: Here's how to get in touch...
  • Follow the show and get all the links you need on LinkTree - https://linktr.ee/walking_this_way
  • Email us: walkingthisway@hotmail.com
  • Use the get in touch form HERE - https://tr.ee/r-ePylKE8H
  • Send us a voice message HERE- https://www.speakpipe.com/WalkingThisWay

Produced by The Good Studio - thegoodstudio.co.uk



Creators and Guests

Host
Lise Thorne
Host of Walking This Way and champion of midlife women
Guest
Helen Hopkins
Mealtime Maverick and author of Mix & Match Batch
Producer
Tim Beynon
Podcast producer and Founder of The Good Studio

What is Walking This Way?

Welcome to Walking This Way - the upfront, no-nonsense podcast about midlife for women who are done with pretending it’s all fine.

Join Lise Thorne for honest conversations, unfiltered stories and a good dose of humour as she explores what it really means to be a woman in midlife - from shifting priorities and changing bodies to rediscovering joy, purpose and self.

Real talk. Real women. Real midlife.

Because this isn’t about surviving midlife - it’s about walking it your way.

Walking This Way is produced by The Good Studio.