Ella Mills: The Powerful Story Behind Deliciously Ella

Last Updated on July 21, 2026 by Business Blog Media Editorial Team

Introduction

Ella Mills is a British food writer, entrepreneur and cookbook author best known as the founder of Deliciously Ella.

She started the Deliciously Ella website in 2012 after becoming seriously unwell while studying at university. She used the website to record simple plant-based recipes while learning how to cook.

What began as a personal online project later became a popular cookbook series, mobile app, podcast, restaurant business and supermarket food brand.

The direct answer is that Ella Mills built Deliciously Ella from a small recipe blog into one of the United Kingdom’s most recognisable plant-based food businesses. Hero Group acquired the main Deliciously Ella food company in September 2024, while Ella and her husband retained their separate Plants business.

As of July 2026, Ella remains publicly known as the founder of Deliciously Ella, a cookbook author and a creator of food and wellness content.

Ella Mills Quick Facts

• Full name: Eleanor Laura Davan Mills
• Birth name: Eleanor Laura Davan Woodward
• Professional name: Ella Mills
• Date of birth: 31 May 1991
• Age: 35 years old as of July 2026
• Nationality: British
• Profession: Food writer, entrepreneur and cookbook author
• Education: History of Art at the University of St Andrews
• Famous for: Founding Deliciously Ella
• Husband: Matthew Mills
• Children: Two daughters
• Business area: Plant-based food, publishing and wellness
• Current public status: Founder of Deliciously Ella and active food and wellness creator

Who Is Ella Mills?

Ella Mills is an English entrepreneur who became widely known through the name Deliciously Ella.

She is not a professionally trained chef. She began learning how to cook because she wanted to make practical changes to her daily food and lifestyle during a difficult period of illness.

Ella shared the recipes she created on a website. Readers liked the simple meals, clear photographs and friendly explanations.

Her audience grew, and the personal website developed into a much larger business.

Today, the Deliciously Ella name is connected with cookbooks, supermarket snacks, breakfast products, recipes, an app, wellness content and podcasts.

What Is Ella Mills Famous For?

Ella Mills is famous for making plant-based cooking feel simple and approachable.

Before Deliciously Ella became a commercial brand, many people knew it as a recipe blog. Ella shared meals made with vegetables, beans, fruits, grains, nuts and other plant ingredients.

Her first cookbook became a major publishing success. This helped her move beyond blogging and introduced her recipes to a much wider audience.

She later worked with her husband, Matthew Mills, to build a food company. The business launched products including oat bars, granola, cereals, energy balls and other plant-based foods.

Ella is also known for discussing wellness, daily habits and the problems caused by confusing health advice.

Ella Mills’s Early Life and Education

Ella Mills was born Eleanor Laura Davan Woodward on 31 May 1991.

Her father, Shaun Woodward, is a former British politician. Her mother is Camilla Sainsbury, who comes from the family connected with the Sainsbury’s supermarket business.

Ella studied History of Art at the University of St Andrews in Scotland.

During university, she became seriously unwell. She has publicly discussed being diagnosed with postural tachycardia syndrome, commonly called PoTS.

The condition affected her energy, heart rate and ability to complete normal daily activities.

Ella began researching food and lifestyle changes while trying to improve her quality of life. She taught herself how to prepare meals and started recording her recipes online.

Her experience should not be treated as proof that food can cure PoTS. It is her personal account of the events that led her to start Deliciously Ella.

How Did Deliciously Ella Begin?

Ella launched the Deliciously Ella website in 2012.

It began as a simple place where she could save recipes, track her progress and encourage herself to continue learning.

She did not start the website with a complete business plan.

At the beginning, she was learning basic cooking skills and experimenting with ingredients. She wanted to create meals that were enjoyable, practical and easy to repeat.

More people began reading the website and sharing its recipes. The project grew through online searches, recommendations and social media.

Ella’s early journey shows that a business can sometimes begin with one useful idea rather than a large investment. Beginners interested in testing their own skills can also explore these small business ideas from home for beginners.

Ella Mills’s First Cookbook

Ella’s first major cookbook, Deliciously Ella, was published in 2015.

The book introduced readers to her personal story and her approach to plant-based cooking. It included breakfasts, main meals, snacks, desserts and simple ideas for everyday food.

The book became a major commercial success and helped turn Ella into a recognised food writer.

Its popularity showed that readers wanted plant-based recipes that did not feel too difficult or expensive.

Ella continued publishing books covering quick meals, family cooking, entertaining friends and practical ways to eat more plants.

Her books include:

• Deliciously Ella
• Deliciously Ella Every Day
• Deliciously Ella With Friends
• Deliciously Ella: The Plant-Based Cookbook
• Deliciously Ella: Quick & Easy
• How to Go Plant-Based
• Healthy Made Simple
• Quick Wins

Her later books placed greater attention on saving time, reducing confusion and making healthy home cooking fit into busy lives.

Building the Deliciously Ella Business

Ella’s work changed significantly when Matthew Mills joined the business in 2015.

Ella focused mainly on recipes, products, communication and the creative direction of the brand. Matthew became responsible for much of its business planning, finances and daily operations.

Together, they developed Deliciously Ella beyond books and online content.

The business opened London food locations and introduced packaged plant-based products into supermarkets.

Its products eventually became available through major retailers, including Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Co-op and Ocado.

This expansion turned Deliciously Ella from a personal media brand into a food manufacturing and retail company.

Why Did the Deliciously Ella Brand Grow?

Several clear factors helped the company grow.

A Simple Message

The brand encouraged people to eat more plants without requiring them to follow complicated rules.

Clear Recipes

Ella used simple instructions and familiar ingredients. This helped readers who had little cooking experience.

A Recognisable Founder

Customers connected the products with Ella’s personal story, recipes and public identity.

Different Types of Content

The company reached people through books, recipes, social media, podcasts, an app and supermarket products.

Easy-to-Buy Products

Customers did not need to prepare every recipe themselves. They could also buy Deliciously Ella snacks and breakfast products in shops.

Deliciously Ella and Hero Group

In September 2024, Swiss food company Hero Group acquired the main Deliciously Ella business for an undisclosed amount.

According to the official Hero Group announcement, Deliciously Ella had sold more than 100 million plant-based food products before the acquisition.

Hero said the purchase would help the brand reach more customers in Britain and other international markets.

The acquisition included the main Deliciously Ella food business. However, it did not include the separate Plants brand, which remained owned by Ella and Matthew Mills.

Ella continued to be publicly connected with Deliciously Ella following the sale.

Companies House records show that she resigned as a director of Deliciously Ella Ltd on 20 April 2026. This means she should not be described as a current legal director of that company.

She is still accurately described as the founder of Deliciously Ella.

Ella Mills and Allplants

After selling the main Deliciously Ella business, Ella and Matthew continued developing their interests in plant-based food.

In 2025, their business acquired the Allplants brand and certain assets after the frozen plant-based meal company entered administration.

Allplants had been known for delivering prepared plant-based meals to customers.

The acquisition gave Ella and Matthew another business opportunity in the plant-based food market. It also showed that their work did not end with the sale of Deliciously Ella.

Ella Mills’s Current Work

As of July 2026, Ella remains active in food, publishing and wellness communication.

Her work includes:

• Sharing plant-based recipes
• Writing and promoting cookbooks
• Creating food and wellness content
• Participating in podcast discussions
• Supporting the development of plant-based products
• Promoting simple and realistic home cooking
• Discussing misleading or extreme wellness trends

Ella has increasingly focused on making wellness feel less confusing.

She has spoken about the pressure people feel when they are told to follow expensive routines, buy many supplements or completely change their lives.

Her recent message is that small and repeatable habits can be more useful than extreme plans.

Ella Mills’s Husband

Ella Mills is married to Matthew Mills.

The couple married in April 2016. Matthew is the son of the late British politician Tessa Jowell.

Matthew became Ella’s business partner before their marriage. He joined Deliciously Ella in 2015 and later served as the company’s chief executive.

Their partnership divided the work according to their different strengths.

Ella concentrated on food, recipes, products and communication. Matthew concentrated more heavily on finance, operations and company growth.

They continued working together through the expansion and later sale of the Deliciously Ella business.

Does Ella Mills Have Children?

Ella and Matthew Mills have two daughters.

Their first daughter, Skye, was born in 2019. Their second daughter, May, was born in 2020.

Ella has discussed balancing motherhood with writing, product development and business responsibilities.

She generally keeps the main focus of her public work on food, family-friendly cooking and wellness rather than sharing every part of her children’s lives.

Ella Mills’s Leadership and Business Lessons

Ella Mills’s story gives several practical lessons for new founders.

Start With a Real Need

Deliciously Ella began because Ella wanted to solve a problem in her own life.

She needed to learn how to prepare food that worked for her new daily routine.

Begin Before Everything Is Perfect

Ella was not an experienced cook when she started publishing recipes.

She learned while creating and improved through practice.

Build Trust Before Selling

The recipe website developed an audience before the supermarket products appeared.

Readers already understood the brand and its purpose.

Use Different Skills

Ella and Matthew did not try to perform exactly the same role.

They divided responsibilities according to their strengths.

Keep the Message Easy to Understand

People quickly understood the main idea behind Deliciously Ella: eat more plants through enjoyable and practical food.

Other British founders have also built large companies around clear customer needs. The career of Mary Perkins provides another example of turning professional knowledge into a trusted international brand.

Ella Mills’s Public Influence

Ella helped bring plant-based food into mainstream British publishing and supermarkets.

Her influence is not based on inventing plant-based eating. People around the world have eaten plant-based meals for centuries.

Her main contribution was presenting the idea through modern digital content, attractive recipes and widely available commercial products.

Her brand reached readers who may not have considered preparing plant-based meals before.

At the same time, her work has received criticism, especially during public debates about “clean eating.”

Ella has moved away from that label. She has explained that her goal is not to make people feel guilty or force them to follow a perfect diet.

Her more recent work promotes balance, simple meals and evidence-based discussion.

Interesting Facts About Ella Mills

• Deliciously Ella started as a personal website rather than a planned food company.
• Ella taught herself how to cook while creating the early recipes.
• She studied History of Art, not food or business.
• Her first major cookbook was published in 2015.
• Matthew Mills joined the business before becoming her husband.
• The company launched its first supermarket food range in 2016.
• Deliciously Ella later acquired its own food factory.
• Hero Group acquired the main business in September 2024.
• The Plants business was not included in the acquisition.
• Ella resigned as a Deliciously Ella Ltd director in April 2026.
• She continues to work in plant-based food, publishing and wellness content.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Ella Mills?

Ella Mills is a British food writer, entrepreneur and cookbook author. She is best known as the founder of Deliciously Ella.

What is Ella Mills’s real name?

Her full documented name is Eleanor Laura Davan Mills. Her birth surname was Woodward.

How old is Ella Mills?

Ella Mills was born on 31 May 1991. She is 35 years old as of July 2026.

Why is Ella Mills famous?

She is famous for creating Deliciously Ella, which grew from a recipe website into a cookbook series, app, podcast and supermarket food brand.

Is Ella Mills a trained chef?

Ella Mills is not publicly known as a professionally trained chef. She taught herself how to cook when she began changing her daily diet.

Who owns Deliciously Ella?

Hero Group acquired the main Deliciously Ella food business in September 2024.

Does Ella Mills still own Deliciously Ella?

Hero Group owns the main Deliciously Ella company. Ella remains its founder but is no longer listed as a company director.

How much was Deliciously Ella sold for?

The complete acquisition price was not publicly disclosed. Unsupported figures from celebrity wealth websites should not be treated as confirmed.

Who is Ella Mills’s husband?

Ella Mills’s husband is Matthew Mills, her long-time business partner and the former chief executive of Deliciously Ella.

Does Ella Mills have children?

Yes. Ella and Matthew Mills have two daughters, Skye and May.

What illness did Ella Mills have?

Ella has publicly discussed being diagnosed with postural tachycardia syndrome, also known as PoTS. This experience influenced her decision to begin learning about food and cooking.

What is Ella Mills doing now?

As of July 2026, Ella continues to work as a cookbook author, food creator and wellness communicator. She is also publicly connected with plant-based business projects developed with Matthew Mills.

Conclusion

Ella Mills is best known as the founder of Deliciously Ella.

She began with a personal recipe website while dealing with a serious period of illness. She was not a trained chef and did not begin with a large company or a complete business plan.

Her simple recipes attracted readers, and her first cookbook brought her work to a much larger audience.

With Matthew Mills, she developed Deliciously Ella into a supermarket food business, app, podcast and international brand.

Hero Group acquired the main company in 2024. Ella later resigned as its legal director, but she remains closely associated with the name she created.

Her career shows how a personal project can grow when it solves a clear problem, earns trust and communicates one simple message.