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On the Pass with Tommy Banks

Could the road to a healthy mind lie in a healthy diet? Tommy Banks talks us through his personal experience with eating better to feel better

I love pizza. It seems odd to preface a talk on healthy eating by professing my love for pizza, but that’s exactly what I’m going to do: I love the stuff. It’s not as bad as it sounds though. Sure, there are those that say that pizza isn’t pizza if it’s not a greasy, cheesy, glutinous mess. But I say that pizza is what you make it, that’s the beauty of it.

I’ve got a Roccbox pizza oven at home. It’s the kind of present you buy for yourself under the pretense of buying it for your significant other. Not so long ago, we used it to make a pretty delicious ricotta, broad bean and green pea pizza with a little shaved hard cheese and a sprinkle of mint. All atop a sourdough base. Lovely stuff.

The point I’m making is that it’s the smallest adjustments that often make the biggest differences. There’s more to good health than fitness, and there’s more to getting fit than hitting the gym. That might sound a little counterintuitive at first, but hear me out. Good health is about more than how fast you run or how heavy you lift: It’s about balance, it’s about mindfulness, it’s about a full night’s sleep and a clear mind. Over the past year or so, I’ve found it pretty astounding to see how food helps with all those things.

Now, exercise is good, there’s no denying that, but trying to carve time out for the gym can be stressful. And if, like me, the main reason for hitting the gym in the first place is to relieve stress, then it seems a little self-defeating. So I prefer to strike a balance elsewhere. I have a Peloton Bike that’s just a 5 second commute from my bedroom (i.e. the room next door). Twenty minutes of pedaling up a sweat (in padded shorts I wouldn’t be seen dead in) ticks the cardio box nicely for me. The rest is down to eating well.

Over the last year or so, I’ve swapped the beer for Kefir (for the most part, anyway). I’ve cut back on the sugar, too. For the simple fact that the post-prep chocolate bar was turning my brain to jelly when the inevitable come-down hit. Those kinds of slumps can seriously affect your mood, especially when you throw in a stressful work life too. Not to sound too jingoistic, but a healthy gut leads to a healthy mind.

I’m a big believer in the idea that doing something positive for yourself gives you the same endorphin release as going to the gym. For me, planning my food for the week ahead is a good example of that. I feel on top of things when I start out on the right foot. This time last year, I wasn’t really taking any of this into account: I was busy and stressed and it really started to wear me down. Eating well became a great way of getting my edge back, which makes me think there’s something to be said for the link between food and mental health. There’s definitely some placebo element at play in certain cases, but does that really matter, as long as it’s having a positive effect on you? 

Next year, I’ll be looking to focus on making the staff meals at Roots and The Black Swan more nutrition-forward. Not that our staff food isn’t healthy, it just has a habit of getting a little indulgent. It’ll cost a fair amount more money to feed our chefs this way, but if ever there was something to invest in then happy, healthy staff would be it. I’m not sure quite what I’ll be making just yet, but maybe a few of those homemade, sourdough pizzas are on the cards. TB

The Essential Journal would like to extend our congratulations to Tommy and his team on their recent placings in the Square Meals UK Top 100 Restaurants and Good Food Guide 2020 Top 50 Restaurants.

Square Meals Uk Top 100 Restaurants
Black Swan Placed 19th 
Roots placed 25th


Good Food Guide 2020 Top 50 Restaurants
Black Swan placed 34th
Roots entered into the guide for the first time