As you know we are dip obsessed here at RebelRecipesHQ – if we can dip into it, we are double dippin’ – which is why we are so excited to have the wonderful Hannah McCollum in the Foodie Founder hotseat this month. We ran a competition with Hannah and her delicious delectable dipping hummus brand ChicP last month and you guys loved it so much we just had to get her back for a second helping – and make sure to keep your eyes peeled for her brand-new flavour ‘the original’ made using and utilising chickpeas of all shapes and sizes for her all-inclusive new product, coming to a shelf near you soon.
Q. What is your earliest food memory?
A. Ooh – tricky. I remember it quite clearly (and there’s also photo evidence) but I remember blowing a pea out of my nose to my brother at the other end of the table while his head was firmly in his spaghetti bolognaise plate fast asleep!
Q. What is your guiltiest food pleasure?
A. Definitely sweet treats and delicious cakes! I love sweet things with nut butters and oats (which are supposedly healthy but they’re definitely not great for the waistline if you have too much!)
Q. What meal do you eat most often?
A. I don’t have a meal that is often repeated, as I like to keep things varied but a lot of my meals include dips or hummus in them.
Q. What role does food play in your life?
A. A huge part – and it should for everyone. I believe that food is medicine and the healthier, more colourful food that you eat, the better off you will be. It’s also a wonderfully social part of life that brings people and cultures together. Eating and cooking should be one of the most pleasurable parts of each day – we are so lucky to have something that offers so much, is so versatile and so diverse.
Q. What does your daily routine look like?
A. In the summer in London, I tend to cycle most mornings for a swim in the Serpentine. It’s very close to my current office in Victoria which is great so I’m there by 8:30 or 9. I settle down with a lemon and ginger tea and knock off all the emails that have come in the night before. I then have a chat with my intern and colleague(if not before) and afterwards we get going with our priorities for the day. Usually an oat milk cappuccino (or beetroot one with my own powder J) at 10:30/11ish and more work until lunch at 1ish. I always bring my own in.I often have a meeting in the afternoon and then depending where it is, I’ll head back to the office desk or head home or to a café. I tend to do something most evenings, whether it be sociable, an event or sport.
Q. What is your biggest motivator?
A. I think I was my biggest motivator at the beginning. I was ambitious in a way anyone is running their own business and wanting to get it off the ground is. I didn’t need an alarm or anything else to get me going, just the day to day of running ChicP was my motivation. However now, my biggest motivators are from things I read in articles, podcasts I’ve listened to, business books I’ve read or speaking to people who are very inspirational and/or want to help you. Taking other people’s advice and applying it to your own business/life.
Q. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
A. I see myself living and working out of London and hopefully near the sea or in beautiful countryside. I love London but I’m a country girl at heart and will enjoy coming to London every fortnight or so. ChicP will hopefully be in full fruition! Either with an office in the countryside or seeing me work more remotely with my fingers in a few other pies to do with cooking, sustainability and conservation.
Q. How much time do you spend on social media a day and what role does it play in your business?
A. I definitely don’t spend more than an hour on social media – I probably should but I tend to do the posts and my intern and colleague have more of an engagement role. I think it’s hugely important for businesses now and is also an enjoyable part of the business but I also think it can be taken a bit too seriously and perhaps we should put our phones down more!
Q. In your opinion, what’s the key to success?
A. Success is about building something that you are passionate about, that you enjoy doing and that has become something that (if you’re looking at it from a business perspective) is able to give you a stable life in one way or another. I also think success is about making other people happy- most businesses are offering a product or service in some way and if that product is giving something back to other people, you are doing the right thing.
Q. What is the best bit of advice you’ve ever received – can be personal, professional or both.
A. I have received a lot of great advice and this probably isn’t the BEST but it springs to mind every time this type of question is asked and I like to think of it – my dad once told me when I was very homesick in my first term at school to ‘take each day as it comes and to not look too far ahead’. This has helped me put things in to perspective, to enjoy life in the moment and when things are worrying you which is often going to be about the future, deal with what it is today because tomorrow will bring a whole new day.
ChicP is available to buy online, on Ocado, Amazon Fresh and in Planet Organic across London.
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