Always on
This project successfully funded on 23rd March 2026, you can still support them with a donation.
Step up to the plate, help mums eat
London, Greater London, United Kingdom
Aim
Help launch a food delivery service and support hub on a mission to improve maternal nourishment.
Feeding mothers properly, starting with one reliable lunch a week.
Mothers need more nutrition during pregnancy and after birth, but eating well often becomes impossible. Based on our research into 93 UK mums with children under six, 75% say they’re unable to eat well, with 60% skipping meals - not because they don’t care, but because they are too busy caring for others.
The wider context.
- The village is gone; Many families no longer live near parents or extended family meaning day-to-day practical help has disappeared.
- Parents are stretched thinner than ever; In most two-parent households, both parents work. Time, energy and money are under constant pressure.
- Single motherhood is rising; In the UK, around 85-90% of single-parent households are headed by women (ONS). That means fewer hands, less rest and more responsibility.
- Postnatal recovery is underestimated; Birth is physically demanding, yet many women are expected to “bounce back” while sleep-deprived and depleted.
- Around 1 in 10 women experience postnatal depression (NHS)
- Maternal burnout, anxiety and exhaustion are increasingly reported with 71% of UK mothers feeling overloaded with almost half (47%) reporting mental health issues.
- Poor nutrition worsens fatigue, mental health, recovery and resilience.
This isn’t a temporary blip.
This is the new normal, unless we change it.
There are two paths forward
We can continue as we are:
- Mothers pushing through exhaustion
- Recovery taking longer
- Mental health deteriorating
- Feeling depleted, isolated and invisible
Or we can change one crucial thing; make it easier for mums to eat freshly cooked nutritious food.
What better could look like:
A mother who:
- Knows she will be fed properly this week
- Eats something warm, balanced and satisfying
- Feels physically stronger and more energised
- Feels seen, because the food was made for her
- Feels supported by expert advice and shared experience
Because when mothers are nourished, recovery improves, mental health stabilises, families benefit and communities are stronger.
This isn’t an unrealistic ideal, it’s what happens when nourishment is treated as essential and not optional.
What Mums Eat™
Feeding mothers is not a luxury. It’s infrastructure.
What Mums Eat™ exists to return some of the care back to mum, beginning with a thoughtfully designed first season of nourishing meals.
We provide:
- Nutritious, satisfying, plant-based lunches for mothers, delivered in easy-to-(h)eat, reusable stainless-steel lunchboxes
- A weekly changing, chef-designed menu, created specifically for postnatal bodies and busy hands
- Clear, accessible nutrition guidance designed by our registered nutritionist
- Trusted midwife-led support around recovery, what to expect and feeding ourselves after birth
- A growing directory of maternal health experts, so women know where to turn for help
We’re kicking things off with a four week pilot. Each week, mothers will receive:
- One thoughtfully designed lunch, just for them
- Delivered in a two-tier stainless-steel lunchbox
- Top tier: easy-to-eat snacks and something sweet
- Bottom tier: a substantial, nutritionally balanced, comforting main
- Plant-based, nourishing, filling food
Menus change weekly and are created by professional chefs with maternal nutrition in mind.
Beyond the lunchbox
Food is the entry point. Alongside the meals, What Mums Eat™ is building:
- Simple, accessible recipes mothers can return to when they have more capacity
- Clear nutrition guidance without judgement or overwhelm
- A nationwide directory of maternal health support
- A sense of community, mothers seeing their reality reflected honestly
This is about making nourishment achievable.
How we’ll use your investment
This crowdfunder will fund a limited first season of meal deliveries for mothers, because feeding mothers properly is where everything starts.
- Meal development and production
- Professional kitchen hire and cooking labour
- Ingredients for 200 meals
- Reusable stainless-steel lunchboxes
- Delivery and logistics
- Paying chefs and contributors fairly
- Food safety, insurance and admin
- Careful documentation and evaluation of the first season
The cost of running this pilot responsibly is £25,000.
What happens next
This crowdfunder promises care, learning and integrity. At the end of the four weeks we will:
• Analyse feedback and costs
• Refine menus and delivery
• Assess pricing and capacity
All decisions will be guided by real experience, ready for a wider launch.
Here’s what our community is already saying
"Getting a delivery of yummy food, as a mum of 2 when trying to manage life and all the chaos parenting brings, was bloody dreamy. The ease of being able to bung it in the oven, no dispensing, no faff, no extra washing up and no awful plastic take away tuppaware was glorious. Plus, it was nourishing, tasty food too. 10/10"
"What Mums Eat is honestly a lifesaver for me! As a mum to twins I know how easy it is to put yourself last and forget to eat properly while you are caring for everyone else. Having nourishing, delicious food arrive at my door took such a weight off my shoulders. The food was comforting, generous and made with real care. It felt like someone was looking after me for a change. I wish I had found this when my girls were newborns as those early months were especially hard. I cannot recommend this enough to any mum who is stretched thin and needs proper food without the stress of thinking about it."
Meet The Team
Nutrition
Anna Firth, Registered Nutritionist & PhD Researcher
Anna is a registered nutritionist and PhD researcher specialising in maternal health. She oversees the nutritional integrity of every meal, ensuring they are balanced, nourishing and genuinely supportive during pregnancy and postpartum. Anna also contributes practical nutrition guidance, recipes and tips to support recovery, energy and overall postnatal wellbeing.
Maternal Health
Forest Midwives
Rebecca Urquhart and Debbie Linger are an experienced midwifery team with decades of combined frontline experience supporting women through pregnancy, birth and the often-overlooked postnatal period. Their insight grounds What Mums Eat™ in the real physical and emotional demands of early motherhood, from recovery and feeding to exhaustion, and reinforces the vital role nourishment plays in postnatal wellbeing.
Our Chefs & Recipe Contributors
Marie Mitchell is an award-winning chef and author whose cooking celebrates bold flavour, heritage and nourishment. Her debut cookbook Kin won best debut cookbook at the Fortnum & Mason Food and Drink Awards. As Head Chef for What Mums Eat™, Marie leads the food offering with warmth, care and a belief in the power of good food to support mothers through early motherhood.
Recipe contributors include: Yasmin Khan, Rukmini Iyer, Marie Mitchell, Özlem Warren, Alissa Timoshkina, Rebecca Seal, Tomi Makanjuola, Dixie Rock and more.
These chefs understand both flavour and the realities of early motherhood. Their combined expertise helps shape menus rooted in warmth, care and practicality. Food that is not only delicious, but deeply supportive.
Founder
Chiron Cole is a photographer and mother of two, and the founder of What Mums Eat™. The idea grew from observing how mothers eat in the early stages of motherhood - meals rushed, interrupted or skipped altogether, despite increased nutritional need. What became clear was a practical gap: mothers needed reliable nourishment.
What Mums Eat™ has been built in collaboration with qualified experts. Chiron’s role is to hold the vision, bring insight, and ensure the work is delivered with care, integrity and accountability, rooted in the belief that mothers deserve to be properly fed.
Pick a reward tier to support the project, and follow our journey on Instagram.
Thank you for helping make the first season possible.
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made