n Dave and his team.
WITH an obesity epidemic gripping the nation, you’d have thought that another fast food chain is the last thing Essex shoppers would be welcoming.
But HED (Healthy Eating Diner), which recently opened up at Lakeside Shopping Centre, is a far cry from traditional fast food chains and is set to revolutionise the way we eat if it’s founder, Dave Geary, has anything to do with it.
Located in the Food Court on level 3, HED looks unassuming. Clean lines and a smiling staff will soon pull you in – but it’s hardly rocket science. However, the food on offer actually is, and it’s all down to one man’s passion for nutrition.
“HED is the antithesis of McDonalds,” Dave told me when I visited the eatery last week. “I believe strongly that fresh, nutritious, low-fat meals should be available to people on the go, and that’s what we provide – wholesome food in minutes. ” Indeed, using high tech flash-steamed woks, chefs at the diner can prepare a meal in the same time it would take you to order a Big Mac, and there’s not a microwave in sight.
“We cook with water, and fresh ingredients. I’m a real foodie and I like good food, which is why everything we serve is healthy and incredibly tasty,” Dave assures me. And he should know.
A former rocket scientist, Dave dreamt up the idea of providing nutritious fast food to the masses nearly 20 years ago, and he’s thrilled with how popular the first HED, of what he hopes will be many, has already become with shoppers.
“We get some great comments. Once people have had a meal here, they always come back. And why wouldn’t they? The food is tasty, will leave you full for hours, and is well priced.
“I want to compete with big chains, like McDonalds and KFC, and offer people the option of actually eating something that’s good for you. That’s why it was so important to me to get everything right – from the meals, to the time it takes to cook them.”
And he’s certainly done a good job. There are more than 200 different varieties of the venue’s signature ‘Stir-It-Up’ meals on offer at the eatery, all of which can be cooked in minutes right in front of you. There are also baked potatoes, homemade soups and wholemeal pasta dishes – all cooked and prepared on site – available, and the beauty of cooking meals from scratch is that customers can have whatever they want.
Vegetarians, vegans and even those with gluten and wheat intolerances are easily catered for, and the menu is extremely tempting. On my visit, I wanted to put staff to the test, and ordered a Thai Green Curry with Prawns, plus a dish of Spicy Quorn Noodles for a friend.
To my delight, the dishes were cooked (piping hot) within a minute – and were delicious.
Unlike pre-packaged meals, or even some leading restaurants, you could really taste the freshness of the food, and I was pleasantly surprised to see they hadn’t scrimped on the prawns either.
The vast array of vegetable juices, smoothies, fairtrade coffees and teas available are also testament to Dave’s belief in offering wholesome food for reasonable prices (adult meals start at £3.15 and kid’s meals are priced from £2.75) and, if you’re a budding environmentalist, you’ll be pleased with HED’s policy on packaging.
Everything that comes with the meal, from the box and cutlery, to the stickers and napkins, are biodegradeable and compostable and made from things like corn starch, sugar cane and potatoes.
And if you’re planning to start as you mean to go on this summer, you can even grab breakfast at the restaurant.
Creamy organic porridge, scrumptious super food muesli and even a breakfast-orientated smoothie are all available to customers who want to fuel up before hitting the shops.
“This has been my dream since I was 19, and to see people getting behind the concept is brilliant,” Dave explains. “I just want people to know about it, because once you’ve eaten here and experience how tasty the food is, you really will want to come back.” And I for one agree with him.
Visit http://www.healthyeatingdiner.com or call 01708 802588 for further details.