{"id":300545,"date":"2025-12-05T14:21:14","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T14:21:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/300545\/"},"modified":"2025-12-05T14:21:14","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T14:21:14","slug":"the-explosion-of-it-has-been-mind-blowing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/300545\/","title":{"rendered":"The explosion of it has been mind-blowing"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Sophie Morris Pic: Emily Quinn for VIP Magazine<\/p>\n

Sophie Morris opens the door of her family home in Greystones, Co. Wicklow, beaming. We step into her dusky pink wood panelled hallway, the kitchen to the right drenched with light, with a view out over Glen of the Downs, and to the left, her living room, recently done up, painted a calming pastel sage. Wearing cool baggy jeans and a soft cashmere jumper she ushers us gently into her kitchen, which is spotless (not usually the way, she tells us, with two wild boys, Wrio, (6) and Max, (4)). A vase of wildflowers sits on the dinner table, some children\u2019s toys are tucked away by the window, on the island is a fruit bowl and a plate of salted chocolate berry and peanut butter bark, a recipe straight out of her bestselling book.<\/p>\n

This book, Sophie\u2019s Swaps, is, how would you call it? A book-buster! Since it\u2019s release six weeks ago it has sat confidently and very stubbornly at the top of the charts \u2013 there is just no budging it. In it you will find 50 family-friendly UPF-free (ultra processed food) recipes that will help you unprocess your plate, along with Sophie\u2019s hugely popular \u201cclever swaps\u201d, which show you how to make simple, smarter choices every time you shop.<\/p>\n

Every time we have shopped lately, we\u2019ve filed by customers in the aisles scrutinising the small print on the back of everything, from juice drinks to yoghurts to bread. Sophie has caused a movement, it\u2019s called #thesophiemorriseffect and if you need proof, just check her Instagram (@sophie_morris) where she has accumulated over 500,000 followers in one year, and rising. What they are all following for, is to see her daily videos where she studies labels and suggests \u201cclever swaps\u201d of foods that are better quality and often cheaper than the ultra-processed alternative. Her message is simple, clear and succinct; this nutrition coach is on a mission to reshape Ireland\u2019s food landscape \u2013 one trolley at a time. And for once everyone is listening.<\/p>\n

After a morning spent hanging in her kitchen, eating her berry bark, nosing through her cookbooks (Darina Allen, Yotam Ottolenghi and Nigel Slater to name a few) and admiring her new sauna and plunge pool, the latter built by her husband Robbie, we sit and talk about
it all: how it happened, why it happened and what\u2019s next\u2026<\/p>\n

\"\"Sophie Morris Pic: Emily Quinn for VIP Magazine<\/p>\n

Sophie, you\u2019ve started a movement, can you believe it?
No, I can\u2019t! I really am still finding it hard to wrap my head around! It\u2019s still just over a year and the explosion of it has been mind-blowing. Sometimes I sit down and go, is this really happening? It\u2019s bonkers but it\u2019s just really landed with people, I don\u2019t know how I\u2019ve communicated the message, but it\u2019s resonated strongly and people have now totally changed how they\u2019re shopping, that\u2019s just what I hear, repeatedly.<\/p>\n

548k followers on Instagram right now, but surely that\u2019s growing by the day?
It is, it\u2019s just going up and up and up! It\u2019s slowed down from early on, at the very start it was madness, I was going up 5,000 followers a day at one point! But it\u2019s still big growth \u2013 even today!<\/p>\n

And your book Sophie\u2019s Swaps is also still at the top of the charts! Like wow!
I know! It\u2019s No.1 again! I\u2019m six weeks at No.1 in paperback non-fiction \u2013 I\u2019m absolutely thrilled!<\/p>\n

Did you ever imagine when you started out that this could happen? That there was that level of interest out there?
If you even told me a year ago that I\u2019d be writing a book, I\u2019d have said, no way, it\u2019s not a possibility. So, to have got a chance to write it, publish it and be top of the charts is phenomenal. Supporters on Instagram is one thing, but people who are actually parting with their money to support me and my book is another level. I appreciate it so much, it\u2019s been so moving.<\/p>\n

What the numbers do say is that people are concerned with what they are consuming. What the numbers say is that they\u2019re looking for help.
People are kind of angry, and they feel duped in a way by how misleading packaging can be. Beforehand people were shopping totally unaware; just blindly going in and believing claims on the front of packs. These health claims that are put on the front of packs, by big food companies, are often factually correct. Say high protein is plastered over the front of the product, that product does have to have protein in it, but the thing is these health claims have been put on to highlight one aspect of the product in order to distract us from the rest of what\u2019s going on. So we\u2019re not getting the full content picture, and I\u2019m just saying, let\u2019s look at what else is actually in there before we make an informed choice about whether this is helping our health or not. I think that has been such a massive eye opener for people and what I\u2019m proud of is people are now shopping more savvy. They\u2019re not letting big food companies pull the wool over their eyes anymore, they\u2019re reading the ingredients and truly that is the only informed way when you\u2019re shopping.<\/p>\n

\"\"Sophie Morris Pic: Emily Quinn for VIP Magazine<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s not just shoppers who are listening, supermarkets are too.
That\u2019s been an amazing side effect, it\u2019s been such a movement, because people want better and they want to be choosing better products. People are voting with their wallets; they\u2019re buying quality products and as a result supermarkets are starting to respond to that. I often call out and highlight small food producers because I\u2019m very passionate about them getting more visibility, because you just don\u2019t stand a chance as a small producer against the big guys in supermarkets. Most people don\u2019t know they exist and they die a slow death, but they\u2019re the guys who really care about good produce. When I recommend some of these products, people are picking them up and it\u2019s transformed some of their businesses. Supermarkets are giving them massive shelf space, they\u2019re getting more listings, so we\u2019re really seeing better quality products on the shelves, which is phenomenal.<\/p>\n

Are you rattling the supermarkets, do you think? Are they quaking in their boots when they see you coming?
I think they have a real love\/hate relationship with me! They all have contacted me at some point or another, they all want to work with me, because when I recommend a product the sales are phenomenal! But I made a conscious decision early on that I did not want to do any paid work with any retailer or food company so I could stay totally neutral and independent.<\/p>\n

It is shocking to think that 50 per cent of the average Irish shopping basket is filled with ultra-processed foods (UPF).
And the worrying thing is you are mostly unaware. People are buying products without realising. They\u2019re buying products without looking at the ingredient list at the back. But I hope I always get this message through in my content, I am not saying we need to cut out UPF\u2019s completely, it\u2019s not necessary and it\u2019s not realistic in today\u2019s world, but the problem is we\u2019re not hitting the right balance because the average Irish shoppers\u2019 basket is, as you said, 50 per cent ultra processed. That is becoming problematic for our health, so the aim is to get it to 80\/20. If 80 per cent of our calories are coming from whole or partially processed nutrient dense foods, it doesn\u2019t matter where you get the other 20 per cent from. So, making clever swaps and moving the needle away from the 50 per cent is the aim.<\/p>\n

Give us a little lesson in ultra-processed foods, please, Sophie!
Essentially, it\u2019s foods that have gone through multiple stages of industrial processing, so they are combining extracts of whole foods with artificial additives and industrial ingredients, so the end product is often far removed from what those original recognisable ingredients are. A really simple way to look at it is, if you look at a product and the ingredient list has lots of things on it that you would not recognise and you wouldn\u2019t be able to replicate at home, that is an ultra-processed food. The scary thing is we\u2019re moving more and more towards that type of processing because they are cheaper to manufacture and big food companies number one goal is not nutritional value or our health, their priority is driving profits so using these additives in replacement of real product ingredients makes them cheaper to manufacture, they\u2019ll last longer on the shelf, and the very nature of using these ingredients is that they stimulate our taste buds in a way that make us want to eat more and more and more.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re being tricked!
So much money is poured into the formulations of these products, they employ really sophisticated food scientists who are using these precise combinations of saturated fat, salt and sugar, this combination is called the \u201cbliss point\u201d. You know when you eat a food with these ingredients because it\u2019s so moreish you can\u2019t stop? That\u2019s the food scientists\u2019 job, to hit that \u201cbliss point\u201d, and the more they sell the more they drive profit.<\/p>\n

\"\"Sophie Morris Pic: Emily Quinn for VIP Magazine<\/p>\n

Your insight into the supermarket\/food system stems from your own experience running a small food production company, called Kooky Dough\u2026
That\u2019s really what\u2019s informed most of what I\u2019m doing. I got a real inside experience of what it was like to be a small food producer and deal with the supermarkets, because it is a brutal space to be in if you are a producer who\u2019s using quality ingredients and you care about quality, it\u2019s nearly impossible to compete in the supermarket landscape. Constantly we were pushed to change our ingredients; to make them cheaper so they can sell it cheaper; it was a constant battle; you become very disillusioned with the industry when you\u2019re in it. It\u2019s also great to be able to speak the truth about what goes on now because back then you are so under compliment to these supermarkets. It left such a sour taste in my mouth seeing how the whole system operates.<\/p>\n

Ballymaloe Cookery School, where you trained, must be so proud of what you\u2019re doing because this is really back to their ethos.
They have been so supportive, Darina rang me soon after the page launched, Rachel has been very supportive too. So much of my passion for the quality of food came from that experience. It\u2019s not just a cookery school, it\u2019s not just learning cooking skills, you really get this understanding of what food is and what it should be; they are practically self-sufficient down in west Cork in terms of growing everything. It was just such an incredibly immersive experience.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s talk about your shopping trolley, Sophie. Firstly, where do you shop?
I shop in all of the supermarkets because I\u2019m in them all so much, that is literally when I pick up my shopping when I\u2019m in there doing my content! And they all have different great things about them. I love cooking but I do have two crazy little boys so I don\u2019t get to cook from scratch as much as I would love too, so I am picking up the shortcut things, that\u2019s when those Sophie\u2019s Swaps come in! But lots of fruit and veg and meat. I would love to make hummus myself but at the end of the day, I end up buying it. I\u2019m a chocolate lover so I\u2019ll always have chocolate in there. I buy ice cream and ice pops for the kids. I think people think I would never buy stuff like that, of course, I do! I think it\u2019s 80\/20 balance and as long as you\u2019re mostly cooking and eating minimally processed foods then you don\u2019t need to be concerned.<\/p>\n

What are your go-to recipes, or staples, you always keep at home?
I love a stir fry because it\u2019s quick and handy! A great hack for cooking from scratch if you\u2019re busy: frozen chopped ginger, garlic, onions and veg from the freezer aisle. If you have them in the freezer, it makes the stir fry so quick. I love tray bakes too, I love whacking a load of veg into the oven. There\u2019s a recipe in my book where you put chicken thighs on top of veg, and then you add pesto, and it\u2019s just quick and easy. Sometimes I\u2019ll make my own pesto and sometimes I\u2019ll use a shop bought pesto, depending on my time. Things that I can chuck in the oven while getting on with doing laundry are a real winner for me!<\/p>\n

\"\"Sophie Morris Pic: Emily Quinn for VIP Magazine<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s talk about our grocery bills. Over the course of the year you\u2019ve surely seen price hikes across the board?
Totally, and actually something that kind of bothers me, and I need to investigate it further, people often will message me and say that products I recommend soon after they\u2019ll see the prices going up. I haven\u2019t verified it myself, but I do get those messages quite a lot. I really hope the retailers are not doing that. But generally, yes, the prices are going up and it\u2019s hard, and it does mean you have to put effort into what you\u2019re buying. I have a whole section in my book about the psychology of supermarket shopping, and it really delves into the tactics of the supermarket, and again it\u2019s not some big evil conspiracy, but they are, again, profit driven. When you step into a supermarket their whole goal is to extract as much money from you. So, it\u2019s being aware of the tactics, because they work.<\/p>\n

Give us a few tactics to be aware of.
You\u2019ll always find the milk and the eggs in the very far corner, the things you absolutely need to get, so you have to go through all the middle aisles where you\u2019re tempted by all the packaged goods, and all the offers. The bakery section tends to be near the entrance so if you shop hungry \u2013 which you shouldn\u2019t \u2013 those sensory smells of freshly baked breads, trigger something in you, and then it\u2019s harder to resist picking up stuff. I also don\u2019t think it\u2019s a good idea to go to the supermarket at the end of the day. I really believe you get decision fatigue. To be honest my favourite thing is shopping online because you don\u2019t get all those sensory triggers and flashy promotions. Again, it\u2019s boring, but planning and having your list and sticking to it, that really is the way to save on your shopping budget. And also using the freezer aisle because the amount the average Irish household wastes on food each year, is crazy. If the prices are going up, the freezer aisle is the first place we should be looking.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead Sophie, what\u2019s next for you and your mission? You\u2019ve done so much in a year, where to from here?
It\u2019s been such a whirlwind, and it\u2019s been hard to stop and take stock. Obviously, the book took so much of my time for so long and that\u2019s out there now, but already the publishers are talking about the next book! Also, I ran an online course earlier this year, but I\u2019ve since developed it further and I\u2019m going to be launching a membership plan soon. Essentially it will be a platform where people can log in depending on what supermarket they\u2019re in, and search for Sophie\u2019s Best Swaps! I am very excited about that; I think it\u2019s really going to help people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sophie Morris Pic: Emily Quinn for VIP Magazine Sophie Morris opens the door of her family home in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":300546,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[102,6636,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-300545","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-nutrition","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300545","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=300545"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300545\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/300546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=300545"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=300545"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=300545"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}