Liz Earle is the bestselling author of 35 books, an established TV presenter and an entrepreneur. In May 2017, she decided to leave the Liz Earle Beauty Co. to develop new projects and partnerships.

Her latest ventures include Liz Earle Wellbeing, the high-quality quarterly magazine focused on food and living well of which she is editor-in-chief, and Liz Earle Fair and Fine, an award-winning range of ethically sourced, Fairtrade gold botanical jewellery.

Here, she talks about wild flowers, making friends on Instagram and her hatred of online bullying.

My favourite website… Well, aside from lizearlewellbeing.com, obviously! I use Amazon pretty much every day to check on my book reviews. I have so many new titles out now, and it’s good to get a feel for what customers are enjoying most. I also use Amazon to buy some of the more specialist probiotic blends and other superfoods that are hard to find down in the West Country. I just wish they paid their corporation tax in Britain.

My favourite app… MindBody - I’m using this quite often to book Pilates and gym sessions. Their massage and reflexology therapists are also good, and it’s useful to have a local directory of trusted and approved people when travelling.

my god-daughter, Alicia - She is an Emergency Medicine trainee doctor and has just signed up to be a medical officer aboard the British Antarctic Medical Survey unit (BASMU), a marine research ship bound for the Antarctic conducting environmental research. It’s a nine-month stint, and I’m enjoying following her journey, which sounds pretty hardcore.

My internet hero... Joanna Blythman - For her continually fearless, rigorous and in-depth exposure of the food industry scandals and dirty-dealings. I follow her on Twitter (@JoannaBlythman) and love her books, too.

My most recent buy online… A sleeveless skinny-rib polo neck in a deep cranberry colour, £59, from British fashion brand Me+Em.

The book I’ve just downloaded or read is… I’m a bit of a gut-health geek and am fascinated by the new discoveries being made with our microbiome and beneficial gut bacteria. My latest download was Welcome to the Microbiome by leading American academics, Rob DeSalle and Susan Perkins. The book illuminates the long intertwined genome sequencing of man and microbes. Not exactly bedtime reading but some fascinating nuggets of easily digestible research on how specific strains of gut bacteria are influencing how we age.

My favourite Tweeter… @manwhohasitall - A brilliant parody account highlighting male/female inequality in a lighthearted but very pointed way. My favourite Tweet recently was: “My mum is chairing a community event. She’s looking for a men’s group to do the teas and coffees. Who should she ask?”

My favourite Instagrammer… leading hairdresser, Sam McKnight (@sammcknight1) - I used to come across Sam on the international fashion show circuit back in the day when I was a roving lifestyle reporter for GMTV. I love his personal account, which lets me catch up on his ever-glam global shoots interspersed with his gorgeous flower photography from his stunning garden back home. We share a mutual passion for dahlias!

Social media allowed me to meet… The gorgeous celebrity cake-baker and inspirational gym-bunny, Lorraine Pascale. We buddied-up over Instagram, and we’ve now just recorded a podcast together for Wellness with Liz Earle and shot her for a new feature for our next magazine issue. I love the way Instagram connects people – when we first met at my studios we gave each other a big hug like old friends.

The most worthwhile newsletter that I subscribe to… Liz Earle Wellbeing’s weekly newsletter of course! And I recently joined as a friend of the charity, Plantlife,, which raises awareness of why we need to protect our wild flowers, plants and funghi. Their latest campaign is supporting the flora in our road verges, which form an important natural habitat for birds, bees and other wildlife. I really enjoy their botanical newsletters, which are always fascinatingly informative. I learn new things about my farm meadow flowers and the botanical world with each edition, and always look forward to a new one pinging into my inbox.

My pet hate about life online… The potential for bullying. I loathe the anonymity of people hiding behind fake identities or nicknames. You know my real name – why shouldn’t I know yours? I believe in free speech but anonymous posting should be illegal. In times gone by, if you received an anonymous poison-pen letter, you’d take it to the police. Now, it is an everyday online occurrence with no accountability. Say what you like online but put your name to it. It would shut down a lot of the “haters” if they were identified. Perhaps one day the social media channels will suddenly reveal the real names behind accounts – now that would be interesting.

My stand-out online memory… Watching my latest book The Good Gut Guide reach No1 on Amazon for Popular Medicine. I still have the screenshot.

November 2017