Ealing CAMHS Dietitian Launches Home-based Cooking Sessions
To support young people in eating disorder recovery
Isis Stelmo
February 28, 2026
To mark Eating Disorder Awareness Week, West London NHS Trust is highlighting an innovative approach being used within its Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in Ealing. This year’s theme is “Community”, and dietitian Isis Stelmo has been putting that idea into practice by delivering personalised home cooking sessions for young people recovering from eating disorders.
Isis joined West London NHS Trust in 2024 and has since developed a hands-on programme designed to help children and adolescents rebuild a healthier relationship with food. The sessions take place in the young person’s home and use cooking as a therapeutic tool to reduce fear, increase confidence and normalise food in everyday life. Her patients range from nine to sixteen years old, and referrals come from GPs, schools, healthcare professionals and families.
Nationally, eating disorders continue to rise among young people. Research shows that eating difficulties among children aged eleven to sixteen increased from 6.7 per cent in 2017 to 12.3 per cent in 2023. Rates among seventeen to nineteen-year-olds rose from 44.6 per cent to 59.4 per cent over the same period.
Isis has seen how practical activities such as planning meals, practising mindfulness or preparing a dish together can help reduce the emotional weight that often surrounds food. She says that many people imagine dietitians as enforcing rules or restrictions, but her work focuses on relationships: with food, with the body and with the world around the young person.
A key part of her approach is giving young people a sense of control during recovery. This might involve choosing snacks at the supermarket, deciding on a weekly meal plan or learning how to plate appropriate portions. For some, it means inviting Isis into their kitchen for a one-to-one cooking session. She explains that planning ahead helps reduce anxiety because young people know what ingredients will be used, what the process will involve and that they remain in control throughout.
Isis believes that cooking can transform how young people view food, shifting it from something overwhelming to something collaborative and creative. She says that food often becomes the enemy during an eating disorder, but cooking encourages social eating, variety and an understanding of healthy portions, helping to take the power away from the food itself.
Eating Disorder Awareness Week shines a light on the challenges faced by people of all ages, genders and backgrounds who live with eating disorders.
West London NHS Trust provides support for both children and adults experiencing these difficulties. More information and guidance can be found at www.westlondon.nhs.uk.
Eating Disorder Awareness Week takes place each year, and in 2026 runs from 23 February to 1 March.
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