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Appetizer: Niki Webster says she would tackle food poverty if chancellor
Vegan chef Niki Webster would tackle food poverty by increasing the number of children eligible for free school meals if she were in charge of the country’s finances.
Webster, known on Instagram as @Rebelrecipes, has risen to fame in response to vegan diets and “plant-based eating” becoming more mainstream. She can claim up to £2,000 for a sponsored Instagram post and says she’s spent a lot of money dining in Michelin-starred restaurants.
Niki, in her late forties, tells Donna Ferguson that her only luxury is to spend £4.50 on a jar of the spicy pasta rose harissa, which she uses sparingly because it’s so precious. She is smart with her finances, employs a financial advisor and has invested in real estate, a pension and Isa shares. Her fifth cookbook Around The World Vegan Cookbook will be published early next year.
What did your parents teach you about money?
To be fiercely independent, get a good career and not rely on anyone else. My mother left school at the age of 15, which she deeply regretted, and she never had much money. My mom was constantly juggling jobs and also taking care of me and my sister. She worked in a shop, as a housekeeper and in a care home, always taking extra jobs – she had an incredible work ethic.
My father was a manager in a dairy factory. Money was tight. While we weren’t the worst people in the world, I could see that something special we did was hard for my parents to afford. They would save up for a whole year to go on vacation, but I didn’t feel my circumstances were any different from those of my peers. We lived in the country and I had a good childhood.
Have you ever had trouble making ends meet?
Yes. When I left college, I got a graduate job at a cereal company. I was poorly paid and had to pay off student loans.
I had to buy a car to go to work, so I couldn’t pay off my student debt with my income. I found it stressful. I took a part-time job at a bar and lived on soup and lentils for a few years.
Have you ever been paid stupid money?
Yes. In Instagram’s pre-pandemic heyday, there were several occasions when I was paid £2,000 for a sponsored post. It’s different now. Companies don’t have that much money and their expectations are higher.
But a few years ago I could earn a few thousand for a day and a half’s work. Usually the company would send me some products and I would make a recipe around it, take some pictures and write a positive caption about it. I am always careful. Even if I get attractive compensation, I make sure to only post about – and recommend – a product that I would use myself.
What was the best year of your financial life?
It was 2019. Then I got my first book deal. I received my advance and did loads of content creation campaigns that year, plus cooking workshops. I probably made about £80,000 which was great.
The most expensive thing you bought for fun?
I don’t really buy expensive things, but the amount of money I’ve spent on fancy meals and drinks is ridiculous. I like going to Michelin star restaurants – that’s my most ludicrous expense. The most expensive meal I had was ten years ago at Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck restaurant in Bray, Berkshire. It was £250 per person for 15 courses which was a lot more money back then. But it was an incredible experience.
What’s your biggest money mistake?
In the mid-1990s, I didn’t buy a house in my early twenties. Many of my friends did and paid around £50,000 for their first home. I finally managed to get up the housing ladder when I was 31. I paid £127,000 for the house I live in – a two bedroom terraced house in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, which I renovated. It’s now worth around £220,000.
The best money decision you’ve made?
Started working as a freelance six years ago. Before that I worked in food marketing. Even though there are ups and downs in freelancing, I don’t regret it. I enjoy working for myself and now earn more than before as a marketing manager. I also have more flexibility, freedom and creativity.
Feast: Niki’s fifth cookbook features vegan dishes from around the world
Are you saving for a pension or investing in the stock market?
Yes, I do both. I started saving for retirement when I was 30 and employed, so the company contributed. When I went freelance I was nervous and stopped paying for the plan for a while.
A few years ago I received financial advice and started saving for a pension again. I now pay about three percent of my income. I do it because it’s important to have financial security when I’m older.
Every month I also invest in shares and Isa shares. Everything is managed by my advisor and I invest in investment funds with a medium risk, often ethically oriented.
What’s the one luxury you treat yourself to?
Rose harissa which if you haven’t tried it yet is harissa with rose petals in it. It costs £4.50 per jar so I use it sparingly. It’s so precious.
If you were Chancellor, what would you do first?
Tackling food poverty. Food is fundamental to human health and well-being. In my life we have never been in such a difficult situation where so many people cannot afford to eat.
I would prioritize children. If they are hungry at school, they cannot concentrate and poor nutrition in childhood leads to poor health later in life.
That in turn will put pressure on the NHS. It has a snowball effect on society as a whole. I would increase the number of children eligible for free school meals. It’s awful that so many families have to use food banks and make unhealthy food choices because they have to buy the cheapest food to feed their families.
I would also change the status of private schools from charities to corporations. I would then redirect the taxes collected to the public school system so that parents who send their children to private schools end up subsidizing public education. I think the idea of a private school being a charity is flawed.
Do you donate money to charity?
Yes, to Cat Protection. I am a huge cat lover and have a small rescue kitten named Dill named after the herb.
What is your first financial priority?
Having enough money in my bank account to pay myself for the next six months. Even though I’ve never had any financial problems since I started working for myself, I always have a slight fear in the back of my mind that things could go wrong. It’s comforting to know I have enough in the bank for the next six months.
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