VANESSA CLARKSON is a registered nutritionist with over 15 years' experience, specialising in infant, child and maternal nutrition, plant-based diets, sustainability and food systems. She holds a first-class honours degree in dietetics and a masters degree with distinction in food policy. She has worked across sectors including governments, public agencies, non-profit organisations, academic institutions and food businesses to support a transition to a healthier food system that nourishes people and the planet. Vanessa's recipes and commentary have been widely published in national media outlets in the UK and Australia, where she has advocated for the importance of traditional foods that bring us pleasure and connection, beyond nourishment. Her first book Real Food for Babies and Toddlers won the Smallish Parenting magazine award for Best Family Cookbook. She is the mother of three boys and works, writes, cooks and grows on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne.