Meet the Woman Turning Mushrooms Into a Movement for Wellness – Interview With Gemma Ogston

Gemma Ogston is a chef, author, and founder of Mama Shrooms, a wellness brand focused on women’s health and recovery. A former addiction counsellor, she’s now a recipe developer, community advocate, and bestselling author of The Self-Care Cookbook and The Healing Cookbook. Gemma regularly appears on BBC and ITV, works with brands like Soho House and Witch, and leads local projects promoting affordable, nourishing food. She’s also an ambassador for Young Minds UK and FareShare.

Gemma Ogston, Chef, Author, and Wellness Advocate

Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better.

I’m Gemma, I’m 46 (nearly 47!) and I live in Brighton with my husband, Peter, our two teenagers (13 and almost 15), our dog Flash, and our cat Luna. I’m a chef, a wellness author, a mother, and the founder of Mama Shrooms, a brand that’s very close to my heart.

Food has always been my way of caring for others. I grew up as the youngest of five in a big, loving family, and we didn’t have much. I learned to cook out of necessity, often making meals for my whole family from a young age, and that’s where my love of food really started. Cooking was how I connected, nurtured, and created joy. That hasn’t changed.

Before launching Mama Shrooms, I ran my own plant-based food business in Brighton for 10 years, Gem’s Wholesome Kitchen, where I made nourishing meal packages for people each week. That’s where I really became known as a chef and where I found my voice in the wellness space. Before that, I lived in Barcelona, raising my babies while cooking for world-famous DJs, creating healthy bento boxes for their long-haul flights, and running a little takeaway from my apartment in the Gothic Quarter. It was wild, fun, and totally formative.

But even earlier than that, I worked for eight years as an addiction counsellor in the NHS, supporting women in sex work and those experiencing serious trauma, drug and alcohol misuse, and complex challenges. That time shaped me in ways I’m still unpacking; it taught me the importance of listening, compassion, and never judging a person’s story by the cover.

I’m also the author of The Self-Care Cookbook and The Healing Cookbook, published by Penguin, where I combine recipes with gentle lifestyle tools to support mood, immunity, and overall wellbeing. I’ve worked with brands, created hundreds of recipes, done some TV work as a chef, and now run wellness feasting retreats that bring people together around food and healing.

Right now, though, my main focus is Mama Shrooms, because I believe in it with everything I’ve got. I first discovered functional mushrooms eight years ago when I was working as a retreat chef in Ibiza. I started taking them daily and over time, I felt a huge shift, fewer illnesses, better energy, improved emotional balance. I started giving them to my kids and I’ve never looked back.

I work with a brilliant UK-based supplement factory to make sure everything we produce is high-quality, functional, and honest. This isn’t just a product to me, it’s part of my life, and I truly believe that taking functional mushrooms regularly can improve your health in a powerful way. I’m living proof of that.

When I’m not working, you’ll usually find me cooking for my family, walking by the sea, writing new recipes, or spending summers at our little place in Costa Brava. I believe food can be medicine, and wellness should feel warm, real, and grounded, not perfect.

What inspired you to start Mama Shrooms?

Mama Shrooms was born out of a very personal place, a mix of struggle, healing, and real hope. I first discovered functional mushrooms about eight years ago when I was working as a retreat chef in Ibiza. I was completely fascinated by their benefits, how they support everything from the nervous system and immune health to energy and focus, and I started taking them daily. Over time, I noticed a real shift. I was getting ill less, feeling more emotionally balanced, and just generally stronger in myself. They became part of my everyday life.

Fast forward a few years, and I found myself in a situation no parent wants to be in, my daughter was struggling with her mental health, and we couldn’t get her the support she needed. We were told she wasn’t “unwell enough” to qualify for help, which absolutely broke me. I felt helpless. So I went back to what I knew: food, nature, and nourishment. I started blending functional mushrooms into her routine, researching even more deeply, and looking for small, natural ways to support her from the inside out.

That’s where Mama Shrooms came from: a genuine need for something practical, honest, and rooted in care. I’m not here to promise miracles, but I do believe in the everyday magic of nature. These mushrooms have supported me, my children, and my wider community for years, and I knew I had to share that. I’ve poured everything into making Mama Shrooms a brand that’s kind, clean, and grounded. It’s for anyone who wants to feel more balanced, calm, and well, in a world that often feels like the opposite.

How do you source and select the mushrooms for your products?

Sourcing high-quality mushrooms is absolutely at the heart of everything I do at Mama Shrooms. From the very beginning, I’ve worked closely with a brilliant UK-based supplement manufacturer called Arena Health, who have helped me bring my formulations to life with care, consistency, and integrity.

More recently, I’ve also started working with Seth Cochester, the founder of MycoGenius, a true mushroom expert and someone I completely trust. He’s been instrumental in helping me source the finest functional mushrooms, with a focus on transparency, sustainability, and bioactive potency. Seth works with a trusted network of ethical growers and partners, and only selects mushrooms that are rich in the compounds that actually make a difference to your health.

One of the things I’m most proud of is that all of our mushrooms go through rigorous third-party testing in ISO-accredited labs within the EU. Each batch is tested for heavy metals, pesticides, mold, and microbial contamination, and everything is verified for purity and potency. For me, this level of quality assurance isn’t optional; it’s essential.

Mama Shrooms is all about clean formulations, ethical sourcing, and crafting products that nourish not just the person taking them, but the planet too. I want people to feel confident in what they’re putting into their bodies, and I’ll never compromise on that.

What are the most common misconceptions people have about medicinal mushrooms?

One of the biggest misconceptions about medicinal mushrooms is that they’re psychedelic, people often hear “mushrooms” and immediately think of magic mushrooms or trippy experiences. But functional or medicinal mushrooms are completely different. They’re not psychoactive at all. Instead, they work gently with the body over time to support things like immunity, mood, focus, sleep, and hormone balance. It’s more about daily nourishment than instant impact.

Another misconception is that they’re a wellness fad or some trendy new superfood. But the truth is, these mushrooms have been used for thousands of years in Traditional Chinese Medicine and other ancient systems of healing. They’re not new; we’re just rediscovering them and backing their benefits with modern science now.

People also assume that all mushroom products are equal, and they’re not. A lot of what you see on shelves doesn’t contain enough of the active compounds to actually do anything. That’s why sourcing and quality are so important. It matters what part of the mushroom is used (we use fruiting body only), how it’s extracted, and whether it’s been tested for things like heavy metals or potency.

Finally, some people think you have to be “into wellness” or already super healthy to benefit from functional mushrooms. But I created Mama Shrooms to be the opposite of that. It’s for anyone, burned-out parents, tired teens, people dealing with stress, mood dips, hormonal shifts, or just trying to get through the week with more balance. You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to start.

What’s next for Mama Shrooms—any new products or goals on the horizon?

It’s such an exciting time for Mama Shrooms. I’ve just launched our brand-new Teen Hot Chocolate, and I’m incredibly proud of it. It’s the first mushroom-based product in the UK made specifically for teens, and the response so far has been amazing.

As a mum of two teens and an ambassador for YoungMinds UK, this product is deeply personal to me. I’ve seen first-hand how hard it can be to support young people with their mental health, and I wanted to create something that’s not only functional and effective, but also accessible and empowering.

The blend includes Reishi to reduce anxiety and support calm, Lion’s Mane for focus and clarity, Chaga for immune support, and Tremella for hydration and skin health. But more than that, it’s about encouraging teens to start building self-care rituals early. Making themselves a hot chocolate or smoothie in the morning might seem like a small act, but it’s actually a huge step toward emotional awareness and daily self-support.

I’ve also just launched a beautiful collaboration with Brighton-based jewellery brand Posh Totty Designs, we’ve created a limited-edition mushroom charm necklace, and 100% of profits go directly to YoungMinds. It’s a way to wear the mission and support a cause close to my heart.

And on top of that, I’ve introduced Mama Shrooms merch, all made from sustainable, organic materials. It’s fun, vibrant, and perfect for the summer season or festivals, and of course, it carries the same ethos of balance, wellness, and doing things with intention.

There’s lots more to come, but right now, it’s all about deepening the mission, spreading the word, and helping more people discover the power of functional mushrooms, from teens to grown-ups and everyone in between.

Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today.

One of the most pivotal moments in my life came in my late twenties, when I was trying to have children. It was a really difficult time, I suffered five miscarriages, and for a while, I felt completely lost. It was heartbreaking and all-consuming. But looking back, it was also a turning point, a moment that cracked something open in me and reshaped the course of my life.

I had already started becoming more mindful about what I was eating, but this experience made me take a much deeper look at every part of my wellbeing, not just food, but my lifestyle, my mindset, even who I was surrounding myself with. I started practising affirmations, I read The Secret, I immersed myself in the idea of the law of attraction. I began to truly understand that wellness isn’t just about what’s on your plate, it’s about your thoughts, your energy, your boundaries, and the environment you create for yourself.

That’s when the phrase “food is medicine” really landed for me. I started healing not just my body, but my mind and spirit too. I eventually discovered that I had a blood disorder and received medical treatment, which helped, but I truly believe that my mental and emotional shift played a huge role in my healing as well.

I’m so grateful that I went on to have two beautiful, healthy children. They’re everything to me. That experience shaped who I am today, as a mother, as a chef, and as the founder of Mama Shrooms. It’s the reason I do what I do: helping people take care of themselves holistically, with love, food, and the power of nature

If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why?

 If I could change one thing about the wellness industry, it would be the way it’s become, in some ways, quite extreme and exclusive. While the growth of wellness as a whole has been amazing, and it’s great that people are taking their health seriously, I do feel that certain parts of the industry have started to feel a little bit toxic. There’s a pressure to do all the things: the ice baths, the intense workouts, the perfect morning routine, the constant optimisation, and if you’re not doing it all, it can feel like you’re not doing enough.

As a mum of teenagers, I’m especially conscious of this. Young people are absorbing so much from social media, and wellness influencers can sometimes send the message that if you’re not living this curated, extreme version of “health,” then you’re failing. And that’s just not true.

Wellness should feel inclusive, not elite. It shouldn’t matter if you can’t afford a £10 smoothie or don’t have time to journal for 45 minutes every morning. I truly believe that doing one small thing for yourself each day, whether it’s drinking a calming drink, taking a breath outside, or just slowing down, is enough. You are enough.

I’d love to see the narrative shift away from perfection and towards something softer, simpler, and more human. Wellness should be about feeling better in your body and your mind, not about fitting into a lifestyle image. My hope is that we can make this space more accessible, more compassionate, and more real, for everyone, especially the next generation.

Follow me on Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info!

Read more from Gemma Ogston