What a first appointment is really like
How online consultations work
This page walks through the whole sequence, from the moment you send a booking request to what you do three weeks later when the plan is either working or is not.
Knowing the steps in advance takes most of the nerves out of a first appointment. If anything here is unclear, email [email protected] before you book.
Nothing is charged until you have chosen a slot and we have confirmed the time by email.
Before you book
Who a nutritionist is right for
Nutritionists work on everyday eating: energy, digestion, cholesterol, iron, eating around shift work, cooking for a family, running a kitchen at 9pm after a long day. It is a practical, food-first service rather than a clinical one.
If your situation is medical rather than everyday, we will say so in the reply and point you to a dietitian or back to your GP. Nothing is lost by asking, and no session gets booked on a wrong assumption.
How we reply
Within one working day
- Free slots in the next two to three weeks, with the times we actually have open.
- Payment details, so you know the cost before you commit to anything.
- A straight answer if a different professional would serve you better.
Mon–Fri 9:00–18:00 and Sat 10:00–14:00. Requests sent over a weekend are read on Monday morning.
The full sequence
Five steps, start to follow-up
Read them in order once and the appointment stops being an unknown. Each step lists what you send, what comes back, and roughly how long it takes.
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Step one
Your booking request
The booking form asks for your name, email, the topic you want help with, and a rough idea of when you are free. There is a short free-text box, and it is worth using. Two lines about your situation help us judge whether a nutritionist is the right person for you, or whether you need a dietitian or your GP.
We reply within one working day with available slots and payment details. Nothing is charged at that point. If the request suggests something outside our scope, we say so in the reply and suggest where to go instead.
On the form
Name • email • the topic you want help with • roughly when you are free • two lines of context — no medical history, no diary, no app.
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Step two
What to have ready
You do not need a food diary, an app, or a full medical history. It helps to have a rough picture of a typical weekday: what you eat, roughly when, and whether you cook it or buy it. If you take any medication, keep the boxes nearby so you can read the names out.
Recent blood tests are useful if you already have them.
Useful if you have them
Ferritin • B12 • vitamin D • thyroid function • HbA1c
Please do not book
A private test on our behalf. If a test would genuinely help, we will tell you which one to ask your GP about.
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Step three
The video appointment
First consultations run 50 minutes. We start with what you want to change, then work backwards through a normal day of eating, including the parts you feel awkward about. There is no scoring and no judgement. The point is to find the two or three changes that will make the most difference.
You can use a phone, tablet, or laptop with a camera. We send a link by email beforehand. If your internet drops, we carry on by phone and reschedule the video part at no extra cost — which happens more often than you would think on rural connections.
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Step four
Your written plan
Within two working days you receive a plan in plain English. It names specific meals rather than food groups, sets out swaps you can make at the supermarket, and lists what to do when the week goes sideways: a late shift, a birthday meal, a day when nothing was cooked.
The plan covers roughly two to four weeks. It is deliberately short. A ten-page document looks thorough and gets ignored; a one-page plan with six concrete actions tends to survive contact with real life.
A typical plan holds
Three to six concrete actions • named meals • supermarket swaps • what to do on a bad week • your follow-up window
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Step five
Follow-ups and adjustments
Follow-ups are 30 minutes and are usually booked two to four weeks after the first session. You tell us what worked and what fell apart. We adjust rather than restart, which is why the second session often produces more movement than the first.
Most people need one or two follow-ups. Some need none and come back six months later for a reset. There is no package, no minimum, and no pressure to keep booking.
Between the appointment and the plan
What happens in the two working days after your call
The call ends, the notes get written up properly rather than in shorthand, and the plan is turned into something you can shop, cook and read from in under a minute. If anything in the notes is ambiguous, we would rather email you than guess.
The plan always comes with the follow-up window written on it, so you know when to book the next 30 minutes and when to come back to it yourself.
Privacy and fees
What is kept, what is charged, and how to opt out
Technology and privacy
Consultations run over standard video calling, and the link is unique to your appointment. We do not record sessions. Notes are written by hand or typed during the call and stored separately from this website.
Your booking details are handled as described in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. If you would rather not use the online form at all, email [email protected] and we will schedule the same way.
Fees and payment
| Appointment | Fee |
|---|---|
| First consultation, 50 minutes | £65 |
| Written plan, sent within two working days | Included |
| Follow-up consultation, 30 minutes | £40 |
Payment is by bank transfer after we confirm the slot, or by card at the start of the appointment. We do not collect card details through this website.
Cancellations with at least 24 hours' notice are moved free of charge. If cost is the obstacle, mention it in your request — we keep a small number of reduced-rate slots each month and allocate them without fuss.
If the plan is not working
Useful information, not a failure
Some plans do not work, and that is useful information rather than a failure. If something is not sticking after two weeks, message us. Often the fix is smaller than expected: moving a meal, changing a snack, or addressing a work schedule that makes dinner at 9pm the only option.
If after a follow-up we both think a different professional would serve you better, we say so and stop. You are not charged for sessions we do not hold.
If nutrition is not the right answer
- For clinical conditions, prescriptions or a diagnosed digestive disease, ask your GP about a dietitian referral.
- For everyday eating, energy through the day, and supermarket decisions, a nutritionist is usually the right starting point.
- If you are unsure which you need, write two lines in the booking form and we will tell you honestly.
Common questions
Before you book
A short set of answers to the questions that come up most often about the online nutrition consultation process.
Read the full FAQDo I need a webcam, or is a phone enough?
A phone is enough. Most consultations happen on a phone propped against something on the kitchen table. A tablet or laptop with a camera works too, and you can switch device between sessions without telling us in advance.
What if my internet drops during the appointment?
We carry on by phone and reschedule the video part at no extra cost. It happens more often than you would think on rural connections, and it does not shorten the session or change the plan you receive.
Can I book a consultation for someone else?
Yes, if the person is in the room and happy for the conversation to happen. Plans made about someone rather than with them rarely survive the first week, so we ask that they are present for the call.
Do I need to change everything at once?
No, and it usually works better if you do not. The plan starts with two or three changes rather than a full overhaul, because a small change you keep for a month beats a strict week you abandon by Friday.
Next step
Send a booking request, or a question first
The booking form takes two minutes and costs nothing to send. If you would rather ask something before committing to a slot, email [email protected] or call +44 20 7946 0821 during opening hours.