About Angela Milnes

As a high school student I studied home economics and further developed my talents for cooking. The teacher invited me to teach the class how to make Yorkshire Puddings and in 2000, I won a national recipe competition.

Restaurant/Teaching Experience

During my University years I worked evening shifts at the Auckland Valentines Restaurant in New Zealand and in 2006 I worked in a Restaurant whilst living overseas in the Pacific Island of Tonga.

I’m a qualified teacher with a Bachelor of Arts in Education and a Grad Diploma in ECE Teaching. I’ve taught Cooking Classes To Adults With Special Needs as well as Teaching Recipes To New Parents and studying Nutrition For Infants and Toddlers as part of my professional teacher development. 

In 2010 I returned to the United Kingdom with my daughter. A few years later I was diagnosed with a life changing illness, Adrenal Insufficiency. My life changed dramatically. I spent two years using a wheelchair and many days in hospital during which time I became a blogger. 

Days in Bed and the Inspiration Edit

My very first blog was called Days In Bed. It focussed on being a Mother with Chronic illness. In 2015 I was named Parent Blogger of the year at the Mumprenuer UK Awards and in 2016 I was nominated for the Wego Health Awards, as a patient leader on social media.

I was also nominated that same year for a MADS Award as a Top UK Parent Blogger and shortlisted for the Inspire category at the BritMums Blogging Awards 2016.

In 2017 I changed the name of my blog to The Inspiration Edit. I began sharing fun crafts and recipes and continued to share my story. That year I was named a finalist at the BritMums Blogging Awards Inspire Category and again in 2018 in the BritMums Blogging Awards Pinterest Category. I had built a following of around 60 thousand on Pinterest and was regularly sharing easy recipes for The Instant Pot. 

In 2019 I won and was named Best Campaign Creator in the UK by the Britmums Influencer Network and was featured in the Lancashire Evening Post. I regularly shared Instant Pot recipes on my family site and collaborated with food brands across the UK.

 In 2020 I published my first book: The Complete Instant Pot Guide For Beginners and my Facebook group Instant Pot Recipes For Beginners grew to 190 thousand members. 

Moving Home to New Zealand

In 2021, following two years of lockdown, I moved back to New Zealand with my daughter and husband. I had struggled to get the medical care I needed during covid and my health had taken a turn for the worse. 

We settled in Dunedin, near my sister, Dr Deborah Brunt, an integrative health doctor, who is supporting me as I battle newly diagnosed health conditions including Hypothyroidsm, Kidney Failure, Gall Stones and Diabetes. 

The Instant Pot Table and Easy Family Recipes

Upon Arriving in New Zealand I decided to follow my dreams and set up The Instant Pot Table, a recipe site for families that shares Easy family recipes and Instant Pot recipes.

As an Instant Pot Lover and foodie, I get enjoyment from sharing my knowledge and experiences with others. I have to admit, physically cooking with a daily illness and chronic exhaustion is a challenge for me. I plan the meals and recipes with ease, but the actual physical task of cooking can be difficult as I often feel exhausted. 

Creating recipes for The Instant Pot Table is a family affair. I usually sit at the table to chop veg and prep food. My daughter will bring me the ingredients as I don’t have the strength to walk to and from the pantry. My husband (the man behind the scenes), takes photos of the cooking process and the end result so we can share the recipes we make here on The Instant Pot Table. It really is a family affair! 

My Culinary Journey

Whilst my culinary journey began young, and I’ve  taught cooking skills and worked in restaurants, I simply cooked for my family after becoming a Mother at 27. I loved to cook regularly for my daughter and would visit my elderly grandparents and batch cook freezer meals for them each week. 

After becoming a blogger I’ve had the opportunity to attend many food events, meet some great chefs and review a variety of restaurants and kitchen products. Here are a few highlights:

Co-op Food Bloggers Meet Up  – Creating A Vegetable Train

Sorted Food Studio London – Cooking With Chef Ben Ebbrell

Morses Club Food Challenge – Homemade Potato Soup Recipe

Ocado Collaboration WIth Cannamela  – Saffron Risotto With Chorizo 

Thai Khun Restaurant – Thai Food Review

Tesco Supermarket Collaboration Crispy Loaded Hasselback Potatoes

Wagamama Manchester Restaurant – Japanese Food Review

Richmond 600G Gas Cooker Review Cooking With Richmond

Cooking In Soho London With UK Celebrity Masterchef Winner Angelica Bell

ObesityHelp – Creating Bariatric friendly recipes. Cucumber Bites and Devilled Eggs

New Zealand Auckland Food Show – Invited To Review For Social Media

Education 

• 2000 – Sir John Tueri Award – Top Maori Student At Lynfield College
• 2001-2004 Bachelor Of Arts – The University Of Auckland
• 2005 -2006 Graduate Diploma Teaching ECE The University Of Auckland 

Professional Career

• 2001-2006  Restaurant Worker – Valentines Restaurant NZ  & Kainga Restaurant Tonga
• 2006-2008  Teacher/Head Teacher – Dinsdale Education Center, Hamilton New Zealand 
• 2013- 2023  Full time Blogger at Days In Bed/The Inspiration Edit/The Instant Pot Table

Interviews/Panels

• ITV/ Mumsnet Panel – Speaking About Child Nutrition And Growth with UK Netmums and ITV Health Editor Hilary Jones – It’s more than height campaign – London UK. 
• Mumsnet Panel -Speaking About protecting teens online  in a digital age – London UK

Online Publications

• Daily Mail
• Take A Break
• Chorley Guardian
• Mumsnet
• Britmums
• James Villas 
• Huffington Post
• Country Living
• Readers Digest
• Parade 
• The Pioneer Woman
• WikiHow
• Today.com