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Pippa Middleton surprised members of the Charing Cross heart support group when she joined them for afternoon tea at Grace Belgravia in London on Sunday. The 33-year-old, who is also a British Heart Foundation Ambassador, chatted about the benefits of healthy eating and treated guests to recipes from her cookbook Heartfelt, which features over 100 recipes.
Pippa, who is set to tie the knot with her financier fiancé James Matthews in May 2017, listened to past experiences from group members and spoke about the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Pippa surprised guests at afternoon tea at Grace Belgravia Photo: British Heart Foundation
"As an Ambassador, I care deeply about the work of the British Heart Foundation… It was a pleasure to share some of the dishes from Heartfelt with the group," she said. "Through Heartfelt I want to demonstrate how easy it is to create simple dishes that help with nutritious eating and focus on nourishing meals which are good for the heart."
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She continued: "I hope readers will benefit not only from a growing awareness of the importance of heart health, but also from the idea that healthy food is not just good for you, it can also be fun to prepare and delicious to eat."
Kate Middleton's little sister did not show up to the occasion empty-handed. During the tea, attendees were treated to some of the goodies from her cookbook including salmon topped spelt and beetroot blinis, oaty drop scones with cranberries and banana as well as blueberry and oat muffins.
Pippa is the author of Heartfelt Photo: British Heart Foundation
Pippa shared how important it was for her to bring the cookbook and meet with the group members. "It was such a pleasure to meet members from British Heart Foundation Heart Support Groups and hear about each of their challenging journeys," she said. "The determination and energy in the room was inspiring."
Members of the group spoke fondly about their afternoon with Pippa. Lewisham Heart Support group member Eileen Hunt said: "I had such a wonderful afternoon. I’d heard about the new cookbook but hadn’t had a chance to take a look at it yet. Having Pippa there and getting to sample some of the tasty dishes was such a wonderful surprise and a lovely treat."
Guests were treated to samples of some of Pippa's delicious recipes Photo: British Heart Foundation
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Eilleen continued: "After having open heart surgery 3 years ago, I always try to eat a healthy diet. Heartfelt has given me lots of ideas about how I can be more adventurous with food, whilst still keeping it healthy."
The 33-year-old previously opened up exclusively to HELLO! about how her own healthy living started when she was little. "My mother always says preparing a healthy and tasty meal for the family is one of life's greatest pleasures – and pressures," she shared. "With the demands of family life, even the most enthusiastic cook can struggle to come up with new ideas week in week out and not rely on convenience foods to serve up a meal at the end of a long day. Healthy food is not just good for you, but can also be fun to prepare and delicious to eat."