A note from Evie, founder of D*mn Good

If you've ever picked up one of our display boxes, you'll have seen three words printed down the side: Guilt Serves Nobody. They're not there because they sounded good in a branding meeting. They're there because I spent years believing the opposite.

Where this started

Through my teens I had a really complicated relationship with food. I swung between restricting and bingeing, and every single thing I ate came with a verdict attached. Good or bad. Allowed or not. Earned or "naughty". A biscuit was never just a biscuit. It was a test I'd either passed or failed.

What I didn't realise at the time was how much the world around me was feeding that voice. The "guilt-free" labels. The "cheat days". The diet adverts that sold you a smaller body and a side order of shame. It was everywhere, and it made something that should be simple and joyful feel like a constant battle.

In my early twenties I started making food I genuinely felt good eating. No rules, no punishment, just good ingredients and things that tasted amazing. That's where D*mn Good began.

Why you'll never see "guilt-free" on our packs

People sometimes ask why we don't call our cookies "guilt-free". It would probably sell a few more bags. But it would also mean agreeing that there's something to feel guilty about in the first place, and I don't believe that.

A cookie isn't a moral choice. You're not good for eating a salad and bad for eating a brownie. You're a person who ate some food. That's it.

So instead of guilt, we went with the opposite: cookies that are made for D*mn Good moments. The mid-afternoon slump. The cup of tea after a long day. The bag you share on a train. The one you have at midnight because you fancy it.

Nobody left out

The same thinking is behind why every D*mn Good cookie is free from the 14 major allergens. Food has a way of making people feel left out, whether that's because of an eating disorder, an allergy or just a label that makes you feel like you don't belong. I wanted to make something everyone at the table could have, without having to explain themselves.

You are D*mn Good enough

World Mental Health Day has just passed, and it's a good reminder that so many people are quietly fighting battles with food and with how they see themselves. You often can't tell from the outside.

If any of this sounds familiar, please know you're not on your own, and it isn't a willpower problem. Talking to someone really does help. In the UK, Beat runs free, confidential helplines and online support for anyone affected by an eating disorder, including friends and family who are worried about someone.

And if you're not struggling right now, maybe someone you love is. A message, a cuppa, a "thinking of you" can go a really long way.

That's what D*mn Good is really about. Not cookies, not even allergens. Just the reminder that you're D*mn Good enough, no matter what.

Thank you for being part of this. It means more than you know.

Evie x

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