Nicola Roy

Nicola Roy focuses on practical, expert-led guidance that helps readers make everyday decisions about food, cooking and the home. She works as a Spare Time writer within Reach’s Under 35 team, contributing lifestyle service pieces to WalesOnline and other regional titles. Her recent work centres on food safety, kitchen hacks and simple, repeatable recipes, often framed around clear advice from specialists and chefs. She also writes more broadly about household problem-solving, from waste disposal to decorating and garden maintenance.

Food safety and kitchen know-how

Food safety is a core strand of Roy’s work, where she takes familiar kitchen worries and answers them with detailed input from experts. In a piece asking whether it is safe to eat mouldy bread, she interviews a technical manager at a food innovation centre and a chef, using their explanations to spell out why the whole loaf needs to be discarded rather than trimmed. She moves beyond the basic “yes or no” to cover risks from mycotoxins, cross-contamination in the kitchen and the importance of cleaning surrounding surfaces after disposing of spoiled bread. Her articles often walk readers through what to do if they have already made a mistake and what symptoms to watch for, which keeps the tone calm and reassuring while still clear about potential health impacts. She also tackles everyday disposal dilemmas such as where to put used cooking oil, showing readers how to handle household waste in ways that protect both plumbing and food waste systems.

Recipes and ingredient swaps

Roy’s food coverage is not just about safety; she also writes accessible recipes that encourage small, achievable changes to familiar dishes. In a BLT sandwich feature, co-written with Ellen Jenne, she replaces bacon with thinly sliced, marinated tofu, turning a classic into a plant-based option without losing the indulgent feel. The piece breaks the method into clear stages — slicing, marinating, pan-frying and assembling — with emphasis on texture and flavour so that the tofu delivers the smoky, sticky qualities readers expect from bacon. She pairs the filling with a chilli maple mayo, again giving precise measurements and step-by-step instructions, which makes the recipe usable for readers with modest cooking skills rather than only confident cooks. This format, combining a familiar favourite with a simple swap and straightforward directions, typifies her recipe writing and aligns with her broader focus on easy improvements rather than complex chef-level dishes.

Home, garden and everyday problem-solving

Beyond food, Roy frequently covers practical fixes for the home and garden that sit alongside her kitchen content. In a piece on weeds growing through garden bricks, co-written with Katherine McPhillips, she introduces an alternative to the common salt-and-vinegar approach, framing it as a quick way to make weeds wilt and stay away without relying on that traditional mix. As with her food articles, she focuses on one clear method and explains why it works, helping readers understand both the “how” and the “why” behind the tip. In another article, she reports on experts issuing a “don’t do it” warning to anyone planning to redecorate, using their advice to highlight common mistakes people make when changing their interiors. These home pieces often adopt the same warning-led headline style as her food safety work, signalling that they are about avoiding pitfalls rather than just inspirational ideas. Taken together, they show a consistent interest in everyday problem-solving: helping readers get rid of weeds, avoid costly decorating errors and keep their living spaces running smoothly.

Spare Time and cross-title reach

Roy’s role on the Under 35 Spare Time team shapes both the tone and placement of her work. Biographical notes describe her as a Spare Time writer for Reach, contributing across titles including WalesOnline, the Express, Bristol Live, the Daily Record, Somerset Live, Devon Live and the Manchester Evening News. This cross-title remit means her stories are pitched to be relevant wherever they appear: mouldy bread guidance, BLT swaps, weed control and redecorating warnings all speak to common domestic situations rather than region-specific issues. Her Express profile notes that she covers topics such as home hacks, which fits with the tip-driven structure and “experts say” framing seen in her WalesOnline bylines. On the Manchester Evening News author page, she is described as a multimedia content creator who has also held a senior journalist role within the same team, indicating she is comfortable producing both written and other formats when required. Across these outlets, her work retains a consistent style: brief, direct explanations, expert voices and a focus on saving readers time, money or worry in their spare time.