Hallie Eustace Miles
Harriet Beatrice Dorothy "Hallie" Miles, who first wrote under the name Hallie Killick and later wrote as Hallie Eustace Miles and Mrs. Eustace Miles, was an English writer, restaurateur, and activist. She advocated for feminism, animal rights, and vegetarianism, and engaged in philanthropy to support the poor, while writing on topics including home economics, health, religion, and social issues. She is best known for her published World War I diary, Untold Tales of War-time London: A Personal Diary. She also authored the vegetarian cookbook Economy in Wartime; Or, Health Without Meat, later retitled Health Without Meat. Miles regularly contributed to newspapers such as the Daily Mirror and Daily Express. With her husband, sportsman and writer Eustace Miles, she operated a vegetarian restaurant and health food centre in London, promoting meat-free diets and catering to a diverse clientele.
Biography
Early and personal life
Beatrice Dorothy Harriet Killick was born on 12 January 1855 in Devizes. Her father was Rev. Richard Henry Killick.In March 1906, she married sportsman and writer Eustace Miles at St Clement Danes, in the Strand, London. The church had previously been associated with her father, who served as its vicar during the 1860s. Following her father's death in 1903, Killick experienced a period of depression. During this time, she encountered Expression and Depression, a book authored by Miles, which she credited with aiding her recovery and motivating her to document her own experiences in writing. This led to her initiating contact with Miles after locating his address. The correspondence developed into a close relationship, and Killick eventually adopted both Miles's dietary principles—particularly his advocacy of vegetarianism—and chose to marry him.
Career
Eustace Miles envisioned a "Simpler Food Restaurant" aimed at providing affordable, healthy, and efficient meals. After their marriage, he was able to bring this vision to life. In 1906, they opened the Eustace Miles Restaurant on Chandos Street, Charing Cross, offering balanced, meat-free meals tailored for athletes, students, writers, workers, and professionals, as well as suffragettes of the Women's Social and Political Union and Sylvia Pankhurst.The restaurant quickly became popular, serving over 1,000 meals a day. Renowned American food critic James Beard hailed it as the "only quality vegetarian restaurant in London". For the next thirty years, the couple and ran the restaurant, health food stores, and marketed their own line of protein and breakfast foods.
Writing
Miles authored several works including Life's Orchestra, Life's Colours, The Ideal Home and Its Problems, The Cry of the Animals to their Human Friends, Story of the Coronation and Passing of King Edward VII, The Pilgrimage of the Cross, Economy in Wartime; Or, Health Without Meat, The Cry of the Desolate, Our Kitchen and The New Road.During World War I, Miles kept a diary focusing on her efforts to organise concerts in hospitals and recruitment centres, while reflecting on the war's impact on daily life and the presence of refugees. It was published in 1930 as Untold Tales of War-time London: A Personal Diary. It has been widely referenced in various historical studies and accounts of wartime London.
In 1915, Miles published a vegetarian cookbook containing 160 recipes, titled Economy in Wartime; Or, Health Without Meat, which was later renamed Health Without Meat. The book promoted vegetarianism based on her husband's dietetic principles, advocating for balanced and economical meals, when meat was scarce. Miles emphasised the role of women in the "Army in the Kitchen" and the health benefits of consuming little or no meat, alongside hygienic practices. The Miles couple also participated in food education campaigns, offering cookery demonstrations. In the 1920s, the book was adapted to address peacetime concerns, particularly rising unemployment, and encouraged substituting meat-based meals with cheaper, healthier vegetarian options. Health ''Without Meat received praise from publications like Health and Strength, which recognised the couple's efforts in promoting food reform. The book went on to see a 14th edition published in 1931.
Miles regularly wrote for newspapers, including the Daily Mirror and Daily Express''.