HEART UK is the UK’s cholesterol charity, providing trusted information and practical support to help people manage their cholesterol and reduce their risk of heart disease.
Cholesterol SMART® Living was conceived as a new digital subscription service bringing together dietitian-reviewed recipes, evidence-based guidance and practical meal-planning tools. The project required much more than a conventional recipe website: it needed to accommodate free and Premium content, recurring subscriptions and a range of personalised features while remaining approachable and easy to use.
Working closely with HEART UK, I designed and developed a custom WordPress platform with a warm, food-led visual identity that complements the charity’s established branding. The site is structured around four clear areas—Recipes, Learn, Help and About—making it easy for visitors to understand the service and find the information they need.
The recipe library includes detailed search and filtering by ingredient, course, cooking time, dietary requirements, cuisine and nutritional focus. Visitors can explore selected free recipes and learning resources, while Premium subscribers receive access to the complete recipe library, with new recipes added each month.
A substantial amount of bespoke development went into the Premium experience. Subscribers can save favourites, organise recipes into personal collections, build weekly meal plans and generate combined shopping lists. Individual recipes also include adjustable serving quantities, step-by-step cooking, integrated timers, personal notes and an option to keep the screen awake while cooking.
I also developed the subscription and account experience, including monthly and annual plans, a seven-day free trial, Stripe payments, plan changes, cancellations and a central account area. Custom checkout messaging and service emails ensure that pricing, renewals and subscription status are communicated clearly.
The wider site includes downloadable guides, an extensive searchable FAQ section and GDPR-conscious video guides that only connect to YouTube after the visitor chooses to play them. Accessibility, mobile usability, structured data, privacy, performance and security were considered throughout the build.
The finished platform gives HEART UK a scalable digital service that extends well beyond a traditional recipe website. It combines trusted health information with genuinely useful tools that help people turn healthier eating intentions into everyday habits.
The structured WordPress backend allows the HEART UK team to manage recipes, guidance, subscribers and ongoing communications, while the flexible membership system provides a strong foundation for the service to grow over time.
