Darina Allen is a well-known chef and author of 19 cookbooks and presenter of 8 series of ‘Simply Delicious’ for RTE (Ireland’s National Broadcaster).

She is a co-founder of the famous Ballymaloe Cookery School in the midst of a 100-acre organic farm in East Cork in Ireland.  Students come from all over the world to hone their culinary skills at this sustainable, farm-to-table project, est. in 1983.  The family hotel, Ballymaloe House has been the recipient of numerous awards for its seasonal, local and home-grown food and hospitality.

Ballymaloe Cookery School

Sheila is a journalist with almost three decades working in the food and hospitality industry. For 20 years she has worked on the BBC’s The Food Programme, first as reporter, then producer and now presenter. One of Sheila’s crowning achievements during her tenure is the Food and Farming Awards which launched in 2000.

In January 2008 Sheila was awarded an honorary doctorate by City University for her work which, the citation says, “has changed the way in which we think about food.”

There is, of course, too much information to include here in a short bio of Prue.  She has been integral to the British culinary scene since she launched her career as a caterer straight out of Le Cordon Bleu in the early 1960s. She went on to open Leith’s restaurant in Notting Hill in 1969, then founded her eponymous cookery school – Leith’s School of Food and Wine – in 1975.  She is a familiar figure on TV and is best known for being a judge on The Great British Menu and – currently – The Great British Bake Off.  She is a fierce campaigner for improving institutional food in both schools and hospitals, and has chaired Slow Food, the School Foods Trust and the Royal Society of Arts among others. She has authored numerous cookbooks, and is a popular fiction writer – and, of course has written for various publications over the years.

Prue Leith

Since the loss of her business, Rococo Chocolates, Chantal has rebranded and started again.  She is now scouring the world as The Chocolate Detective – sourcing the best quality cocoa from around the world. Having established Grococo in Grenada to produce fair trade ethical cocoa her future is also very much involved in nurturing that project, and in promoting sustainability.  She has – on more than one occasion – shipped cocoa back to Britain under sail on the Tres Hombres Sailship to underscore the values for which the Grenada Chocolate Company stands.

The Chocolate Detective

A British-born Nigerian, Jean has lived in South West London her whole life. She’s a secret nerd – Google obsessed – and adores hanging out with her family.

Jean is obsessed with all things food and dining and she is an avid cinema goer, watching mostly art house films and documentaries.  As well as enjoying design and fashion.

Jean has run her boutique communications agency  for almost 20 years – specialising in  food/chefs and homes/interiors clients.

http://www.jeanegbunike.com

Anna Haugh began her career in her hometown of Dublin working at L’Ecrivain with Derry Clarke.

She then moved to London where she worked with Shane Osborne at Pied a Terre, Philip Howard at The Square, and then for the Gordon Ramsay Group.  In May 2019, she opened Myrtle Restaurant in Chelsea. The name Myrtle was inspired by the Irish chef Myrtle Allen,  founder of Ballymaloe House.

Anna takes inspiration from old Irish recipes, culture, and stories to create a modern Irish cuisine that still has the heartbeat of home.  In Myrtle Restaurant there is a large focus on great Irish produce, music, and art.

Anna has worked on numerous television shows for the BBC, she is the resident chef on the breakfast show Morning Live and was a new Masterchef The Professionals Judge 2022.

Myrtle Restaurant

Stephanie is a proud publisher of award-winning, bestselling and celebrated writers, chefs and organisations – including Diana Henry, Sabrina Ghayour, Tom Parker Bowles, Olia Hercules, Pierre Koffmann, Marco Pierre White, Andrew Wong, Monica Galetti, Foodpairing NV, Le Pain Quotidien, Larousse, Institut Paul Bocuse, Claridge’s, The Ritz London.

She is also a Board member of the Abergavenny Food Festival and a member of the Guild of Food Writers.

Octopus Books

Abergavenny Food Festival

Julia Platt Leonard is a writer and marketing and food consultant. She is a graduate of the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts in Boston, MA and worked in restaurants and catering before moving to London 16 years ago. She is a freelance food journalist, hosts culinary salons and acts as moderator for the Cheltenham Literary Festival and the Santa Fe International Literary Festival.

Santa Fe International Literary Festival

Rosalind has had a varied and exciting career, with food being central to much of what she has done.

Initially a teacher but with a hankering to work in food, she opened Piemaker – a factory producing delicious and traditionally produced pies – which were sold to a range of different types of food outlets.

Some years later Cookery School at Little Portland Street emerged in response to a study skills student of hers wanting to learn how to cook . After twenty two years, Cookery School is London’s only cookery school with sustainable credentials at his heart and with an aim to make cooking as accessible as possible to as many people as possible.

Thousands of people have passed through Cookery School’s doors and leave with an understanding and good grasp of cooking principles that they can pass on to the next generation.

Cookery School at Little Portland Street

Alison studied social anthropology at the London School of Economics in the 1960s. She then did a child psychotherapy training and worked for 4 years at Rutgers Medical School in the USA, coming back to the UK in the late 70s and working full time in the NHS.

Alison was Chair of the Trustees of the Women’s Therapy Centre in Holloway for many years as well as working at Nottingham child and adolescent mental health services.

She founded the Welbeck Bakehouse in 2008 and the School of Artisan Food in 2009 and is a member of The Worshipful Company of Bakers. She was awarded an MBE in 2017 for her varied work in the educational and charitable sectors. She is married to William, has 2 children and 3 grandchildren and helps with the running of Welbeck Abbey/The Welbeck Estate in Nottinghamshire.

The School of Artisan Food and the Welbeck Bakehouse continue to occupy her full time.

The School of Artisan Food

Meredith is a mindfulness meditation teacher and chocolatier with a deep love of all things cacao. She helps people and teams live more mindful and compassionate lives through sensory tasting, mindfulness and chocolate.

She runs mindfulness and wellbeing workshops for teams and individuals (often involving chocolate!), as well as creating the mindful hot chocolate range, Calm Cocoa by Meredith Whitely.

Sustainability plays a huge role in her work, and there’s a deep sense of planet kindness embedded in her workshops and products.

Food At Heart

Helen is a pastry chef and food writer based in East London.

She began her career in food selling homemade cakes at local markets which progressed into setting up a wedding and birthday cake business based at a studio in her home. After six years in business, Helen formally trained as a pastry chef at Le Cordon Bleu London and shortly after, opened a café in North London which she ran for two years.

In 2016 she acquired a small olive grove in Greece and produces her own olive oil.

Miranda was a finalist on the first series of the British TV show, The Great British Bake Off. She was highly praised for her home baking, which was described consistently as both delicious and beautiful.

After a successful career immersed in foods at Marks & Spencer Miranda was ready to become a full time baker and currently runs a cookery school – The Kitchen School – from her home in the South Downs.

Author of ‘Biscuit’ and ‘Bake Me A Cake as Fast as You Can’, her blog of recipes and baking ideas has attracted a keen following.  She works with The National Trust, Squires Kitchen, Hobbycraft, Kenwood, The Cake and Bake Show and West Dean College – teaching, guest speaking and demonstrating – and writes for both Sainsbury’s Magazine and the NFU Countryside magazine.

Ching is an International Emmy-nominated TV chef & cookery author who has become an ambassador of Chinese cooking around the world. Ching’s approach to cookery stems from the traditional cooking and lifestyles of her farming community grandparents in Southern Taiwan, and these are her major food influences.  Her creative food ethos is to use fresh, organic and ethically sourced ingredients to create modern dishes with heritage. Ching makes Chinese cooking accessible, healthy and nutritious, appealing to both the East and West.

Ching’s dynamic approach to modern Chinese food is evident in her immensely popular TV work; her influence has spanned a decade in the TV cookery world. Many of her shows are sold, distributed and broadcast around the world. Ching is a regular guest chef on shows such as Saturday Kitchen (BBC1) and This Morning (ITV). She has fronted over 11 series on Chinese Cookery and her credits include; Chinese Food Made Easy (BBC2), Exploring China (BBC2), Easy Chinese: New York & LA; Restaurant Redemption (Cooking Channel USA) and Ching’s Amazing Asia (Food Network). Ching is a regular judge on Iron Chef America (Food Network USA) and The Today Show (NBC).

Ching has consulted on family-owned restaurants to international corporations in hospitality, working with brands to execute successful media campaigns.

Ching has published eight best-selling cookbooks, the most recent being Wok For Less.

Ching supports numerous charities – Buddhist Charity TZU CHI and Centrepoint.

Ching He Huang

Jo owns and directs her own consultancy  – Axiom Communications – which she established in 1991. Prior to this, she was a Board Director of two of the UK’s top ten P.R. consultancies.

She has advised and conducted successful campaigns for numerous food and drinks brands, companies and trade bodies including Heinz/Weight Watchers, Natural Mineral Water Association, British Bottled Water Producers (which she founded and owned) and many leading spirits, liqueurs, and wine brands as well as grocery retailers including Tesco and Iceland and the Biscuit, Cake, Chocolate & Confectionary Association. Current clients include a premium vodka and an ultra-premium tequila brand. I am a keen amateur cook and cocktail maker.

Axiom Communications

Clare is a founder and CEO of Doves Farm, a specialist cereal grower and mill located in Buckinghamshire.

She is a Director of Slow Food UK, the Director of Bucks Berks & Oxon Food Group CIC & an Honorary Life Member of the Soil Association.

http://dovesfarm.co.uk

Since 2008 Emma has been at the forefront of the growing English wine industry and was heavily involved with the generic body, Wines of Great Britain when at Hattingley Valley Wines in Hampshire.

As Head Winemaker she made numerous award-winning wines for HVW and for many of her contract winemaking clients. Awarded UK Winemaker of the Year in 2014 and 2016 (the only woman to have done so twice), Emma is now advising several different clients from winery design through to blending and bottling in her role as a consultant.

She is co-author with Dr Belinda Kemp of The Wine Producers’ Handbook – a guide to setting up a vineyard and winery in the UK.

Emma was given the Freedom of the City of London in 2021 and became a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Vintners in 2022. She has been invited to sit on the Diversity & Inclusion Committee for the Vintners as part of their drive to widen the scope and membership of the Company.

Emma Rice

Emma is currently the Programme Coordinator for the Hackney School of Food and in her role at there, she coordinates and designs new programmes of food education at their purpose built
teaching kitchen in Hackney.

This was a decisive move into an operational role within the food sector, with a focus on
education and transferrance of food identities.

Previous employment includes as a Non-Exec Director for The Birch Collective (Bristol), Project Manager at INTO (The National Trust) and multiple roles as a Chef/Catering manager

Emma was also lead for England in the Slow Food Movement where she collated and conducted research
for applications and communicated the stories of heritage food producers. She also sat on the international Working Group for the Ark of Taste sharing knowlege and identifying collective challenges and opportunities to collaborate.

Hackney School of Food

Born in Newcastle, Anne received her master’s degree from Cambridge University, then studied and taught cooking in London and Paris before moving to the United States, becoming a citizen in 1973.

She founded École de Cuisine La Varenne in Paris in 1975.

Inducted into the James Beard Foundation Awards Hall of Fame for her “body of work” in May, 2013, Anne has more than 50 years of experience as a teacher, author and culinary historian. She has written more than 30 books, including the influential La Varenne Pratique and the 17-volume, photo-illustrated Look and Cook series, showcased in a 26-part PBS programme which she hosted.  Her books have been translated into more than two dozen foreign language editions.

She holds several honours and awards, including the rank of Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor for her accomplishments in promoting the gastronomy of France, the prestigious Gourmand Hall of Fame Award, the Jane Grigson Award and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP), as well as being a Grande Dame of LDEI.

Anne has five grandchildren and now divides her time between London and Southern France.

La Varenne

Angela L. Dansby is a senior communications consultant and journalist in Brussels, specialising in food from farm to fork, travel and culture. She founded Inkovation, Inc., an award-winning, boutique public relations firm originally in Chicago, which led to work throughout North America, Asia and Europe and as of 2015, residency in Belgium. Throughout her career, Angela has been editor of numerous publications, including two cookbooks, and written articles for various news outlets such as BBC.com, The Brussels Times Magazine and ART + DESIGN. Her global travel blog at Continental-Divine.com covers all seven continents and soon 100 countries, weaving in gastronomy as essential parts of travel and culture. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Originally from the Lake District Jen has over 20 years experience in the food industry.  Her time in the kitchen includes restaurants such as St John’s and The Lockhart, and as a teacher for Jamie Oliver and working in development for a multi national company.

Passionate about all things culinary and historical about the American South. She is now the founder and co owner of the Uk’s first and only gourmet corndog shop Two Dogs Down.

Jen serves on the Events Committee

Heather Holden-Brown has recently retired as founder of the hhb agency ltd. She began representing authors in 2005, having been a publishing editor for 20 years with Waterstone’s, Harrap, BBC Books and Headline. The following year the agency became a member of the Association of Authors’ Agents.

Heather is a member of Kingston University’s Publishers’ Advisory Board and in 2004 assessed the food and cookery books for the André Simon Memorial Fund’s annual awards.  In 2020 Heather became a member of the Guild of Food Writers.

Kristine studied night school at the Institute for Culinary Education in New York. She worked as an intern promoted to pastry cook at the Michelin-starred Aquavit.

She currently works in pharmaceuticals in Switzerland but is a part-time freelance pastry chef when she manages to get away from the day job.

Gina is the Marketing Director for Café Spice Namaste and a marketing communications consultant and writer.

She is a Member of Worshipful Company of Marketors and IOD. Also a visiting lecturer at the Eshotel Paris/London.

Her most recent book is Houses That Sugar Built set in the Phillipines.

http://www.stratemarco.com

Fiona is well known and much admired in her native Scotland where a career in the promotion and support of quality food and drink production has connected her to most in the culinary world north of the border.

She is Special Projects Manager for Scotland Food & Drink.

Debbie founded Ellie’s Dairy with just 3 goats. Over the years, this small commercial dairy goat herd in North Kent has grown to over 300 animals and is now the largest producer of bottled raw goat’s milk in the country.

Fresh raw milk and kefir, a range of cheeses, fresh kid meat and handmade goat’s milk soap can be found at farmers’ market stalls in London and Hampshire. The emphasis has always been on traditional & ethical farming with a drive for quality & sustainability. Debbie is passionate about affordable, local & seasonal produce.

http://elliesdairy.blogspot.com/

Anne Dolamore is co-founder of Grub Street Books and is proud to publish titles by critically acclaimed and well-loved chefs and cooks such as Elizabeth David, Jane Grigson, Claudia Roden, Arto der Haroutunian, Paula Wolfert, Margaret Costa, Marguerite Patten, Joel Robuchon and Pierre Hermé, to name but a few.

Anne’s publication Essential Olive Oil Companion sold world-wide as well as being translated into Japanese, Dutch and Danish.  Her Buyer’s Guide to Olive Oil provided tasting notes for almost 200 olive oils.

She has written about food for many magazines, as well as making radio and television appearances. She has recorded her lifetime food memories as a contribution to the National Sound Archive at the British Museum.

Grub Street Books

Born in Dallas, Texas, Kim was raised in rural Arkansas and California.

Her path to the hospitality industry was a serendipitous one, having started with a career in Biotech before moving into a world where she could help bring families together for their most important celebrations.

Currently, Kim has her hands full running a major event and hospitality business in the Austin area. She leads Whim Hospitality, which facilitates about 3,000 events a year, as well as the Camp Lucy Resort – a wedding/corporate event and leisure destination in Dripping Springs, TX, which includes the acclaimed fine-dining restaurant Tillie’s.

Kim branched out globally during the pandemic when she and Whit Hanks purchased what is believed to be England’s oldest hotel – The Old Bell in Malmesbury – which they both manage.

She is a dual member of the Austin chapter of LDEI and London.

The Old Bell Hotel

A publisher of wine books by many of the top writers in the world, Hermione has published and sold food and drink books for many years, working with a number of much-loved chefs and cooks too.

She is passionate about wine communication and supporting new writers as they start their careers, and also offers wine education courses.

Hermione serves on the Events Committee.

Academie du Vin Library

Elisabeth is a cookbook author, travel journalist, memoirist and illustrator with a particular interest in the influence of latitude, geography and trade-routes on regional culinary traditions.

Her work includes The Rich Tradition of European Peasant Cookery and a 13 part tv series based on the book. She is currently the Chair of the Oxford Food Symposium.

http://www.elisabethluard.org

Natalia is a chef and cookery teacher and the Head of Food Education at the charity Food Behind Bars.

She trained at Leiths School of Food and Wine and graduated in 2015 after having previously completed a Criminology degree in Auckland, New Zealand.

Natalia has been featured in Code Hospitality’s 30 under 30 (2022) , The Guardian 30 things we love in the world of food right now (2023) , Code Hospitality’s 100 most influential women in hospitality (2022) and The Evening Standards 23 female change makers to know in London (2023).

Natalia is passionate about transforming prison food, diversity and food culture within the hospitality industry and teaching cooking skills that can be used for life.

Food Behind Bars

A writer, editor, author and blogger on herbs, GYO and artisanal producers, Barbara’s interest comes from growing and using her own produce.

Author of several books on herbs, she edited The Herb Society’s magazine Herbs and edits The Horticulturist for the Chartered Institute of Horticulture. A member of the Guild of Food Writers, Garden Media Guild and the Royal Horticultural Society’s Fruit, Vegetable and Herb Committee.

https://thegardenpost.com/

Lucy Vincent is the Founder and Chief Executive of Food Behind Bars, the UK’s only Registered Charity dedicated to transforming the food served in British prisons.

She began campaigning for an improvement in prison food in 2016, whilst working as a journalist and researching the subject. She founded the charity in 2020 and now works with men’s and women’s prisons across the country. With a background in the restaurant industry, she is also a former TED speaker, has released a podcast on the subject and has been featured in The Telegraph, The Guardian, The Independent, Observer Food Monthly and the BBC.

She has spent time in prisons across the globe and continues to speak, write and campaign for better food in prisons.

Food Behind Bars