How did I get here?
I suppose you’re wondering why you’ve reached yet another food blog – but now you’re here, I’ll tell you my story. I’m a retired corporate gal, who gave up a seven year corporate career in private equity in 2025 with no plan. The 4am finishes and countless deliveroos in the gloomy office on Oxford Street just weren’t filling my cup. I’ve always been passionate about food. Eating it, cooking it, sharing it, and learning all about it. So when I decided to hand in my notice from my job, I signed up for a 2 week cooking course in Mallorca.
Little did I know that what I thought would be just a fun holiday, would turn into a total career change. Shortly after the course and finishing my corporate job, I was offered the opportunity to work as a chef on a 48 foot catamaran in the British Virgin Islands. As some may say, life is short, so I decided to take up the offer and move halfway across the world to embrace this new challenge, having never really been on a boat before, and having no idea whether I would get seasick.
Fortunately, it turns out I don’t get sea sick, and I’ve learned many other things about myself during the process. The journey has been an incredible one, and it’s amazing to see how much I have developed and progressed along the way. While I don’t have a great deal of professional or formal training under my belt, what I do have is a great deal of passion, curiosity, and most importantly, appetite.
Food Ethos
My passion for food probably began while living in Singapore between the ages of 10 and 14, where I underwent a total culture shock, having coming straight from a quiet, peaceful town in the Cotswolds and never having ventured too far afield. Experiencing such a rich food culture at a young age shaped not only how I cook, but how I think about food as something that connects people, cultures, and everyday life.
Living in Southeast Asia also sparked my awareness of sustainability and the environmental impact of the food industry. Seeing the contrast between abundance and vulnerability in different communities inspired me to think more consciously about ingredients, sourcing, and waste which are all things I do my best to consider when thinking about food today.
During university, I adopted a vegan lifestyle for several years, for both environmental and ethical considerations. While I now consider myself vegetarian (cheese – I blame you), that experience continues to shape my cooking philosophy. I love focusing on plant-forward, seasonal, and wholefood ingredients, creating dishes that are both nourishing and full of flavour.
As a private chef, I’m flexible and cook with a wide range of ingredients, including animal products when required. However, I’m passionate about showcasing just how exciting and versatile plants can be. Ultimately, my food ethos is simple: cook with intention, respect ingredients, and create meals that feel as good as they taste
Why the lobster?
While building this website, I needed a little logo, and some kind of branding. I thought a vegetable would be boring so a lobster came to mind. The lobster often symbolizes resilience, transformation, and indulgence. It is a creature that sheds its shell to grow, representing personal growth and renewal, and its association with the ocean connects it to freshness, abundance, and coastal living. In culinary contexts, it carries a sense of luxury and celebration, often linked with special meals and rich dining experiences.
This resonated with me, having made such a drastic career change and taking a huge risk to go on this personal journey. On my first ever charter, my guests decided one evening that they wanted to catch fresh lobster and I should cook it. Had I ever cooked lobster before? No. Did I know how to cook lobster? Nope. Was I about to find out? I sure was. For me, this symbolised pushing myself out of my comfort zone to learn and grow, just like a little lobster. Throughout my season in the BVIs, the lobster kept coming up as a common theme as one of my key challenges, so I thought it was particularly apt as my branding.