How did you start working in food?

I was the first one home from school and my mother would leave notes asking me to peel potatoes or do small jobs. That turned into preparing more of the meal and she encouraged me, saying I had a talent for cooking. Funnily enough, the year I left school, I had a place to study business and completely dismissed being a chef. But before college started, I took a summer job in a hotel, washing up and doing prep. I loved the environment, quickly changed my mind and applied for catering college on the Isle of Wight. I was lucky to get the last place which led to me becoming a chef.

How did that lead to becoming
a development chef?

That happened by chance. I’d spent over 20 years in front of the stove, working in Michelin-starred restaurants, contract catering and hotels. My last role as a chef was with De Vere, managing a team. I got on well with Fresh Direct, the company that supplied our fruit and veg and one day, one of their directors called and asked if I’d be interested in a development chef role. At the time, in the late ’90s, development chefs weren’t really a big thing. I didn’t know what I was getting into and the job was in Bicester, Oxfordshire, while I lived in Byfleet, Surrey – a bit of a commute. But I took the leap, got the job and spent ten-and-a-half years there.

What was the transition like?

It was a big shift. People assume that if you’re a great chef, you can automatically be a great development chef. I went in all guns blazing, thinking my ideas would stick with customers. But it’s not just about cooking. It’s about making sure what you present is scalable, viable, cost-effective and on-trend. You can’t be too ‘cheffy’, because no one will be able to replicate that. I had to learn to tailor ideas based on the customer – what their kitchen setup was, what their chefs could handle, their refrigeration space, portion costs and even how they plate dishes. That research was really important. Initially, I made the mistake of assuming a hotel client, for example, would want high-end dishes when in reality, my ideas weren’t relevant. That was a steep learning curve at first.