workshops at le cheval blanc 
foraged ingredients making curly fries
Originally from Warwickshire in the UK I’m a vegan chef, teacher and recipe creator living in the South of France.
My vegan food journey started in Canada 20 years ago. I spent a gap year in Vancouver mostly working in cafés and experiencing the lifestyle. I was blown away by how tasty and creative the vegan food was and I returned to the UK determined to get involved. Things didn’t quite pan out that way though as I got distracted by my university studies, eventually ending up with a Psychology PhD almost by accident. The academic life wasn’t for me and I quickly found myself freelancing for community organisations, though always with dreams of a food business in the back of my mind.
So how did I end up in rural France with a vegan food business I hear you ask…wait, I’m getting to that part.
2012 is when something happened which turned our lives upside down. Whilst cycling across France with Peter, my husband, my bike broke just outside St Antonin Noble Val, a gorgeous medieval village nestled in the Aveyron gorge. The rest as they say is history; we were so blown away by the town and the surrounding area that we said goodbye to our old lives in Birmingham (UK) and moved everything – including the kitchen sink (seriously!) to this amazing place.
We eventually moved here in 2014 with Sam, our son who was 7 months old at the time. The house was a wreck and we ran out of cash before it was finished so we made money selling vegan & gluten free food at our local market. We were skeptical about whether it would work in rural France but to our surprise people loved our food. I eventually set up my catering business and welcomed people for vegan gourmet experiences in our B&B. In time, and after upcycling a gorgeous kitchen we started our cooking school; now I’m excited that I can offer my classes online too.