weLCOME

I’ve always loved food. It’s played an important role in my life for as long as I can remember. Growing up in Ireland, with one parent from a dairy farm and the other working for a large dairy company, as you can imagine, milk and butter were not only always on the kitchen table, they were also regular features of dinner conversation. Food was something to be both debated and enjoyed.

In my 20s, that interest turned into a career. I worked in the food industry across Ireland, Italy, and the UK, spanning meat, dairy, plant-based alternatives and bakery (Gail’s, anyone?). I found it fascinating to see how food is produced, processed and marketed, and how it eventually ends up on our plates. Wanting to understand the bigger picture, I later completed a master’s in Food Policy, where I learned more about the complexity of our food systems and their impact on climate, the environment and human health. Several years of sustainability consulting for food companies followed, further reinforcing something I already felt instinctively: food is powerful and it matters for people’s health, for the planet, and for how we live day to day.

Throughout all of this, though, there was another constant in my life - persistent, often invisible health issues, including chronic fatigue and IBS. For years, I pushed through them, fueling myself with coffee, adrenaline and more than a few boozy nights out. Like many women, I learned to normalise feeling exhausted or uncomfortable and just get on with it.