Hello! I’m Helen, a chef living in South East London. I’ve spent the last 5 years teaching at Waitrose Cookery School as well as catering weddings, making cakes and doing a bit of private cheffing on the side. I can’t recall a time when I wasn’t thinking about food. My mother is a fantastic cook, and started baking with me as soon as I was big enough to sit up on the worktop. I spent hours meticulously prepping vegetables with my grandfather for his world famous soups, fruit picking and jam making with my grandmother and many a day on the river banks fishing with my dad. I grew up reading cook books, cover to cover, like they were novels. 

I began my career as a chef 12 years ago, training in the pastry section at Marcus Wareing’s eponymous restaurant. At age 22 I moved to Paris and changed my email to Helen Chef, hoping it would give me a better chance of having my job applications noticed. I secured a job in one of Paris’ finest patisseries, as well as stages in some of my favourite bistros. It has been my alias ever since. After Paris I worked in Melbourne’s vibrant cafe scene, and spent a stint in London learning the art of coffee making before opening 2 cafe projects of my own. I love cooking with simple ingredients, as well as mastering complicated techniques, and I’m never satisfied with a recipe until it works perfectly in any kitchen.