I’ve always loved eating. One of my earliest food memories is of going to an Italian restaurant in Birmingham when I was a little girl and ploughing my way through a huge plate of spag bol – that’s still one of my favourite things to eat today – the waiters laughed at me, I think, because I enjoyed it so much and managed to finish it. Then when I went through my vegetarian phase, I was banished to cook for myself. I left home with Elizabeth David’s French Provincial Cooking and the rest, as they say, is history.

I woke up one morning in July 2002 to a light bulb moment.  In August 2002, I got my first job in a kitchen with zero experience, champing at the bit and bursting with passion, and became a chef.  I clawed my way up the slippery culinary pole, on a minimum wage and quite a lot of agro and within 6 years I had reached the dizzy heights of sous chef and later head chef – even more agro – there’s a lot of that in kitchens! I’ve been lucky to work in some really brilliant kitchens with some very good cooks who taught me good habits that will never die and I’ve also seen some bad stuff – it’s all part of learning about really good food.

I set up Tara’s Table in 2010 and it’s been an epic journey so far…