Clare Heal - Chef, Teacher & Fermentarian

Food has been a deep and abiding love for my whole life (apparently my first word was “more”…) but it wasn’t always my career. My professional background is in journalism and I worked on the features desk of a national newspaper for more than a decade before taking the plunge professionally and retraining at Leiths School of Food and Wine.

I assumed I’d return to journalism, specialising in food, but decided to get some experience in professional kitchens after gaining my diploma and was caught off guard by how much I loved it. I baked a lot of cakes and poached a lot of eggs at the charming St Clements Cafe in Parsons Green and did my time as a stagier, including a particularly inspirational period spent at Bocca di Lupo. The adrenaline rush of a restaurant kitchen in full swing for service is fairly addictive. But the crazy hours weren’t, and I realised that what I was really smitten by was the instinct to feed - preparing food with love and turning physical necessity into an opportunity for happiness.

The services I offer are all interlinked through this intention of bringing joy through food. I run one-off supper clubs and events focussed on seasonal produce and bringing unexpected twists to the classics. My delicious and wholesome ready meals are perfect for busy parents, time poor professionals and anyone else lacking the opportunity or inclination to cook. For special occasions that call for something fancier I offer a bespoke private cheffing service or three course Dinner Delivered mealkits for feasts that can be easily finished at home. And anyone who wants to learn, whether that’s the kitchen-curious, taking their first steps on a culinary journey, or experienced home cooks wanting to take things to the next level, I’ve got you too. Sign up for a private lesson or give a voucher to a friend.

In recent years I’ve become hooked on the art of fermentation, creating sauerkrauts, kimchis, pickles and more. I find the alchemy involved fascinating and love spreading the word and starting others out on their fermentation journey. Every supper club menu I cook will have a lacto-fermented element somewhere and I run a variety of classes and workshops, at the Dusty Knuckle Bakery in Dalston and in my home kitchen. I hope you’ll join me at one!

I get asked a lot about the company’s name. The answer is that it combines references to the tree that overlooks my garden and my husband’s name (which I didn’t take when we got married!). It’s a way of rooting what I do in the place that I do it and also of thanking James for being supportive when I threw caution to the wind and embarked on this adventure. Also I just liked the way it sounded and couldn’t think of anything else…