Xanthe Clay originally worked as a bookseller specialising in cookery books, before training to become a chef at Leiths School of Food and Wine. She has worked as both chef and caterer in and around the West Country, before becoming a food columnist for the Telegraph newspaper.

Since then she has worked on both food and cookery features for Weekend Telegraph and is the author of several cookery books including The Contented Cook: Fuss-free Food Throughout the Year and Recipes to Know by Heart.

In 2003, a young Josh Eggleton won the Gordon Ramsay College Scholar competition, confirming he was destined for a bright future in the industry.

Josh spent his early career developing his craft in Bristol’s harbourside restaurant the Olive Shed. Since then he has worked across the globe in some of the world’s finest restaurants including Sicily’s il Mulinazzo, New York’s Chanterelle and the 3 Michelin starred French Laundry of California.

In 2006 Josh became one of the youngest pub and restaurant proprietors in the country by taking over The Pony & Trap at Chew Magna, which under his direction received a Michelin star in 2011, and retained it in 2012. Josh was winner of Best Chef at Bristol Good Food Awards 2014.

A tax specialist by trade, Steve’s reputation as more than a gifted amateur was cemented in 2013 when he won the title of South West’s Best Dish at the South West Chef of the Year competition.

He is a member of Bristol Food Policy Council and Chairs West of England Local Enterprise Partnership Rural and Food Group. He judges for Taste of the West, Guild of Fine Food, Western Daily Press as well as being on the executive judging panel for the Soil Association’s Organic Food Awards. Steve also organisess food festivals, hosts several demo stages and charity dinners.

Jenny Chandler trained at Leith’s School of Food and Wine. She lives in Bristol where she writes about cookery and teaches at her school The Plum Cooking Company in Clifton. She also teaches at The Bertinet Kitchen in Bath and the W.I’s Denham College as well as various London establishments.

While living in Barcelona Jenny fell in love with Mediterranean food, and has written two Spanish cookbooks, The Food of Northern Spain and The Real Taste of Spain.

Thornbury born Andy is a TV Food Series Producer and has been involved in television cookery for 10 years. His credits include ‘Saturday Kitchen Live’ which he produced for 7 years and ‘James Martin: Home Comforts’ both on BBC1 and is currently working on big TV food projects for ITV and Food Network.

Keen cook and wine enthusiast, Andy has also produced and directed live cooking demonstrations at BBC Good Food Shows and trains chefs who aren’t used to cooking on TV by helping them make the transition from kitchen to camera.

Andy has a regular ‘Foodie Friday’ slot on BBC Radio Bristol and writes for Crumbs Magazine and on his own food and drink website one4thetable.com. Look out for Andy recommending wine on ‘Word to the Mothers’ a brand new series made by and for young mums on the ‘Made in Bristol’ TV Channel.

Simi is a cookery teacher, writer and allotmenteer. She was born in the Azerbaijan region of Iran, famed for its food, and grew up in Anglesey north Wales. Following her degrees, she worked with London Underground, Ford, and Mondex in Toronto. After a few years as a customer experience manager at HSBC in London she took some time off to travel in Iran and Turkey.

In the last eight years, she has been teaching Persian cookery from her home in Bath and local cookery schools and colleges. She also bakes gluten and dairy free cakes & jam with ingredients she grows or picks in Bath. She travels to Iran regularly to visit family, research recipes and ingredients which shares on her classes and in her blog.

Richard was named the BBC Food Champion of the Year 2010 at the BBC Food & Farming Awards on 24 November 2010. He trained as a baker from the age of 14 in France and has held a number of head chef positions in the UK since the late 1980s. In 2005 he opened his own cookery school and is now a chef and food expert on TV.

Chris Staines, who grew up in Suffolk, is a highly acclaimed chef in the UK, and is very well regarded in the industry. He was Head Chef at Foliage, Mandarin Oriental, where he held a Michelin star for 7 years, and worked with Marco Pierre White at The Oak Room which held 3 Michelin stars. Most recently Chris ran Allium restaurant at the Abbey Hotel, which garnered national praise from critics such as Jay Rayner, and became the go to local favourite of Bathonians.

Chris’ philosophy is to use the freshest possible ingredients, in a menu which combines variety and style, often with surprising yet thoughtful combinations. His love of Asian cuisines is often incorporated into his food, providing dishes with a real punch and clarity of flavour.

Kalpna Woolf has years of experience developing successful food ideas for national and international audiences for the BBC. She is an experienced family cook and last year, published a boo,k Spice Yourself Slim harnessing the power of spices for health and to create delicious dishes. Kalpna was instrumental in setting up the biggest food festival in Bristo, incorporating the BBC’s Food and Farming Awards. In 2013 she won the prestigious Asian Woman of Achievement award. She has also founded a project called 91 Ways to Build A Global City –which uses the uniting power of sharing food to bring the 91 language communities of Bristol together to break down barriers and build common ground.

Larkin Cen was a finalist in the 2013 series of MasterChef. After practicing as a solicitor for 4 years, he decided to follow in the family’s footsteps and embark on his lifelong dream of being an entrepreneur. Having grown up in his parent’s Chinese takeaway, he noted that the Chinese food sector was too fragmented, and most importantly that the food style was outdated.

After his time of MasterChef, Larkin has established himself at the 5 star Celtic Manor Resort in Wales with restaurant Cen at Celtic Manor offering a deliciously different dining concept featuring an menu of fresh and contemporary Asian Cuisine. In October 2016 Larkin opened his new casual Asian diner called Woky Ko. They serve bao’s, noodles and small plates all freshly cooked to order from a menu which reflects the freshness of Asian food.