Our Trustees and Senior Leadership
Our Senior Leadership Team
Jenny is a Registered Nutritionist (RNutr Food) and Fellow of the Association for Nutrition. She has spent more than 25 years working across nutrition, higher education, research, governance and food policy.
Jenny studied Anthropology at Durham University before specialising in Human Nutrition at the University of Sheffield. Throughout her career, she has combined a strong interest in food, health and culture with a commitment to education and social impact. She is an award-winning educator, published researcher and experienced leader, with a particular interest in helping people develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to make informed food choices.
At The School of Artisan Food, Jenny leads the organisation’s work to inspire better food education and champion the value of learning about food through practical, meaningful experiences. She believes that food education should be an essential part of every child’s learning, helping young people understand where food comes from, how it is produced and how it influences our health, communities and environment.
Jenny represents The School of Artisan Food as a founding and steering group member of the Food Education Network. She works collaboratively with educators, policymakers, charities and industry partners to help create a future where all children have the opportunity to grow, cook, share and understand food, supporting lifelong wellbeing and a more sustainable food system.
Jenny Paxman
RNutr (Food), FAfN · BA (Hons), MMedSci, PGCert Learning & Teaching, MPhil, FHEA
Chief Executive Officer
Chris Jones
Director of Food Education
Chris is Director of Food Education at The School, where he provides strategic and academic leadership across our food education programmes. He leads the development of the School’s higher education, professional and short course portfolio, with responsibility for curriculum development, academic quality and the student experience. Working with colleagues, industry and university partners, Chris supports the development of high-quality, inclusive and innovative learning opportunities that connect people through food and support the future of artisan food production.
Chris has 20 years’ experience across the food industry and higher education. His background is in the hospitality industry, where he worked as a chef and trainer in the UK casual dining sector, with responsibility for menu and product development, chef training and operational management. He later moved into higher education, holding a range of teaching and senior academic leadership roles. Before joining the School, Chris was Course Director for the Centre for Contemporary Hospitality and Tourism at the University of Derby.
Chris is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Master Craftsman of the Craft Guild of Chefs. He holds an MA in Education and is completing a PhD at the University of Leeds. He teaches across areas including food product development, global food systems and food culture. His research focuses on sustainable food choices and how restaurant menu design can influence consumer behaviour, with his work published in the Journal of Cleaner Production.
Chris believes in the transformative potential of food education and its role in developing skills, connecting people and communities, and contributing to a more sustainable food system.
Lauren Rathbone is a Registered Dietitian and Director of Social Impact at The School of Artisan Food, where she leads the Best Food Forward programme and the organisation’s social impact strategy. With a background in clinical dietetics, public health, and nutrition education, Lauren is passionate about making food education accessible, practical, and inspiring for diverse communities.
Since joining The School, Lauren has worked closely with educators, healthcare professionals, local authorities, and community partners to develop and deliver evidence-based food education programmes that empower people to make informed choices about food, health, and sustainability. She is responsible for securing funding, managing projects and partnerships, measuring impact, and ensuring that programmes create meaningful and lasting change.
Lauren holds a First-Class BSc (Hons) in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Surrey and is currently completing a Master of Public Health from the University of Sheffield. Before moving into her current role, she worked as a Dietitian within the NHS, supporting patients across acute and outpatient services.
Driven by collaboration and continuous improvement, Lauren is committed to helping individuals and communities build confidence, skills, and a positive relationship with food through engaging, real-world learning experiences.
Lauren Rathbone
Director of Social Impact
Kevan Roberts
Head of Baking
Kevan Roberts is the Head of Bakery at The School and brings extensive experience from across the baking, food production, and education sectors. Throughout his career, he has worked as a bakery owner, product developer, educator, and consultant, combining commercial expertise with a passion for developing the next generation of bakery professionals.
Kevan has been involved in the creation and launch of successful bakery businesses, including playing a key role in establishing Chestnut Bakery in Belgravia. His background in product development has enabled him to create and refine a wide range of artisan and commercial bakery products, with a particular focus on quality, innovation, and craftsmanship.
Alongside his industry experience, Kevan has taught at both Bread Ahead Bakery School and the National Bakery School, helping aspiring bakers and industry professionals develop their technical skills and understanding of the craft. He is also the author of Baking Sourdough, sharing his knowledge and expertise with a wider audience.
As Head of Bakery, Kevan leads the bakery provision at The School, working closely with learners, staff, and industry partners to ensure students gain the practical skills, technical knowledge, and professional behaviours needed for successful careers in the baking and food manufacturing industries. He is passionate about vocational education and dedicated to inspiring learners to achieve their full potential.
Lianna Court is a Food Education Specialist & Interim Head of Best Food Forward at The School of Artisan Food with over 17 years of experience in teaching, pastoral leadership, food education, and advocacy. Originally from North Wales, she has a strong connection to her Welsh heritage and developed a love of food from an early age, spending time in the kitchen with her Nain, mum, and aunt. These experiences sparked a lifelong passion for cooking and food, which was further nurtured through culinary training while studying for her A Levels.
After graduating from the University of Manchester with a BSc (Hons) degree and completing her PGCE, Lianna travelled to China, where she taught before returning to the UK to begin her career in Leicestershire. Starting as a Food and Nutrition teacher, she quickly recognised the powerful role food education can play in improving young people’s lives. Her passion for supporting students led her to roles as Head of Department and Pastoral Lead, where she worked with diverse learners and developed engaging programmes that promoted both academic success and personal growth. Working closely with neurodiverse students further strengthened her commitment to ensuring equitable access to learning opportunities.
At The School of Artisan Food, Lianna works with schools and young people through the Best Food Forward programme, exploring the whole food system, including food origins, cultural food traditions, nutrition, sustainability, and environmental impact. She collaborates with schools, charities, local businesses, food professionals, and community partners to strengthen food education and advocate for its importance in improving health, well-being, and understanding of the food system.
Lianna believes that every young person deserves access to high-quality food education. She works to support schools in enriching their food culture, removing barriers to participation, and creating meaningful learning experiences that foster curiosity, confidence, and lifelong healthy relationships with food. Through her work, she champions the transformative power of food education to inspire positive change in schools, communities, and future generations.
Lianna Court
Interim Head of Best Food Forward
Our board of Trustees
Alison studied social anthropology at LSE and went on to have a long career as a child and family psychotherapist both in the USA and then in the NHS.
She was a long time Chair of Trustees at the Women’s Therapy Centre in London and Trustee of many other charities. On “retirement” she founded The School of Artisan Food, and remains on the Board as Founding Trustee. She is in the livery of The Worshipful Company of Bakers, is a Dame d’Éscoffier and is on the Council of Sustain.
Alison is committed to food education – among other things as a tool for resilience – and to equality of opportunity.
Alison Swan Parente
MBE DL
Founding Trustee of The School of Artisan Food
Fran Warde
Trustee Director
Fran joined The School as a trustee director in 2019. After training as a chef, Fran completed the Management Training Scheme at The Café Royal before embarking on a career as a private cook, working around the world before returning to London to open a restaurant. These experiences broadened her culinary perspective, shaped her style, and led her into food writing. She went on to become Food Editor of Red magazine and has written for a wide range of newspapers and magazines.
Fran has co-authored several cookery books, including the award-winning The French Kitchen and The French Market with Joanne Harris, as well as The Ginger Pig Meat Book and The Ginger Pig Farmhouse Kitchen. Her most recent book, Living Well with Cancer, was written for Maggie’s Cancer Care Centres, with all royalties donated to the charity.
Fran is also a co-founder and committee member of the monthly Chiswick Cheese Market, a volunteer-led initiative that brings together 54 stalls showcasing more than 200 cheeses and cheese-related products. All profits are reinvested into charitable causes, the sponsorship of cheese-related events, and supporting the next generation of cheesemakers through funded places on Academy of Cheese courses.
In addition, she is a judge for the Guild of Fine Food and was honoured to serve on the judging panel at the 2025 World Cheese Awards in Bern, Switzerland.
As a trustee, Fran brings a lifetime of experience across the food industry, combining practical culinary expertise with writing, judging, and supporting artisan food producers. She is passionate about helping shape the future of food education and is particularly excited by The School of Artisan Food’s Best Food Forward campaign, which champions the importance of giving every young person the opportunity to learn to cook and understand the benefits of healthy eating.
Dr Daniel Jessel has degrees from LSE and Oxford and was a Lecturer in quantitative economics at Southampton University before joining Chase Econometrics a subsidiary of Chase Manhattan Bank.
In 1986 Daniel founded and directed the consulting company, MSI Ltd, which was sold in 2008 to Howe Robinson Partners where he is retained as the senior consultant economist.
Daniel’s interest in artisan food is almost entirely related to consumption rather than production, but he is an ardent supporter of The School of Artisan Food and its charitable objectives and has been its treasurer since 2011.
Dr Daniel Jessel
Trustee Director – Treasurer
Susan Amaku
Trustee Director
Susan is an accredited Specialist Conservation Architect. She has been involved with SAF since its inception as the architect for the conversion of the Grade II listed building into the school and bakery.
She studied at Bath and Sheffield Universities and is a Director of a private practice. Whilst her expertise relates historic buildings and places, she has an interest in the cultural associations of food and its importance to health and wellbeing.
Joe has been involved with the School of Artisan Food since it was founded in 2009, first of all on the advisory board and now as a full Trustee. Joe was born, and spent his childhood in America where he studied Agricultural Engineering at Cornell University. Between ’95 and ’98, Joe and his wife moved to Holland, whilst there, Joe met a Turkish gentleman, Caner Gurses, who had just begun making Turkish Feta and as such, Joe’s journey into cheesemaking had begun.
Visiting numerous dairies around Holland, he learnt how to make Gouda and different goats’ cheeses. In ’98, the couple moved to Sussex, where he joined a small team on a Biodynamic farm. The farm produced milk, vegetables and meat, and Joe was responsible for processing the milk into cheese, yoghurt, and cream. In 2001 the couple moved to the Cotswolds where they worked for Lord and Lady Bamford on their Estate.
Joe designed and built Daylesford Creamery and produced several cheeses which were sold through Daylesford Organic Farm Shop, as well as to other wholesale and retail customers around the UK. It was here that Joe got to know Randolph Hodgson, owner of Neals Yard Dairy in London. In 2004 Randolph approached Joe with an exciting project, to return to the traditional way of making stilton cheese using raw milk, on a farm. Randolph had sold the very last of the raw milk Stilton ever produced in England in 1988. Ever since then, the cheese in its proper traditional form has been extinct as all Stilton’s are made in a handful of large factories, and must be made using pasteurised milk.
Joe and Randolph found the Welbeck Estate in Nottinghamshire, who were interested in the project. They had the land, the cows, and the buildings to get this project off the ground, with Joe making the cheese and Randolph selling it. In 2006 this plan became a reality & the very first Stichelton cheese was made on the Welbeck Estate.
Joe Schneider
Trustee
Hilary Hamer
Trustee Director
Hilary’s passion for good food began at an early age, growing up surrounded by food growing, food production, cooking, and an appreciation for quality ingredients. With a degree in Food Science and a City & Guilds Professional Cookery qualification, she has combined scientific understanding with practical expertise throughout her career.
Her diverse experience spans the food and health sectors, including roles in large-scale food manufacturing, higher education, and food policy development. This breadth of knowledge led to the establishment of the Sustainable Food City Project in Hull, an initiative focused on addressing barriers to healthy food access and improving food-related health outcomes across the city.
Having seen high-quality, safe food produced in a wide variety of settings, Hilary remains convinced that, alongside the innovation and technology that drive the modern food manufacturing industry, highly skilled artisan food production continues to play a vital role in the food supply chain. This belief aligns closely with the mission of The School of Artisan Food.
Hilary is proud to support the School as it continues to champion artisan food education, develop future generations of food producers, and promote a more sustainable and resilient food system.
Passionate Food and Nutrition Lecturer and Business Engagement Lead at Sheffield Hallam University, specialising in food innovation and sustainability.
With a deep-rooted passion for artisan food and a strong commitment to quality and sustainability, Susie brings over 10 years of hands-on experience working across both retail and manufacturing sectors. This journey has given her a comprehensive understanding of food production, from specialising in the artistry of crafting authentic fermented high-quality meat products to the science-driven processes that ensure their sustainability and safety. Susie now focuses on sharing her knowledge and experience with the next generation of food professionals.
Through teaching and mentorship, she strives to inspire students to appreciate the vital role the food sector plays in our lives, urging them to embrace both tradition and innovation to shape a sustainable, high-quality future for the industry
Susie Jones
Trustee Director
Nick Hatton
Trustee Director
Nick Hatton is a Trustee of The School of Artisan Food and served as Chair of Trustees from 2021 to 2026, a period that included some of the most challenging years in the School’s history.
During nearly six years as Chair, Nick worked closely with the School’s leadership team and fellow trustees to help navigate the financial impact of the Covid pandemic, rebuild financial resilience and reshape the School’s strategy for the future. He remains hugely proud of the progress made during that time and of the School’s continuing ambition to broaden its reach and impact.
Nick is a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Adviser with more than 30 years’ experience in professional services. After 16 years at PwC, he joined Cooper Parry, where he leads the firm’s M&A Tax business and is closely involved in its work with private equity investors, entrepreneurs and growing businesses.
Alongside his professional career, Nick has a strong personal passion for social mobility, diversity and inclusion. He believes education can be a powerful way of opening doors, building confidence and creating opportunities for people from all backgrounds. That belief is one of the things that drew him so strongly to the School and its work.
The School’s commitment to widening access to artisan food education, preserving important skills and helping people build careers, businesses and communities around food remains particularly important to him.
Having completed his term as Chair, Nick continues to support the School as a Trustee and is excited to see it build on the foundations established over recent years.
Richard Smith is an internationally experienced hospitality professional, restaurateur and chef with a career spanning more than four decades. His work has taken him across the UK and internationally, working with respected names, teams and businesses within food and hospitality.
Throughout his career, Richard has received numerous culinary awards and accolades, reflecting his commitment to quality, hospitality and the craft of cooking. His experience encompasses restaurants, hotels, food-led businesses and hospitality operations, giving him a broad understanding of what it takes to create successful, sustainable and memorable food experiences.
At the heart of Richard’s philosophy is a deep love and respect for ingredients. He is passionate about seasonality, provenance and the people who produce food — from farmers, fishermen and butchers to bakers and artisan producers. He believes that great food begins with great ingredients, treated with care and respect.
Richard has also contributed to the wider food and drink conversation through his work on the Thyme After Thyme cookbook and through his involvement in Craft Union beer and food pairing, bringing together his knowledge of food, hospitality and the craft of matching great ingredients with great drinks.
He has a particular affection for traditional and artisan skills and is a strong advocate for protecting, celebrating and passing those skills on to future generations. Richard believes that food is not simply about recipes; it is about understanding ingredients, technique, patience, craft and the connection between the producer, the cook and the guest.
A significant part of Richard’s career has been devoted to building strong teams and developing people. He believes the best hospitality businesses are built around people who feel valued, supported and inspired to do their best work. Empathy is central to his approach, alongside high standards, honesty, generosity and a genuine desire to help others succeed.
Richard brings to the School of Artisan Food a wealth of practical experience, international perspective and a lifelong passion for food, craft and education. He is particularly passionate about ensuring that traditional knowledge and artisan skills are not lost, but are understood, respected and carried forward by the next generation.
Richard Smith
Trustee Director