How to Cook a Gremlin

Buzzy is a hugely talented chef, entrepreneur, and re-discovered friend. I tracked her down after listening to her addictive podcast - The Big D with Ateh and Buzzy. 

Buz co-founded Event Oracle, an events business for the great and the good.  She moved to Antigua and ran a hotel there with her ex. This brings us to The Big D - which removes the shame and doom surrounding divorce and also manages to inject some much needed humour into one of life’s toughest curveballs! Guests include the fabulous Val Garland and Jo Wood.

We chat the Big D, new love and how I’m finally getting out of my nuts in a bowl phase! 

You can follow Buz’s gem of a podcast @thebigdwithatehandbuzzy and listen wherever you get your podcasts.

As a fellow MasterChef alum, career changer, cancer survivor, and devoted fan of London’s iconic La Colombier, I loved this high energy episode with one of life’s great enthusiasts — Billy Wright.

In 2016, after leaving behind his dream of a cricketing career, Billy took a bold leap into the MasterChef  kitchen— and never looked back. A finalist and fan favourite, he quickly won a following with his warmth, wit, and friendship with fellow contestant Jack Layer. Their playful chemistry evolved into a successful partnership, hosting sold-out supper clubs and pop-ups at venues including the Royal Festival Hall.

Amid this success, Billy faced a life-altering diagnosis: thyroid cancer at just 33. His resilience, humour, and relentlessly positive outlook through it all are unique.

Today, Billy channels his creative energy into food and restaurant consulting — and the drinks market as the founder of Decem, a low-alcohol brand that’s making an impact.

You can follow Billy on IG @foodiebill

One night, after service in the restaurant, I stumbled across a Moth Story that stopped me in my tracks. If you haven’t heard of them, think TED Talks—but personal storytelling. It was Salima Saxton, talking about a Valentine’s Day when her beloved husband, Carl, an entrepreneur, told her he couldn’t go on. Everything unraveled. Salima took charge. She moved her family back to her childhood home in the countryside and upended their lives.

With humour, honesty, and remarkable tenderness, she told that story in a way that floored me. At 11:15pm on February 1st, I DM’d her, telling her I had to speak to her. And to my absolute delight, she said yes.

Salima’s career is multi-stranded. She’s an actor, voiceover artist, author, life coach, and co-host of the brilliant podcast Women Are Mad. She is full of wisdom. She says that the best way to connect with your gut is to imagine your eight-year-old self and your eighty-year-old self — and try to live in a way that honours them both. This episode did just that for me - enjoy!

Susannah is an entrepreneur who loves change. Her career has taken her from CEO of a boutique asset management business to an independent financial services advisor and founder and host of the brilliant Oxford+ and The Wobbly Middle podcasts.

Susannah has a passion for embracing transitions, cooking and eating - the perfect How to Cook a Gremlin guest. We talk family pecking orders, the healing power of moving and cooking and our shared love of Jilly Cooper.

You can find Susannah's fascinating podcasts wherever you usually get your podcasts.

Its not every NHS doctor that turns their hand to entrepreneurship but Dr. Jack likes to tread his own path and wring the most out of life. We chat about the impetus that led him to establish acclaimed clinics in London and Scotland with interiors he designed, along with a skincare brand and podcast, Face Values.

His enthusiasm for life is infectious and possibly mirrored by his palate and love of all things flavour and chilli packed.

Join us as we talk about a chance meeting in his clinic that changed the direction of his business and the traumatic event that has propelled him on to achieve his dreams.

You can follow Dr Jack's growing empire on instagram @drdavidjack

I first bonded with the wonderful and talented Fergus Chamberlain when we traded stories of our time working in Michelin kitchens.

Fergus founded authentic Mexican food company Gran Luchito in 2012 after a trip to Oaxaca changed the course of his life.  Starting his career as a food buyer at Sainsbury’s, Fergus always knew he wanted to run his own culinary business. This dream was not only shaped by his travels to Mexico but his time living in New York where he trained as a chef and experienced the vibrant multi-cultural food scene there - and of course his vision of being the man from Del Monte!

Fergus' passion for introducing authentic Mexican food to British homes saw him initially bringing back samples from Mexico in his suitcase and selling them in food markets. Dogged determination has resulted in Gran Luchito's success including being stocked in Fortnum's, Ocado, Waitrose, internationally and expanding its range of acclaimed products. 

Go to @granluchito to see the delicious products, inspiring blog and vibrant recipes.

Ursula is an author, chef and teacher who has written several evocative cook books including Cucina del Veneto, Cuicina di Amalfi and Lemons and Limes. She also contributes beautiful recipes to a number of publications including Red and Delicious magazine.

She started her career demonstrating dishes at Books for Cooks in Notting Hill, as an ode to her Nonna's recipes. Fans included Jamie Oliver and later me when she guest lectured at Leiths culinary school where I was studying for my diploma. I will never forget her chocolate and almond cake from Positano which I have made at least thirty times. She was recently honoured with the Italian hospitality award for writing and teaching. The way she describes food is ethereal, whimsical and makes you want to simultaneously eat and read a novel.

I am so excited that she will be popping up with me in the new year! What a way to start 2025. She is an inspiration and you can follow her @ursulaferrigno.

I met Chloe when we worked together at Kitchen W8. Straight away her talent, humour and ambition were clear. I persuaded her to work with me at an independent brasserie in Notting Hill. While this stint was brief - all the chefs there were equally struck by Chloe's culinary gifts - both as a mentor and just an excellent and unique chef. Chloe's star shone bright in the Masterchef the Professionals 2024 kitchen. In fact Chloe was one of the people who encouraged me to pursue the MTCP audition process this year.

Having honed her craft at Kent College, The Glasshouse, Duck and Waffle, The Georgian House, Kitchen W8 and The Princess of Shoreditch Chloe is taking the exciting step to move into private cheffing. I'm thrilled to share that we will be collaborating in the new year and look forward to sharing more information in January. You can follow Chloe @chefchloemccoy

Ed and Moon Hough founded the incredible Safari Series, in the foothills of Mount Kenya to bring a more modern, ecological and equitable safari experience to the country. Their passion and vision are infectious. I was lucky enough to chef at this unique camp for a month this year and it was life changing. Their philosophy, gorgeous team and camp are unique.

Ed is as idiosyncratic and fun as the lodge itself. Never short of a brilliant story or an exciting project, the whole experience grabbed me by the scruff and made it very hard to leave!

Ed and Moon have recently opened a location in Lamu, which is where Ed was talking to me from, in between Dawa cocktails. So you may hear some nature along with more Dawas arriving!

If you would like to learn more about this incredible pair and their visionary work follow them @safari_series or check out safari-series.com.

Chiara sees food differently. She is a disruptor who isn't afraid of taking risks! Chiara draws on her heritage and love of using all of the ingredient - root to tip, nose to tail. After university she went into private cheffing. Chiara then landed her dream job at the River Cottage, where she not only fell in love but ascended to Head Chef at the age of 25. This ascension has not been without its challenges. Chiara shares both her hunger inducing recipes and her frank account of times of feeling isolated and how she's coped with that - or cooked her gremlins!

We bonded during our time on Masterchef the Professionals UK 2024. We share an obsession with cooking and desire to get more women cheffing. You can follow Chiara @chiara__tomasoni