About Fiona

‘Tell me and I’ll forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I’ll understand.’ Chinese Proverb

 

 

Writer, broadcaster, children’s cookery expert and educator, Fiona is a woman on a mission: to get kids truly excited about good food, banishing ‘fussy eating’ forever!

Neither a chef nor nutritionist, Fiona is simply a parent with a unique story to tell, having converted her own son from ‘fruit dodger’ and ‘veggie avoider’ into fully-blown mini ‘foodie’.

Following months of tears, tantrums, and food refusal, Fiona began to watch (and then study) how and why kids eat in the way that they do, and the effect we as parents have on their eating behaviours. She then went on to devise a set of recipes and techniques that totally transformed not only her son’s eating habits but those of her entire family – and her family’s family, and her friends’ families, and her neighbour’s best friend’s family…!

On the basis of this success (and with a bit of gentle persuasion from The Husband!) Fiona set up Toddler Chef in early 2008, offering Food is Fun workshops. Later she set up Mini Chefs (for older kids) and currently works closely with both schools and pre-schools as well as continuing to run private workshops. Both Toddler Chef and Mini Chef are ultimately all about celebrating fresh, seasonal food with kids - with a big emphasis on fun, and designed to educate parents in respect of Fiona's principles. More can be found online at www.toddlerchef.com

Fiona’s background is voice-over and radio presentation (inc. producing and presenting her own radio show across 21 UK radio stations and interviewing celebrities ranging from Robbie Williams and Travis through to Sarah Beeney and Ricky Gervais).

She is now frequently used by BBC 3 Counties Radio as a spokesperson on healthy eating for children and has also been hired as a speaker at a number of prestigious ‘foodie’ events – including The Children’s Food Festival in Oxfordshire (of which Raymond Blanc is a patron). On a corporate level she has consulted with and worked alongside a number of companies – including Waitrose Plc and TUI Travel (owners of Thompson Holidays and First Choice). She has also been featured in local and national press, profiling the work she does in encouraging healthy eating in families.

Fiona's first book 25 Foods Kids Hate and How to Get Them Eating 24 is out in 2011 and she is currently working on a product range. Fiona also reviews restaurants and cookbooks under the name Lois London for Foodepedia, one of the UK's biggest foodie onlines

She lives in Somerset with her husband, son, two daughters and far too many bathroom products…