HELLO - AND WELCOME TO THE EPICUREAN SAILOR!

My mum inspired an absolute love of cooking from a very early age, underpinned by the wonderful Prue Leith and her comprehensive magazine part work "Confident Cooking" - I still have all four recipe and technique binders! A stint back in 2008 at the well-respected Ashburton Cookery School in Devon helped finesse my culinary skills - followed by professional Chef Skills training with the world-renowned Leiths School of Food and Wine in London. In 2023 I returned to Ashburton for some additional advanced patisserie training to help me create truly show stopping desserts as the grande finale for your special dining event or occasion. As a chef I'm always hungry to learn new techniques or ways of working with different ingredients and food styles - I find it impossible to say what my favourite cuisine is but I do love working with our fantastic Isle of Wight produce as much as possible. I am totally blessed to live on an island and have access to the freshest fish, pasture-fed animals, dairy, cheese and locally-grown, award winning fruit and veg - I defy anyone not to be inspired browsing any one of our well-stocked farm shops or food festivals!

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Prior to re-training as a professional chef and before that, as a qualified sailing instructor and full-time yacht skipper, the first part of my career was spent within the corporate world as a commercial and marketing specialist before going on to work within the start-up sector, developing, launching and operating challenger startup brands on a domestic and international stage. I have since worked with SMEs across a wide range of industries to actively grow sales, build teams, strengthen their online presence and improve operational efficiencies.

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As a former RYA Yachtmaster Instructor, I've worked as a skipper, first mate and yacht chef on both sailing and motor yachts, logging over 45,000 nautical miles including two Atlantic crossings, countless hops across the Bay of Biscay, a luxury yacht delivery from Barcelona to Southampton and 8,000 miles on board a private motor yacht sailing around the Mediterranean. 

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I've provisioned for yacht rallies, run supper clubs, catered for pop-up dining events and prepared food for parties for up to 125 guests - basically any excuse to cook and feed people!

 

With my love of food and sailing and a passion for inspiring as many people as possible to either get out on the water or get in the kitchen, in 2021 I finally made the decision to follow my heart by combining food and sailing as a career and so The Epicurean Sailor was born.

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I now work as a private chef here on the beautiful Isle of Wight offering Michelin-style fine dining, and also run small group cookery classes which are a lot of fun and a great day out if you're looking for something different to do with your friends, family or colleagues. Check out my events page for upcoming classes or get in touch if you'd like me to organise a class especially for you. Gift vouchers are also available - ideal for the foodie in your life!​

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I also host regular Friday Night Feasts from autumn through to spring - a chance for me to indulge in my love of food from the Middle East, Greece and the Mediterranean. Come alone or with friends - everyone is welcome!

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Zoë - AKA The Epicurean Sailor

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"What can we say, other than your culinary skills are exceptional in every sense. Definitely ‘on par’ and better than many Michelin Star restaurants. You are 100% MasterChef material"

Sian and Michael Shepherd, 18 February 2023

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