Tess and Terry met in 2004. Tess was a young pastry chef working at Hampton Court Palace when Terry turned up to interview for the Head Chef position, one glance over a floured table, and the rest, as they say, is history!
Tess knew from a very young age that she wanted to be a chef. One of her earliest memories is standing on a stool in the kitchen back in Zimbabwe, learning how to cook scrambled eggs with her maid, Rebecca. She received a baking book from one of her uncles Jim, and spent most weekends baking. There were a few disasters, but you can’t succeed unless you fail! She left home at 17 and trained at Silwood Kitchens in Cape Town. Following an intense three-year course where she gained valuable experience in some of the top hotels and restaurants in Cape Town, she moved to the U.K in 2003. She spent a few years working in hotels and visitor attractions focussing mainly on patisserie, before moving into product development within bakeries. Her most recent job, before taking on The Cook in The Nook was for world-renowned Fiona Cairns in Fleckney. Tess spent 4 thoroughly enjoyable years at Fiona Cairns doing product development for some of the best department stores in London. She always had the passion and drive to start her own business, and when the stars aligned, she jumped at the opportunity and hasn’t looked back!