Hello, I’m Ben…
Part human. part hobbit.
I’m a Food Educator, Community Chef, poet and musician
My focus is on bringing people together within a shared experience - whether that’s feasting around the table, or sharing stories around the fire…
Creating community. Learning new skills. Allowing ourselves to be vulnerable enough to do the work.
I believe it’s from this connectedness that we can slow down, ground ourselves and be comfortable in, and examine our differences
A bit about me. Firstly, I’m very bad at talking about myself, or self-promotion, so hold-tight for some awkward…
I grew up in-between rural Shropshire in UK and the Los Angeles in the US, because my parents where muppets. Literarily - they worked for Jim Henson.
This isn’t just a flex, I believe these experiences are the genus of why I do what I do..
I was always the new kid. I never really fit in. I’m short, plump and nuero-spicy. I always wanted a community, and a sense of belonging.
I also grew up seeing how important creativity, play and inclusivity where - especially when you’re a grown up.
As so many who are outside, or on the fringes of, the typical, I struggled at school and with my mental health. Not completing school and taking until my early 20’s to get my self back intoeducation.
It took a while, but I found community. At music camps, at university, in and under the mountains, at open mics and in bands… And central to all of these communities, was sitting around a table, talking - around food or drink; around words and instruments.
I learned to cook for housemate, on film sets, in restaurants and running chalets (until my hubris on the mountain got the better of me - see above)…
Working in these spaces I couldn’t help but notice how wasteful these industries where. How little respect for the food, and the people cooking with it there was.
These spaces where often aggressive, toxic and highly masculine. Once again, I could not quite fit in…
In 2018 my youngest brother an I set up OsNosh CIC. At it’s core we took surplus food and cooked it for our community. We worked with local organisations to reach the most marginalised groups, but made sure it was open top all.
Everyone is entitled not just to food, but good food. So we made sure toit was always restaurant standard.
As my brother left and Covid struck, we became bigger and and more diverse - we delivered food to the elderly, had a community garden and compost bins, a community cafe, food education programs and offered catering throughout Shropshire.
With an incredible community of over 60 volunteers, we where producing 10,000+ meals a year reachimng over 2000 people through various services and programs
Our ethos was to work collaboratively - championing local farms and produce, as well as working with schools, charities, and community organisations, local business, county and town councils.
I’ve left for pastures new now, but have taken everything I have learned with me.
Our tagline was Growing Community through Food… This idea is still at the core of what I do amd offer.
What’s happening
What’s next…
I am currently working working a few wonderful organisations to deliver tasty food and education. These include:
Step Out a London-based charity paring Mentors with young people at risk of social isolation. I shall be cooking up some globaly inspired scran to support a fundraising event - They’re walking up Snowdon / Yr Wyddfa!
Lightfoot / Bishop’s Castle Food Bank - this is a course of lessons for the local community to look at techniques to save money, get more out of food, use surplus and connect with local land and growers.
I shall also be performing some poetry and musics at Focus Wales 2026 - both as a spoken word artist, and in band Glöwr..
And what comes next? Well, if you want to help me find out.
Feel free to drop me a message
