Hi – I am Dr Sue Bailey
I hope to help anyone who wants to learn, read about, eat, develop, produce or sell fantastic food or drink. I also have a guilty food secret – I like to perform as the first TV celebrity chef Fanny Cradock and recreate her dishes as described in Waitrose Weekend July 2018.
The Museum of Cambridge’s fantastic collection of copper and china jelly moulds and the history and science of jellies were demonstrated by “Fanny” at the Castle Hill Open Day recently. My next performance is for the award winning Ginger and Spice festival in North Shropshire.
Cambridgefoodies was founded because food has been my lifelong passion both professionally and creatively. My aim is to educate, inspire, enthuse and support foodies in the Cambridge area and beyond.
Why am I a foodie?
As an experienced food science lecturer working for over 20 years in research and education, I was until recently course director for a very successful MSc in Food Science at London Metropolitan University. I am currently associate senior lecturer teaching food product development at Masters level with student prize-winning eco-food designs.
I love communicating about food in all its aspects and appeared as a culinary history consultant on television for Great British Bake Off.
I am a food science expert on Food Unwrapped for Channel 4 and am skilled at simplifying complex scientific concepts. I have recently appeared on BBC1 Rip Off Britain: Food looking at sugar free fizzy drinks and on ITV Save Money – Good Health evaluating herbal teas. I have been a consultant for ITV Sugar Free Farm. Please see my media page for further details and video.
I contribute regularly for BBC Radio Cambridgeshire and Cambridge 105 Radio Flavour programme as a food commentator and presenter. I appear and demonstrate as the first female celebrity cook, Fanny Cradock at Food Festivals such as Eat Cambridge, and the forthcoming Ginger and Spice Festival.
I am a local food judge, an after dinner speaker for international meetings and expert industry panel member for exhibitions and conferences.
Food, Fanny and feminism
I am currently speaking and researching about the history of food science, food technology and feminism. I am a supporter of Women of Food and recently appeared at the Taste of London salon . I also collect food history books and domestic economy manuals.
For fabulous fun I perform as one of my heroines – Fanny Cradock who was the first female television celebrity cook. She was not a professed feminist but she was a a great supporter of making cooking fun for children and enlivened the drab post war food of the 1950’s and 1960’s with her colourful creations.
Fanny’s summer party was a sell out event in May for Eat Cambridge and over 100 came to the Castle Hill Open Day event in July to see her practical demonstrations throughout the afternoon . This was at the Museum of Cambridge where children and adults explored the history of jelly and found out how combining food and science led to loads of wobbly, fruit-flavoured fun .
Why Cambridgefoodies?
Cambridge has always been my home as I went to school here. I gained my first degree from Bristol University specializing in nutrition and food science. I then taught in Saffron Walden in Essex. London lured me to teach food science and technology in sixth form colleges. I also started food writing and studied part time for an MSc in Public Health Education at Kings College, London University. In the vacation I worked as a troubleshooting cook and caterer and wrote articles on health and food.This led me into working as a food and communications lecturer. My specialism was food science and food product development but I also taught food styling, consumer and broadcast food journalism.
University lecturing in London, working full time whilst bringing up two delightful daughters and doing a part time PhD kept me busy. However, many weekends were spent back in Cmbridge.
Cooking squirrels
Fen skies, family, sheep and friends ensured that one day I would permanently return. Now we have moved back to Cambridge sans children and as replacement entertainment we have kept pigs, cooked squirrels, grow grapes, share an allotment and have just embarked upon the challenges of owning our first beehive.
My foodie passions are indulged by researching local food culture and aiming to cook, eat out and drink as frequently as my wallet allows and I am having so much fun!
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