Meet the Team
We at Good Food Oxfordshire have a fantastic team of talented individuals, some regular staff members, volunteers, consultants, and more.
LEARN MORE
We at Good Food Oxfordshire have a fantastic team of talented individuals, some regular staff members, volunteers, consultants, and more.
LEARN MORE
Jenny has always been interested in the connection between planetary and human health, and nowhere is that link stronger than in the food we eat. Former Head of Environmental Sustainability at the University of Oxford, she began her career at Earthwatch, the biodiversity research institute. Jenny has led environmental programmes across the charity, education, health and social enterprise sectors for over 20 years. She served on the board of an Oxfordshire social housing mutual and has a particular interest in tackling food insecurity. Jenny is a firm advocate of partnership working and is drawn to GFO’s emphasis on collaboration to build a local food system that works for people and planet. Her current veg obsession is cavolo nero in a warming bean stew. (Ask her for the recipe!)
Sunniva has a passion for climate and social justice and believes transforming the food system is a vital part of this. For the last 20 years, she has worked at the intersection of food, community, health and climate. She spent 10 years at Organiclea (a growing site and training hub in northeast London) developing community food projects; and a decade as a climate and economic justice campaigner. She is a keen allotmenteer and supporter of community food. Sunniva’s favourite vegetable is the Trail of Tears bean, originally of the native North American Cherokee people, who were forced on a 5,000-mile ‘trail of tears’ march, to make way for European settlers. They have beautiful shiny black beans, green-purple pods, and steam to a vibrant green. Delicious just on their own or in a stew.
Caroline is a Registered Nutritionist with a career working in project and portfolio management. Since completing her BSc Hons in Nutritional Science, and her MSc in Nutrition for Global Health her focus has mainly been on projects addressing food insecurity, and making good nutrition more accessible and enjoyable. Caroline is back at GFO as she loves the sense of making a real difference, working with communities, and constantly having different projects on the go. As a Nutritionist, Caroline found choosing a favourite vegetable hard, but chose garlic based on its versatility, and application across all cuisines.
Olivia began her career in the charity sector, working in the social media team at Age UK. From there, she moved into the civil service and became Deputy Head of Digital Communications at Defra. She brings to GFO a love and knowledge of food, farming and environmental communications. Her favourite vegetables are leeks, because her dad makes the best leek and potato soup, and they go very nicely in her favourite food (a pie!).
Rachel began her career as a Medical Secretary and has since held various administrative roles. During the COVID pandemic, she volunteered on an administrative basis for Good Food Oxfordshire (GFO) while caring for her father, supporting community food services in Oxfordshire. Impressed with her commitment, GFO offered her a job continuing to do the latter, and she now also oversees operations for OxFarmToFork (a dynamic role she finds both thrilling and challenging!). The aims of GFO closely align with Rachel’s desire to see everyone able to enjoy nature-friendly, fresh produce that’s sustainable for our planet. Rachel’s favourite vegetable is beetroot (with Blackland Organics aubergine a close second), which she enjoys in sandwiches, salads, or even on pizza with spinach and feta!
Lucy joined GFO in August 2026 after completing an MSc in Sustainability and Food Security at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. As a Registered Dietitian, she previously spent two years in London working in life sciences strategy consulting and, prior to her training, worked part-time as a chef for several years. Outside of work, Lucy is a keen fruit and vegetable grower and enjoys volunteering in community gardens. In typical fashion, when asked to choose a favourite vegetable, Lucy immediately thought of a legume instead: butter beans, for their benefits for both people and the planet, and because they are delicious too! Nothing beats a cosy butter bean stew in autumn.
Aside from her attempts at growing her own vegetables (with limited success!), Janie has been helping others cultivate food for nearly 20 years. She has set up school vegetable patches, established a community garden, run Incredible Edible Lambeth, where she promoted and supported numerous community gardens throughout the Borough. After moving to Oxford four years ago, Janie joined GFO in 2022. She now leads the OxFarmToFork initiative, assisting farmers in selling directly to local institutions. Janie’s favorite vegetables are beans (broad, pea, French, and runner) which she enjoys raw or lightly steamed for just two minutes.
Having started as a volunteer at GFO in 2024, Rose is excited to be joining the team in her new role. Rose started life as a production manager in opera working across the UK as well as abroad. Later, she retrained, transitioning to the tech world to work as an account manager in a rapidly expanding sector. However, life changed again with a move abroad, and she started 15 years of work in the volunteer sector with many varied roles from teaching to being a charity trustee. Having been born on a working farm, Rose is excited to now be returning to her roots and involved in work she loves: improving access to healthy locally grown produce. Her favourite vegetable might have to be the potato, in all its varied forms, a humble companion that can offer something different at every meal.
Bart Ashton (Chair)
Stuart Newstead (Company Secretary)
Susan Thomas
Madeleine Bastawrous
Aoife Allen
Good Food Oxfordshire welcome regular interns and volunteers. Please get in touch with mail@gfo.org.uk if you're interested in volunteering with us.
We’re proud to have been recognised by the University of Oxford’s Crankstart Internship Programme with the Gold Standard Internship Host award in 2025.