About Joyfull Greens

Food is connection.

Food is at the heart of our existence. Cooking and eating together brings people together and changes lives.

We started Joyfull Greens (based in Godalming, Surrey) in response to major global and local challenges, from health disparities to food access and climate change. All directly threatening our quality of life. We live in a chronic disease epidemic & the state of our health urgently needs to be addressed.

These interconnected issues drive our mission to bring about positive change in the areas of community, health and environment with delicious, culturally varied, nutritious plant-based food at the centre of all we do. We want people to learn about the benefits of eating well in the health of people and the planet alike.

Our cookery sessions in Surrey are opportunities to come together, share skills and cultural cuisines, learn new ones, deepen community connection and inspire joyful and sustainable behaviour change.

We believe that good food is a right for all.

Our focus is on making healthy and sustainable eating accessible for everyone, regardless of budget and cooking skills.

Cookery Classes

Our vision is for a just, sustainable, healthy world.

Meet the Joyfull Greens team

Frédie

Founder - Community Lead

Frédie has over 20 years' experience in education and a background in community engagement.

She has always seen health & wellbeing as a foundation for life. Frédie believes in the power of food to nourish, self-care, nurture, celebrate diversity, bring people together in kindness & solidarity and to connect us to the Earth. Driven by positive change, she has enjoyed facilitating projects in her community and cooking is an obvious offshoot from Frédie's core values plus she was already sprouting all sorts of seeds on her university window sill!

Jhenn

Cookery Lead

Jhenn is a professional chef with over 20 years’ experience.

Born in Midwestern America, she became vegan in 2001 and moved to Japan where her obsession with food exploded. After graduating from culinary school, she became a chocolatier and moved to the UK. Working throughout London, she has progressed from line chef to head chef in restaurants at the forefront of vegan and vegetarian cuisine. Always championing Japan’s traditional washoku with her business, Ronin Dining, she was awarded the “Certification of Cooking Skills of Japanese Cuisine” by the Japanese government in 2018.

Neil

Programme Lead - Health

Through his business, Neil is passionate about helping people to improve their health and wellbeing by eating tasty whole plant foods and exercising regularly.

Before going freelance, Neil organised and delivered health and fitness programmes for West London communities on behalf of Brentford FC Community Sports Trust. He now uns his own business, The Complete Health Coach.
Since moving to Surrey Neil has grown into an all around vegetable enthusiast; spending the summers developing his own small kitchen garden - something that he finds both exciting and rewarding.

Cinzia

Programme Lead - Workshops

Cinzia has over 20 years of experience in food, sustainability, chemistry and communication.

Cinzia is a food designer with sustainability and the love of food at the heart of what she does. She combines her Italian heritage with her passion about environmental sustainability and food systems, which aligns perfectly with Joyfull Greens’ mission. For Cinzia, food is not only the perfect way to reconnect with your roots, but also a medium to get in touch with your emotions and expression. She is the founder of Amò Food Design.

Duncan

Duncan has over 25 years of experience working on food systems, sustainable diets and land use planning and conservation.

Strategy Lead

One of the UK’s early pioneers of sustainable diets, he created the first peer‑reviewed definition of a sustainable healthy diet, the Livewell plate. He has held senior roles at IIED, Climate Smart Chefs and the Rainforest Alliance, and has led programmes for WWF UK, Compassion in World Farming and Action Against Hunger.
As a consultant, Duncan continues to champion better food through his work at Nourishing Food Systems and as a co‑founder and trustee of Eating Better.
Outside of policy, he’s a keen home cook who loves experimenting in the kitchen.

Lizzie

Marketing & Socials

Lizzie is a passionate cook with five years’ experience leading The Abinger Cookery School.

She has always had a passion for food from a young age and was taught to cook by her grandmother and mother.
After running The Abinger Cookery School for five years, Lizzie has now gone into the world of freelancing and teaches young people to bake simple cakes, cookies, biscuits and other delicious baked treats in their own homes, supports runners and creates simple & easy recipes for her weekly blog in her spare time .
You will always find her in the kitchen, even when she is invited over to your house for a meal, it is her happy place.

Laïla

Laïla has always had a passion for food and cooking, transmitted by her Moroccan father and her French mother, both keen cooks.

Laïla has a background in speech & language therapy and teaching. In the past 10 years she has developed a particular interest in plant based diets as her children and husband experience respectively food intolerances and a chronic disease. Laïla has always recognised the power of food to nurture, bring people together and connect us to the earth as well as the indisputable link between food and health.