Hi my name is Lauren; I am an Admin Professional by day, and a food blogger and writer by night.

A Little History

Originally born and bred in Cape Town, South Africa, my family immigrated to the UK Christmas of 1996 when the Spice Girls and their first hit Wannabe was riding the charts at No 1. I was the new and very foreign girl on the block arriving a year and a term late, in a very established group of Year 8’s at secondary school, and it certainly strengthened my already outgoing and confident character – questions like ‘did I ride an elephant to school’, if I saw a CD would I think it was a mirror and I was even the butt of a fake boyfriend endeavour which turned into a genuine and important first relationship – so the joke was on them in the end.

Career Round-Up

After living and breathing 7 years in the hospitality industry in Hampshire and Wiltshire, experiencing every role from cleaner and housekeeper through to cook and manager, I left with my now husband (who is a super talented chef) in hand.

I now have over a decade of business and administrative experience under my belt and have managed offices and supported senior staff in SME’s , as an Office Manager and Personal Assistant, in a variety of sectors including construction, events, education, oil and gas engineering, law, cleantech engineering and now edtech – I am currently a Customer Success Coordinator at Sparx Learning.

I am tenacious and passionate and love logistics, saving money, improving functions and connecting businesses or people.

I am very proud to be part of the admin profession and this is chosen career; I was a member of Exeter PA Network (who have sadly now ceased) and have enjoyed being in print twice thanks to my connections through this – you can view these here.

I take everything in my stride and am not afraid to try anything new. I thoroughly enjoy networking and meeting new people and of course I absolutely enjoy eating and cooking.

I was humbled and honoured to be selected as one of Exeter’s 100 Most Influential Women 2018 by Grow Exeter Magazine.

Blogging and Food Writing

In February 2016 I answered a foodie calling from Chris Gower, Founder and Editor of Eating Exeter and I haven’t looked back since. So on the side of my full time role I am Co-Editor of what is now Dining Devon and, using my areas of expertise to compliment Chris’ as well as our blogger Sue who joined in 2018, it has been a fantastic 6 years of opportunity for me and I have been instrumental in growing our foodie following and awareness exponentially.

I am a hospitality and food judge for a couple of South West food awards bodies. I am currently writing restaurant reviews for The Exeter Magazine and blogging about where to eat and drink in various point on South West 660 on a freelance basis.

I have written restaurant reviews for Exeter Living Magazine during 2021 and 2022, and I was wrote for Crumbs Magazine, Devon for 3 years from mid 2016 to mid 2019, and my articles and reviews can be viewed here.

I have previously freelanced in copywriting and marketing for The Chefs Forum, an entity that hosts free networking for chefs whilst showcasing suppliers, products and college students in order to expose future talent for the industry and its potential employers and establishments.

Words to Live By

I have discovered the word ‘multipotentialite’ which is an apt word for why I have never settled on one specialism; I have many interests and skills and prefer to put these into good use in both work and personal situations in a whole variety of ways. I’m like a sponge and love absorbing new information.

A multipotentialite is a person who has many different interests and creative pursuits in life. Multipotentialites have no “one true calling” the way specialists do.

I also totally love this quote of Richard Branson’s which is a great representation of my ethos and outlook – ‘If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!’

The Casual Bits

Having now lived in Devon for 9 years, adventure and food are firm subjects on the weekend itinerary with my husband and ‘mini-chef’ 12 year old son. I love a good strong coffee, am a gin convert and am also on a Devon Wine Mission. I enjoy the beach in all seasons, sea dipping all year round, and indulge in (read as slightly addicted to) amateur photography using my Samsung smartphone, which I proudly use for all my photography.

If you want to get in touch, please contact me.

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