Jay Halford:

My name’s Jay Halford and I’m on a mission; a mission to re-educate people into realising how easy it is to make the transition into feeding their body what is so desperately craves.

My background as a chef and in catering has meant that for me, taste always comes first. I believe that you should recognise every ingredient that is used in a recipe; how they are best combined to create the ultimate taste.

Where did my journey begin? Well, my love of food began at the age of 13; I worked in a busy Italian restaurant, washing pots for what can only be described as a nutcase of a chef with a huge passion for food. It was here that I decided that upon leaving school I would complete an apprenticeship – I did and then got straight into it. I started work at Lords of the Manor, A Michelin Star restaurant close to my home in Cheltenham. There, I met a great friend, Mark; his work ethic was impressive, he showed me his dedication to food and the hard work it entailed.

I won’t lie, after two years of learning everything involved, the long hours and stress became too much. I was beginning to lose my love of being a chef – not of food though, nothing could dispel that. This was a life-changing time as it prompted me to travel the world. You can imagine the variety of foods, juicing and techniques I was exposed to – this just fuelled my love of food even further.

I realised I could still do what I loved doing but in the way that I wanted to do it. It is now a massively growing trend, with many more people now consciously thinking about their health and what they are putting into their bodies.
Returning to Cheltenham, I knew it was time to incorporate my new way of thinking into my life. A personal trainer friend of mine introduced me to raw food and clean living; I was hooked. Adopting juicing and raw foods into my life, it had a profound effect and I wanted to share this with the world. This is when ‘The Core in Cheltenham’ was created.

I continue to run the Core in Cheltenham for 4 years whilst building my personnel brand and getting myself everywhere and anywhere that would have me doing pop up restaurants and workshops. I now for the past 3 years and been very focused on retreats and consultancy catering for groups of health and wellness warriors and helping other businesses to transition to healthier food options.

The Sober Parrot

“We are a not-for-profit, charity run café by day and an alcohol-free, live music and events dry bar by night, based in the heart of Cheltenham. We are owned and operated by The Nelson Trust, a charity that works with people who are affected by addiction and those who have experienced multiple disadvantage. It’s difficult when you’re trying to avoid alcohol but want a good night out, so we have created an environment where people can enjoy themselves, eat great food and relax, without the pressure to buy alcohol. In the daytime, we offer brunch and lunch, served every day until 3pm, and in the evenings we will be hosting events in our large upstairs space.

We have a great, family-friendly space where children and dogs are welcome. We have a courtyard to enjoy the nice weather and disabled access to the ground floor.

When you arrive, you’re greeted by a mix of paid staff, working alongside volunteers, some of whom are in recovery. Through volunteering they gain skills and qualifications to help them towards gaining employment. So when you enjoy a good meal or pop in to buy a coffee at The Sober Parrot, you are also supporting the Hub Enterprises to work with individuals overcoming addictions, trauma and disadvantage. With your support change really is possible.”