A message from our Chief Executive.

Hi, I’m Lucy Vincent, the Chief Executive of Food Behind Bars. The subject of prison food landed in my life through pure chance back in 2016. I was working freelance as a journalist and I wrote an article about what women eat in prison that was inspired by the official HM Inspectorate report, Life in Prison: Food. After the feature was published, I couldn’t quite let go of the subject. Food Behind Bars was born.

Since then, I’ve made it my mission to immerse myself in the world of prison food. Having spent almost ten years working in restaurants before founding Food Behind Bars, I've always believed that good food can change lives. I’ve been fortunate enough to travel the globe, visiting prison kitchens from Scrubs to rural Sweden, spending time with the prisoners, the staff, and working in the kitchens. I continue to campaign around the subject, speaking at conferences internationally and uncovering real life stories about what diet means behind bars.

I understand the logistical and financial restrictions that catering managers face and my team work creatively within those boundaries to demonstrate that good food is possible in prison. I’m a true believer that food has the power to change lives and positively impact society. I also believe that everyone deserves the tools and understanding to eat healthily - regardless of their background or circumstance. Better food in prison will lead to a better functioning prison system, in turn leading to a better functioning society. This remains my ultimate goal.

Lucy Vincent
Chief Executive & Founder

Meet our Trustees

  • Kate Eves OBE

    Kate is FBB’s chair. She is a criminologist who has spent her career working in prisons in the UK and the United States. She specialises in the prevention of harm in custodial environments and has worked for HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, the Prisons & Probation Ombudsman and HM Prison Service, where she led on the national strategy for preventing violence. She has investigated deaths and serious incidents in UK prisons and in New York City jails. Kate was Chair of the statutory Brook House Inquiry, an investigation into the mistreatment of immigration detainees which reported in September 2023.

  • Missy Flynn

    Missy is a London-based food and drink entrepreneur, consultant and academic. She is the co-owner of food and drink collective Rita’s and has run restaurants and worked in the hospitality industry in London since she was a teen. Missy is currently undertaking an MA in the Anthropology of Food at SOAS, University of London. She has a particular interest in the social, cultural and historical significance of food and its wider meaning.

  • Josie Bevan

    Josie is an award-winning writer, blogger and presenter. She had a successful career in film and script-writing before retraining as a nutritionist and naturopath. In 2016, her husband was sentenced to 9 years in prison. Since then, Josie has dedicated her life to campaigning for prison reform. Her critically-acclaimed blog and podcast, Prison Bag, details her journey as a ‘prison wife’ and highlights the injustices of the prison system, from the perspective of a loved one.

  • Leon Aarts

    Leon is a chef, humanitarian and the founder of three charities, each centred around his mission of no-one going hungry. In 2015, after witnessing the growing refugee crisis, Leon found himself in France and soon founded the charity Calais Kitchens, which made sure 10,000 refugees were served a hot and nourishing meal. During the pandemic, he continued his mission by founding the charity With Compassion which fed up to 4000 hungry Londoners per day. He helped lead The Felix Project through a pivotal period that led to 2.5 million meals cooked and distributed to those in need between 2020-2023.

  • Sophie Tebbetts

    Sophie is Chief Executive Officer at FoodCycle, where she leads the charity’s national strategy to tackle food poverty, social isolation, and food waste. With over a decade of experience in the non-profit sector she brings both strategic insight and hands-on expertise. A lifelong foodie, Sophie previously ran a successful catering business and worked in commercial kitchens. Since becoming CEO in 2024, she has led FoodCycle to win Charity of the Year, expanding its reach and impact. Outside of work, Sophie enjoys experimenting in the kitchen with her children - continuing her lifelong passion for food and nourishment.

Our Senior Team

  • Natalia Middleton

    Natalia Middleton is our Head of Food Education and works across all of our prison partners. A professional chef with qualifications from both City & Guilds and Leiths School of Food and Wine, she also holds a BA in Criminology. Natalia has extensive experience teaching cooking, having worked as a tutor at Leiths and School of Wok. She oversees our recipe development and leads many of our food education programmes.

  • Charlotte Long

    Charlotte is our Head of Operations and oversees the delivery and growth of Food Behind Bars' programmes across the prison estate. Before joining the charity, she led national food education programmes at the Soil Association's Food for Life and spent several years managing community projects in the arts sector. She is passionate about creating positive food cultures and believes everyone deserves access to good food and the opportunity to thrive.

Our Delivery Team

  • Poppy Bhopal-Schmidt

    Poppy leads The Cookout at HMP Isis, supporting learners as they develop professional catering skills while preparing fresh food for prison staff, visitors and the local community. She has spent over a decade managing cafés and restaurants across the UK and is passionate about using hospitality to build confidence, skills and opportunity.

  • Caleb Turner

    Caleb is a professional chef who supports the delivery of Food Behind Bars' food education programmes. Before joining the charity, he worked as a Head Chef and trained and mentored people with lived experience of the criminal justice system at The Dusty Knuckle. He believes cooking can build confidence, develop practical skills and create new opportunities for the future.

  • Caroline Smialek

    Coming Soon

Our Extended Team

  • Helena Busiakiewicz

    Helena is our freelance Food Educator working in the women’s estate. She is a professional chef, home economist and food stylist. She currently heads up the BBC Good Food test kitchen where she oversees all the recipe testing for the website and magazine. Alongside this, she delivers cooking sessions to groups of female prisoners. She specialises in fresh, wholesome and seasonal food that’s good for the mind, body and soul.

  • Isaac Cameron

    Isaac is our Baker Trainer, delivering bakery education to prisons around the country. A professional baker and pastry chef, Isaac has helped establish two in-house bakeries at HMP Wealstun and HMP Bristol. He’s led a programme of baking education in prison kitchens and developed recipes for prison menus, including homemade bread, bakes and puddings. He is able to use his expertise to develop food production initiatives in prisons that deliver skills, as well as nutritious food.

  • Emma Taylor

    Emma Taylor is our Community Manager and leads the Food Behind Bars Prison Food Network. Alongside studying for a Masters in Medical Anthropology and Mental Health at SOAS University of London, Emma works in food education and mental health, and is passionate about the role food plays in defining what a healthy, just and connected society looks like. She supports the growth of our network, bringing together prison professionals, academics and partners from across the sector.