Our story
Knead to Connect CIC was established in 2018. We aim to reduce social isolation and improve wellbeing and life skills by creating opportunities for people in our local community to come together to cook and eat. Whether it’s a community meal, a cookery course, a social cook-along or soup made from surplus produce, tasty food and good company are at the heart of all we do.
We are based in Moretonhampstead, a small town on Dartmoor in Devon and our home is the kitchen in Moretonhampstead Hospital that we share with the local artisan bakery Bread by Liz.
Who are we?
Meet our directors and find out what ten foods they would want with them on a desert island:
Liz Gavrilenko
Founding Director
A self-taught cook and lifelong foodie, I had careers in HR and teaching before setting up an artisan bakery (Bread by Liz) in 2017 and Knead to Connect in 2018. Both these endeavours are firmly rooted in the rural community of Moretonhampstead, a very different environment to Paris where I lived and worked for 12 years, returning to the UK in 2003 with husband Laurent and three children. My love of travelling in Asia has inspired my passion for cooking Asian food and my Indian spice tin is my constant companion!
My desert island foods: limes, tomatoes, chickpeas, chillies, ginger, onions, bread flour, coriander, Greek yogurt (the real stuff) and raspberries.
Alison Camp
Director
Originally from Devon, study and work has taken me across the UK and enabled me to travel widely. Following a career in marketing, I left the world of business 12 years ago to become a primary school teacher and now am director of a small education consultancy working across the South West. I volunteer for a heritage charity and have elderly relatives who I spend time caring for. Long walks with our Patterdale terrier, learning Italian and cooking with family and friends are my favourite ways to relax.
My desert island foods: avocado, russet apples, sweet paprika, butter (no one said healthy!), fruit cake, new potatoes, tomatoes, beetroot, chickpeas, any green salad leaves.
Sophie Mortimer
Director
Although I’m from London, I’ve lived in Moretonhampstead for over 20 years having worked in bookselling and publishing in a previous life. Since then I’ve worked for charities supporting victims of domestic abuse and currently run a helpline focusing on online safety. I also volunteer as a magistrate in the criminal and family courts in South Devon. Cooking is my favourite way to switch off and sharing the result with family and friends the best way to rest, relax and reconnect.
My desert island foods: Dairy Milk fruit & nut, natural yogurt, English breakfast tea, nuts (if I have to be specific, Brazils), bananas, strawberries, tomatoes, garlic, sourdough, Marmite
