Meet the Team

The team has grown over the past 4 years from just 1 to 8 part time staff.  Please do not hesitate to contact any of us who will be more than happy to answer any queries.

Roy Shortland – Head Chef Tutor

Roy loves food and cooking and went straight into catering college from the age of 16, then progressed quickly to work in the hotels and restaurants of London, such as The Royal Lancaster Hotel as a pastry chef, then with Sally Clarke at Clarkes restaurant as a head pastry chef and then worked for over two years with Nico Ladenis in his two Michelin star restaurant CHEZ NICO as a pastry chef.

Roy then relocated to Market Harborough where his wife worked for Joules and with a young family started working as head chef for Mars UK in Melton.  For the past 4 years Roy has been freelancing as a chef consultant for various food company's, with his own small bespoke catering business contributing food ideas to the Joules magazine and of course as head chef tutor for Bridge 67 Cookery School .

Ian Sands – Chef Tutor
               
Ian has been a professional chef for over 35 years and is classically trained in all departments of the modern kitchen and has a wealth of experience in both restaurants and banqueting hospitality catering.  Ian is also has been a long standing member of the British Culinary Federation and currently experiments with molecular gastronomy. 

Ian trained for his City and Guilds Certificate with the hotel and catering industry training board and then worked for the Chase Hotel in Nuneaton for 8 years, quickly working through the ranks from Commis Chef to Head Chef.  After this he moved to the Fernleigh Hotel in Earl Shilton where he worked as head chef for 4 years then the Mallroy Park Race Circuit and finally to the Hinkley Golf Club where Ian worked for 22 years .  Ian now works as a freelance chef, working partially for the Kilworth Springs Golf Club, Lutterworth and also for Bridge 67 Cookery School where he brings a wealth of experience. 

Jill Vickers – Proprietor

Jill has always had a passion for food.  From as younger age as 4 she loved cooking cheesecakes and puddings with her mum for Sunday dinner.  Living on a farm, apple pies and Sunday roast dinners where what she was bought up on and with her parents running a sheep and beef farm, there was always a freezer full on home bred beef and lamb to cook with. 

Jill also loved hens and with a desire to be an entreaupener she set up the Turner Hen Corporation when she was 8.  Selling eggs to friends and family was a great money spinner and she expanded to 50 hens so that she could set up an egg round, round the village she lived in. 

After school and with a site for business, Jill went on to do a Degree at Harper Adams Agricultural College in BSc Food Marketing and Business Studies.  Leaving college, Jill went to work for Quality Milk Producers, marketing Channel Islands milk and also studied for her Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing.  From milk she went to beer and went to work for Coors Brewers selling the likes of Carling, Grolsch and Caffreys to the supermarkets for 5 years. 

In 2004 Jill then got married to John who had a beef and sheep farm in Smeeton Westerby.  After starting a family with Jessica born in 2005 and Thomas in 2008, Jill decided she didn’t want to go back to work and had the desire to teach people how to cook what she could cook at a basic level.  Hence the Bridge 67 Cookery School was born and it has grown into what it is today.     

John Vickers – Proprietor

John has lived and worked on the family farm all of his life and grew up running home from school as he couldn’t wait to get back to help his dad.  Starting with bucket rearing calves and feeding lambs, John soon developed a real passion for producing good quality beef and lamb and feels very proud of the quality of beef and lamb that British farmers produce today. 

John has worked closely with his parents over the years to develop the farm, and grow the suckler herd and sheep through selective breeding.  John just loves the challenge to produce the best possible beef and sheep through constantly improving the blood lines of the cattle and sheep that we have. 

His desire was always to own a really smart suckler herd of cows and flock of sheep and to this day, John now loves to show people from the cookery school his animals and to encourage them to buy British, local and seasonal produce! 

All students are offered a visit around the farm, please speak to John if you would like to know more about our animals and the way they are produced, reared and slaughtered. 

Wendy Chapman – Administrator

Wendy first met Jill & John when she attended a cookery course at Bridge 67 in November 2007.  She responded to a request for administrative help as the business and Jill and Jonn’s family were expanding, and starting working for them in August 2008.  Wendy is the administrator for Bridge 67 Cookery School and deals with bookings, the paperwork, keeping Jill & John organised and anything else that needs doing.! She is a married Mum of 2 who lives locally and enjoys the warm and friendly atmosphere of working at Bridge 67. 

Kate Di Salvo – Kitchen Assistant / Administrator

“After many years of working within an office environment, I set up my cleaning business largely to fit around my family.  This then led onto me working for Jill and due to the growth of the cookery school my role has now developed in to Kitchen Assistant and also working within the office as an administrator.”

Clare Fowler – Marketing & PR

“After a varied career including Newspaper and Radio Advertising along with HR and Training, I took a break to have my little boy. Then when eager to get back into the workplace and find something that balanced nicely with being a Mum, I was introduced to Jill and the Cookery School through a mutual friend. I am delighted to be on board part time to assist with the schools Marketing & PR requirements”