About Barbara

Ten years ago Barbara Cox – a former Canadian junior skating champion - was teaching English in Japan. She enjoyed numerous aspects of the culture including the temples, shrines and ceremonies, but what impressed her most of all was the delicious, healthy food.

Conscious of the fact that the Japanese have a relatively high life expectancy, and aware of the alarming rise in obesity, cancer and heart disease levels in the west, Barbara wanted to understand this more, so she enrolled on a BSc degree and specialised in nutrition. She also spent a lot of time learning about Japanese cooking from a top Japanese restaurateur who was happy to pass on some of her culinary secrets in exchange for English lessons.

When Barbara and her husband, David, returned to the UK after 8 years in Japan, Barbara made it her mission to create a meal plan that would appeal to Western tastes but incorporate benefits of the Japanese diet.

In 2004 the couple founded Nutrichef, their healthy meal delivery company. At first, Barbara did all of the cooking, while David did the deliveries. Since then, Nutrichef has grown to the point where it can now deliver meal plans comprising breakfast, lunch and dinner to customers throughout most parts of the UK.

The achievements of Barbara and the rest of her team have been recognised by the business world, for Barbara was awarded the title of Entrepreneur of the Year by the British Chambers of Commerce in November 2008.

Barbara has worked with a number of celebrities and professional sports people, such as Beijing Olympic silver medallist, Clayton Fredericks. She has also contributed to numerous books, including the chapter on nutrition in the recently-released Motorsport Fitness Manual.

Entrepreneur of the Year acceptance interview