Phoebe Asks

About Phoebe Asks

Brand is everything you do. Every single touch point. In Series 1, Phoebe Asks entrepreneurial brand founders in the FMCG & Restaurant space how they did it. Having grown up in an entrepreneurial household — her father is James Averdieck (Founder of Gü Desserts)— Phoebe brings a natural curiosity for start-up culture. Her background spans a few innovative brands, (The Coconut Collab, Spooner’s Desserts, and Deliciously Ella) giving her a front-row seat to the fast-moving world of consumer packaged goods and hospitality. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

Phoebe Averdieck

Category

arts

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

5 Oct 2025

Latest episode

13 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

12 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   13 Aug 2026

   James Averdieck: Gü, The Coconut Collab and Spooners Desserts

   This August, I walked through Borough Market with my Dad, Jim Averdieck, to hear how he built three businesses from scratch. Inspired by Belgian patisserie, Jim began developing the now-famous Gü chocolate soufflé in the late ’90s, around the kitchen table of our family home in Brussels. When we moved back to London, Gü launched into UK supermarkets in 2003. Within its first full year of trading, the business reached £3 million in turnover, built from roughly £60,000 of initial seed capital. In 2010, Gü was sold to Noble Foods for £32 million. In 2015, Jim spotted the growing shift towards dairy-free and plant-based eating and launched The Coconut Collaborative, creating a range of natural coconut yoghurts and desserts. Today, it’s one of Europe’s fastest-growing dairy-free brands. In 2026, he expanded the brand further with coconut water, kefir and single cream. And most recently, Jim launched Spooners Desserts, bringing American-style cookie dough to the UK — indulgent, unapologetic and designed to be eaten straight from the tub or baked into a skillet and shared. 25 years. Three businesses. One serial entrepreneur. From a daughter's perspective. This is the story of how my dad did it.

2. 

   19 Jul 2026

   Chef Adam Spicer

   Overloading on Ox Liver at University? Most students lived on instant noodles. Chef Adam Spicer was eating Ox Liver. Since he was 18, Adam has never followed the crowd - experimenting with forgotten cuts of meat and challenging what belongs on a plate. Now, as Head Chef at The Greyhound Inn, in Pettistree, Suffolk, he's redefining modern British cooking, through blood, bone marrow, fire and flavor. Alongside founders Will Orrock and Cassidy Hughes, he has transformed this historic pub, The GREinto one of the most talked-about locations. And even Telegraph critic William Sitwell described Adam's cooking as: "A tour de force of gutsy, hearty, flavourful food." His food is provocative, primal. He’s interested in reminding you that animals have hearts, bones, tongues, livers and stories. On the menu today? Cured Iberian Pork Shoulder. Fried Artichokes, Cow’s Curd, Pettistree Honey and Bronze Fennel. Sardines with Bloody Mary sauce and lovage. Aged Longhorn Rump with roasted bone marrow and bone sauce. Baron Bigod and Eccles Cake. And recently, he's been experimenting with beef heart tartare. You may also recognise him as a finalist from MasterChef: The Professionals. Today we're talking about obsession, creativity, criticism, how to cut through the noise and build reputation,  the challenges of being a chef in 2026.

3. 

   2 Jun 2026

   Tess Reed: All Dressed Up

   I’m here with Tess Reed in Shepherds Bush, West London, the Founder of All Dressed Up. Tess trained at Leith’s cooking school, then worked as a contracted private chef for The Bondi Kitchen (catering for actors/directors). She worked for The Coconut Collab, as well as Food innovations solutions and Simply Cooked, before founding All Dressed Up in 2024. In 2025, she won her Great Taste Award. Only 2 years after launch, the brand can be seen in Waitrose, Coop, Wholefoods, Booths, Fenwick's, Bayley and Sage and Panzers (shout out Michelle at panzers - buys and welcome independent start-up brands into her hot deli in St Johns Wood). Underwhelmed by supermarket dressings, full of saturated fats, emulsifiers and refined sugars, Tess decided to make dressings using complete natural ingredients.

4. 

   17 May 2026

   Charlie Bigham's

   I’m sitting in Park Royal, at Bigham’s HQ, the man behind those gourmet, premium meals. Not to be confused with the plastic, fork pricked "ready meals" that get shoved in a microwave and gobbled up in under 60 seconds. Charlie has thoughtfully crafted his recipes to be cooked in a hot oven and enjoyed around a candle lit dining room table. He redefined what eating at home could look like in the 90s, with his introduction of restaurant quality ingredients. In October 2025, the entrepreneur boldly launched a new range of “brasserie meals” - three times the price of his traditional offering (£29.95) which caused an uproar amongst left wing journalists, calling his food "tory slop". The range includes a Beef wellington,  Venison bourguignon, Salmon wellington, Confit duck, and Coq Au Vin. This spring, Bighams launched a range of Asian pan fried noodle dishes (Chicken Pad Thai, Singapore King Prawn Laksa, a Teriyaki Chicken Yakisoba and Chilli Beef Noodles) selling at the humble price of £6.95. Perhaps marking a eureka..."I hear you, we need to reduce our prices" moment?! In a time where restaurants, pubs, bars are barely making profit, 30 year olds struggle to pay their monthly rent, Ozempic and Mounjaro jabs are shredding waist lines, and Gen z is far more inclined to be isolating and scrolling on hinge than having sex, I am here today to explore how Bigham’s brand remains ACHINGLY RELEVANT IN 2026…and specifically how he speaking to my generation of consumers.

5. 

   14 Apr 2026

   Amelia Christie Miller: Spilling the beans

   I’m sitting in Gràcia, Barcelona with Amelia Christie Miller, Founder of the BOLD BEAN CO. I wanted to find out how Amelia grew a £7M+ brand in 5 years… from jarred beans. A supermarket aisle, typically associated with war rationing (tinned sweetcorn, Heinz baked beans, spam, tinned tuna) has been redefined and MADE SEXY by the Bold Bean Co. An unprecedented transformation of canned goods! In the era of Yotam Ottolenghi-inspired, plant-rich cooking, Amelia has turned humble legumes into something indulgent and elevated: melt in your mouth, tender heirloom beans worth obsessing over. She is an author of …."Full of Beans: Delicious Beany Recipes to Obsess Over" (2025): An instant Sunday Times bestseller and "Bold Beans: Recipes to get your Pulse Racing": She launched the business in 2021 and is now stocked in all major retailers. The brand is B CORP certified, won Grocer’s start up of the year 2023, and most recently featured on Dragons Den. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

6. 

   18 Mar 2026

   Florence Cherruault: The Pickle House

   From her Hackney flat to Virgin Atlantic airlines. 8 years of graft paid off for Florence Cherruault. She built a category-defining drinks brand… while navigating motherhood. Vanity Fair described it as “The Best Bloody Mary Base Known to Man.” All natural. Vegan. And made on a farm in Suffolk. Florence had the idea whilst in New York. She tasted a Pickleback shot (whiskey followed by a pickle brine chaser) and was obsessed. She brought the concept back to London and started experimenting with recipes in her kitchen sink. She felt mad but kept going. Pickle juice and Bloody Mary's are now seriously trendy. Carlos Alcaraz famously drinks pickle juice to cure muscle cramps... full of electrolytes and salts to improve hydration...Florence has tapped in a huge wellness trend. Dua Lipa enjoys pickle brine with Coke Cola and Jalapeños. In this episode, we unpick start-up mentality (the importance of being stubborn), pregnancy and entrepreneurship, how to keep going when the world thinks you are mad for pickling juice and spiced tomato mixer in your Mum's garden shed. 2-3% of female founders secure investment. Florence reveals the tribulations behind getting funding. Often met with a mansplaining and criticism. Listen now to this story of sheer graft and tenacity. Stockists include: Waitrose, Wholefoods, Virgin Atlantic, Guacho Restaurants, GRIND, Firmdale hotels, Côte Brasseries, Ottolenghi, Belvedere Group, Pophams, The Arts Club, Avanti Trains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

7. 

   8 Mar 2026

   Alex Grimley: Turning plates into power

   Grimley speaks candidly about the realities of building four hospitality businesses from the ground up, with ZERO SAVINGS OR INVESTMENT. He didn’t start in a boardroom. He started in the heat of the kitchen. Grimley entered professional kitchens at just 17, training in the UK under celebrated chefs including Jean-Christophe Novelli, Marco Pierre White, and Tony Fleming. Those formative years in London’s demanding culinary environment laid the foundations for a career defined by discipline, precision and ambition. His career later took him across the globe, with roles at renowned destinations including Jumeirah Burj Al Arab in Dubai, a private island position at One&Only Reethi Rah in the Maldives, and ultimately to the Caribbean as Executive Chef at Carlisle Bay in Antigua. In 2010, Grimley made the pivotal leap from chef to entrepreneur, founding Rocks Group and opening its flagship restaurant, Sheer Rocks, at Cocobay Resort. Perched dramatically on Antigua’s west coast cliffs, Sheer Rocks quickly gained international recognition for its Mediterranean-inspired tapas, tasting menus, craft cocktails and iconic plunge pools. Over the following decade, Rocks Group launched Catherine’s Café, a revitalised French-inspired beachfront restaurant at Pigeon Point, English Harbour, Rokuni, with Asian-inspired cuisine and stunning design at Sugar Ridge, and most recently Fat Urchin, a marina-side pub and coastal kitchen in Jolly Harbour, pints and beer battered grouper fish. “Generating revenue in hospitality is one thing,” Grimley explains in the episode. “Extracting profit is another entirely. He also discusses revitalising Catherine’s Café while preserving its legacy, relocating Rokuni to allow the concept to grow, and expanding the Rocks Group portfolio with new projects such as Fat Urchin. The episode explores themes of leadership, reinvention, calculated risk and the transition from chef to CEO. “This isn’t just a story about food,” says host Phoebe Averdieck. “It’s about how Grimley turned discipline into desire, service into strategy and plates into power". Episode 06 of Phoebe Asks featuring Alex Grimley is available now on all major podcast platforms. For media inquiries or interviews, contact: Rachel Smyth at ⁠rachel@itsrocksgroup.com⁠. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

8. 

   20 Feb 2026

   Perry Haydn Taylor: big fish

   Perry Haydn Taylor is a genius. The Founder & Chief Stoker at big fish. big fish® is a 30 year old climate considerate brand design and marketing consultancy that helps innovate and grow brands of the future. Perry has worked across a cornucopia of brands...Biscuiteers, Cornishware, Sofa.com, Pooky lights, Boden, Howdah, Tyrrells, Charlie Bighams, KALLO, Clipper Tea, Gü, Giovanni Rana, Crosta Mollica, Yeo Valley. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

9. 

   26 Dec 2025

   Dima Deinega: Ukrainian vodka brand “Dima’s Vodka”: The Distillery That Kept Going

   Dima is a Ukrainian born founder of the multi-award winning Ukrainian vodka brand, Dima’s Vodka. A vodka that was crafted not only to showcase Ukraine and its beautiful culture and traditions but also to showcase that vodka can be flavourful, sippable as well as smooth, due to Ukraine’s nutrient-rich and fertile black soil, chornozem. A story of resilience in the face of adversity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

10. 

    28 Nov 2025

    Daniel Land, Founder of Don't Tell Dad & Coco Di Mama

    Daniel Land: "my theory on brand is, BRAND IS EVERYTHING YOU DO. Every single touch point, everything from the materials that you use, from the copper at the edge of the desk to the avocado green, to every single touch point. The type of glassware that we use, to the uniforms that the staff are wearing, to the music that's playing, to the logo to the line of service to the language that we use, the food on the menu, the paper that we use, everything is there to curate an experience" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

11. 

    21 Oct 2025

    Will Englander, Founder of The Root Co. A fiery ginger beer business that sprung from kitchen sink to factory production

    "Crisis is hard...your stomach kind of drops..." The Root Co. started with a general anaesthetic. Will woke up from a leg operation in 2018 and experienced a lightbulb "eureka" moment...he yelped "Ginger Beer needs a serious shake-up". Our SECOND guest is WILL ENGLANDER, Founder of The Root Co, a UK-based ginger beer and ginger shot company known for its use of fresh, cold-pressed ginger sourced from East Africa. Today, the brand is stocked by major retailers including Waitrose, Whole Foods, Ocado, DELLI, BOOTHS and East of England Co-op, as well as a growing network of corporate offices such as Uncommon and Runway East. They have won awards for the Best Natural/Organic Drink at The UK Soft Drinks Awards and GREAT TASTE AWARDS 2024 & 2025. The company aims to provide a natural alternative to the overly artificial, sweet, fizzy, small, and plastic-heavy competitors. They are a certified B Corp, emphasising their commitment to community and environmental sustainability. After securing a First-Class Honours degree in Economics and Management at the University of Bristol and furthering his studies at Copenhagen Business School, he joined OC&C Strategy Consultants, where he was promoted to Associate Consultant. In February 2021, Will launched the first batch of his own Ginger Beer, rolling it out to London’s delis and independents, securing listings with Two Magpies, FINKS, Brother Marcus, Snape Maltings, Lotts & Co, and Superette. By 2022, the brand got into Planet Organic, with Will famously cycling to all 13 stores in a single day to celebrate. Listen now to the full story now on Spotify & Apple Podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

12. 

    5 Oct 2025

    George Pell, Founder of The Suffolk & Ex Managing Director of L’Esgargot on Greek Street, Soho

    George Pell, Founder of The Suffolk & Ex Managing Director of L’Esgargot on Greek Street, Soho “I will never stop…don’t let perfection get in the way of progress” Our debut guest is George Pell, founder of The Suffolk, a boutique hotel and seafood restaurant nestled in the picturesque town of Aldeburgh, East Anglia. George Pell’s name carries weight in London’s hospitality scene. His career includes senior roles at some of the capital’s most exclusive private members' clubs: Home House in Marylebone, the Arts Club in Mayfair, and the Brompton Club in South Ken.  He later became Managing Director of the iconic L’Escargot on Greek Street, Soho — a landmark of French dining. In 2020, against the backdrop of a global pandemic, he launched L’Escargot Sur Mer, a coastal pop-up restaurant in Aldeburgh, initially intended to run for just three weeks. In this opening episode of Phoebe Asks, we interrogate ... -The passionate origins of an entrepreneur, rooted in childhood and psychology… -How do you set up your company in the most financially sound way possible? What is the key to nailing an investment pitch? -We analyse industry trends of 2025 and the impact of GENERATION Z’s dining behaviours -We dive into supply chains and explore the challenges of sourcing locally… “I THINK IT STEMMED FROM BEING QUITE A RESTLESS CHILD. I WAS ALWAYS TRYING TO MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY” “IT’S LITERALLY LIKE A GREEN BEAN, RAW, STANDING IN THE GARDEN, IS THE BEST THING YOU ARE EVER GONNA EAT” “NOT FANCY FOOD, IT WAS TROUT 3X TIMES PER DAY” “A GLUTT OF GOSEBURYS, A GLUT OF RHUBARB” “DID YOU HAVE ANY SORT OF SIDE HUSTLES AT SCHOOL?” “ A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE USING IT AS A SUPER POWER: TAKE RICHARD BRANSON ….IF HE’S GOT A FERRARI, I’VE PROBABLY GOT A FORD FOCUS” “IN THE RESTAURANT ENVIRONMENT, WHERE THERE ARE SO MANY TRANSACTIONS HAPPENING…SITTING ON MY OWN IN A ROOM IS A FUCKING NIGHTMARE” “IT’S A WIDE FIELD OF HR, FINANCIAL SUBMISSIONS” “GET THE FINANCIAL DNA ORGANISED…MAKE SURE YOUR REPORTING IS GOOD. “THIS IS AN ASSET BACKED INVESTENT…WE OWN THE FREEHOLD OF THE BUILDING, WHICH A LOT OF RESTAURANTS DON’T. THAT WAS A BIG OPENING RISK” “REVENUES ARE NOT HARD, TURNOVER IS GREAT, THAT IS THE EASY BIT ALMOST, THE TOUGH BIT IS TRYING TO MAKE MONEY OUT OF THIS SECTOR” “GEN Z’S - THESE ARE PEOPLE BORN BETWEEN 1997 - 2012. CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT THEY ARE KNOWN FOR?” “IF I PHONED ANYONE NOW…I THINK THEY’D HAVE A PANIC ATTACK” WHAT ARE WE BATTLING WITH? COST OF LIVING CRISIS …COSTS HAVE GONE UP BUT SALARIES HAVE STAYED THE SAME” “6,365 AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHING BUSINESS HAVE CLOSED IN THE LAST YEAR……IS DEAN, THE FISHMONGER, BEING PAID ENOUGH?” “THE VINKA BOYS…DOING COOL WINES IN A CAN…THEY ARE BASED IN SUFFOLK…THEY ARE NOW ON BRITISH AIRWAYS” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.