Former House of Commons front-of-house manager Alex Kristall joins host Terry Wiggins to trace her unusually circuitous route from paediatric nursing to the upper echelons of corporate catering. Alex explains how coffee-bar shifts funded her travels, then led into contract catering and a baptism of fire running 13 busy outlets inside Westminster, from the Members’ Tea Room to the public Jubilee Café . She recalls the thrill of hearing Big Ben chime above her office on day one, the logistics of feeding 650 MPs during late-night votes, and the eerie lockdown inside Parliament during the 7 July bombings .

Winning a coveted Acorn Award opened doors to Google, where she headed the UK and Ireland free-food programme and learned how workplace design and nutrition can turbo-charge performance . Today Alex is Managing Director of the Good Eating Company within Sodexo, balancing global backing with a craft-led ethos. She spotlights their new Tottenham Court Road site, complete with an acre-and-a-half hydroponic farm that supplies a British-sourced, farm-to-fork menu and hosts school and community tours .

Throughout the chat, Alex champions local supply chains, talent development and family first, while swapping stories of coffee obsessions, House of Commons folklore and the true meaning of “Order, order” in both Parliament and the kitchen .

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