Chef Day Radley

Honoured to be featured in this month’s Absolutely Sussex, discussing my journey from the Royal Household to high-end plant-based consultancy.

For me, vegan food has never been about ‘substitutes’—it’s about culinary excellence, precision, and creating dishes that stand on their own in any fine-dining setting. Whether I’m overhauling a menu for a local venue or developing bespoke recipes for brands, the goal is always the same: The Royal Standard.

Thank you to the team for the lovely spread. You can find the full interview in the current issue 🥂✨

The "Chef’s Curse" ends here. 📸

You can be a 10/10 chef, but if your photos are a 3/10, you are leaving money on the table. In the world of Private Estates and B2B brands, your photography is your first (and often only) interview.

As I pivot my career to High-End Residential Service and Menu Innovation, I am closing the doors to my Food Photography Masterclass.

72-HOUR SUNSET SALE: WAS £225 — NOW £50.

I’m opening the vault one last time for a "No-Brainer" price. No fluff, no long-term coaching—just the exact system I use to create "Elevated Plate" content that attracts premium clients.

✨ THE DEAL: Get the full Masterclass Archive for just £50.
⏳ THE CATCH: This link expires in 72 hours. Then it’s gone for good.

Stop letting bad lighting ruin great food.

Click the link below to grab the £50 Archive before the vault closes forever.

Food Photography Course (Online) — The Vegan Chef School To book your spot on the Food Photography Diploma you can pay your course fee here. Please note that you will be sent access instructions for your course immediately after purchase (check your spam folder if you think you haven’t received it).

For International Women’s Day, I wanted to share the names that fuel my creative engine.

To me, food has never been just about the plate. It is a composition. When I develop a recipe, I am thinking about the rhythm of the flavors, the texture of the visual landscape, and the emotional resonance of the experience.

The women on these slides—from the visceral power of Smith and Joplin to the sharp, structural precision of Kruger and Gentileschi—have taught me that creativity is a universal language. They didn’t just follow a path; they built their own.

By relentlessly following their own “impossible” dreams, they gave me the permission to do the same: to pivot, to innovate, and to redefine what professional vegan food can be.
When you choose to follow your creative truth, you aren’t just building a career. You are creating a lighthouse for the next woman who is wondering if her “niche” idea is enough.

It is. You are.

Happy International Women’s Day to the architects, the noisemakers, and the visionaries.

Who are the women who shifted the lens for you?

An Evolution: The Future of The Vegan Chef School.

After teaching 1,000+ students, I am moving my focus to a new chapter: High-End Private Estate Service and B2B Menu Innovation.

The School is transitioning to a “Legacy Vault” model. New student registrations for my full courses will close on March 15th.

🎁 15% OFF all courses until March 15th with code: NS15PER

Moving forward, you can find my bespoke residential services and menu overhaul sprints at **chefdayradley.com** (Link in bio).

Thank you for being part of this journey. More updates coming soon on my new Substack!

With Easter just a few weeks away, I'm so excited to share some of my favourite festive recipes with you all! Whether you're planning a special breakfast or creating homemade gifts, these vegan treats are sure to be a hit.

Here are a few ideas from The Vegan Chef School blog:

• Filled Easter Eggs

• Mini Hot Cross Buns

• Bunny Pancakes

To celebrate the start of spring and help you prepare for the Easter festivities, I'm offering a 15% discount on all online courses at The Vegan Chef School!

This is the perfect time to invest in your skills and learn to create incredible plant-based dishes with confidence. Use code NS15PER at checkout to claim your discount.

The offer ends on 15th March, so be sure to enrol soon!

https://www.theveganchefschool.com/store

What are your favourite vegan Easter recipes? Share them in the comments below! 👇

Wow! Thank you for the incredible response to yesterday’s post about The Guardian article. 454 reactions and 50+ thoughtful comments - this conversation clearly struck a chord. 🌱

Reading through your comments, a few themes emerged that I think are worth highlighting:

1. Ultra-processed IS the problem, not plant-based eating

So many of you pointed out that tofu, tempeh, and bean sales are thriving - it’s the heavily processed meat alternatives that are being cut. This isn’t a rejection of plant-based eating; it’s consumers becoming more discerning about what they eat.

2. Home cooking from scratch is on the rise

Multiple comments about cooking wholefood plant-based meals at home. Helen’s coconut, cauliflower and chickpea curry. Jules buying loads of tofu, tempeh and pulses. This is exactly the shift I’m seeing - people want real food, not imitations.

3. The profit margin reality

Anna made a great point: vegan food has better margins, and most people ordering it aren’t even vegan - they’re just reducing meat. The demand is there; the ex*****on needs to improve.

4. The supermarket insider perspective

Mark’s observations from working in a supermarket were fascinating - the vegan options swelled beyond demand, now we’re seeing a sustainable correction. But bean and tofu sales? Noticeably up. That tells the real story.

5. The meat/dairy lobby’s influence

Several of you called out the misinformation campaigns. Candido nailed it: a Beyond Burger gets scrutinised down to every ingredient, whilst conventional meat pumped with antibiotics and hormones gets a free pass. The selective application of the “ultra-processed” label is staggering.

The bottom line?

The market isn’t rejecting plant-based food - it’s rejecting mediocre plant-based food. And that’s actually good news. It means quality will win.

This is exactly why my consultancy work focuses on helping institutions create vegan offerings that deliver on taste, nutrition, and value - not just exist as a token option.

The future is still plant-forward. We just need to do it properly.

Thank you all for such a thoughtful, engaged discussion. This is what I love about this community. 💚

𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗢’𝗦 𝗕𝗢𝗢𝗞 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻! 📖 🐾

You’ll find BO’S BOOK at the 𝗦𝘁𝗶𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗩𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝟭𝟰𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗲 𝗩𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝟭𝟱𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵, a vegan cookbook that’s as meaningful as it is practical.

Packed with 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲, 𝗴𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗻-𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗲𝘀 from The Vegan Chef School, this book makes plant-based cooking accessible and enjoyable, while sharing uplifting rescue stories from Miracle's Mission.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲?
🥕 Straightforward recipes using everyday ingredients
🍰 Easy weekday meals, sweet bakes & special-occasion dishes
🐶 Beautiful illustrations and stories of rescued dogs
💚 𝗣𝗹𝘂𝘀, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗠𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗹𝗲’𝘀 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 and their work with disabled animals, so cooking from this book truly gives back.

📍 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: University of Stirling, Stirling
📅 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻: Saturday, 14th March
Get your tickets: https://www.veganeventsuk.co.uk/event-details/stirling-vegan-festival-2026

📍 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: Bonar Hall, Dundee
📅 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻: Sunday, 15th March
Get your tickets: https://www.veganeventsuk.co.uk/event-details/dundee-vegan-festival-2026

See you there!

The Guardian: “Is the UK’s love affair with vegetarian food over?”

Short answer: No. But it’s evolving. 🌱

The article reports that McDonald’s, Wagamama, and others are scaling back vegan options. But dig deeper and you’ll find:

The Reality:
• Consumer interest in plant-based eating is actually growing
• 31% of UK consumers actively reducing meat intake
• Veganuary 2026 broke records (30 million participants worldwide)
• Strong performers like McPlant and Greggs vegan sausage roll remain popular

What’s Changing:
• Ultra-processed meat alternatives losing appeal
• Restaurants cutting underperforming dishes due to cost pressures
• Shift towards whole-food, minimally processed options (tofu, tempeh, seitan)
• Focus moving from “meat-free” to “high-protein”

This isn’t a collapse - it’s a market correction after the plant-based boom.

The lesson? Quality matters. Vegan food needs to deliver on taste, nutrition, and value - not just exist as a token option.

This is what I focus on in my consultancy work: helping institutions create vegan offerings that people actually want to order, using modern techniques and whole-food ingredients.

The future is still plant-forward. But it needs to be done right.

Link to full article in bio (The Guardian, 21 Feb 2026)