London Area, United Kingdom
Sheffield-born John Benson-Smith former judge on BBC Masterchef, is unquestionably one of the UK's foremost personalities in the Food & Beverage (F&B) sector. Judge for the best 2025 Foodvenience store in the world; he has worked with a worldwide client base across hotels, Michelin-starred restaurants, gastronomy, travel, retail, theme parks, stadia, and arts & culture. He has also collaborated with many celebrity chefs, including Marco Pierre-White. John was described as 'the founding father of modern British Cuisine in Manchester'. A former Chef of the Year & gold medal holder, John's award-winning background included spending 20+ years as Consultant Chef to Manchester City Football Club & being an original flavour designer to Walkers Sensations Crisps. He remains today a sought-after media commentator & industry opinion former. A trusted advisor, his most recent notable successes have seen him working with UK Supermarket retail chain Morrisons (400+ stores) and the UK's largest food producer, spearheading their joint quest to enter the in-store catering/food service market with Market Kitchen, which has been delivered to wide critical and customer acclaim. John now works to help international real estate and retail organisations drive creative thinking in launching new F&B concepts and managing complex business turnarounds, including operational audits, forensic investigative reviews, and staff coaching/mentoring. Countries include the Nordic region, the Middle East, and Europe, not forgetting the United Kingdom and the Channel Islands. John specialises in working with partners and teams in providing a total turnkey solution - including design, branding, procurement, project management, management solutions and operational aspects to all catering, hospitality, food retail, restaurants and leisure & entertainment destinations. Drawing on his forty-plus years of hard-won F&B industry experience, John is renowned for his clear-sighted analysis, straight-talking and practised, hands-on delivery - providing actionable insight and advice to help transform client operations, delivering great food, healthy profits, and unforgettable customer experiences. John is a member of the www.thinkingacademy.co with Des Hague and team, and also the T.E. Lawrence Society at www.telsociety.org
Our client list is private and confidential; however, please scroll through our work on LinkedIn and, importantly, www.johnbensonsmith.com to view an indication of our achievements in the F&B sector. Offering a bespoke service, we are renowned for our down-to-earth, straightforward, innovative thinking and approach in the F&B industry. We deliver robust solutions through forensic analysis and produce successful business turnarounds in commercial enterprises—our experience, wisdom, and learning span over fifty years. We are an independent company that enjoys working with a Worldwide client base in the Food and beverage industry, including hotels, Leisure, Restaurants, Gastronomy, Travel, Supermarket Retail, Theme Parks, Stadia, Events, and Arts and Culture. We are one of only a few consultants with a deep knowledge, skill, wisdom, and experience, and we have a CV of award-winning industry achievements to match. Our journey into Consultancy originally evolved when companies and individuals requested our time and attention to assist, provide support, offer opinions, and share our wisdom. Our client list spans both overseas and UK-based projects. For further information, please visit our website at www.johnbensonsmith.com for our detailed recommendations. NB John's brother, Matthew Benson-Smith is a well-respected and talented industry Chef
F&B Culinary knowledge and support to the team
My second stint of working with NHS team