Hi, I’m Merrilees.

You may have worked out by now I’m the founder of Made By Merrilees, an exclusive, high-end, bespoke & intimate catering service that is passionate about changing the way we consume and cook our food. But honestly, it never started this way.

Growing up, I loved everything about food. The time spent with my family either cooking, baking or eating delicious meals, the stories and jokes shared were incredible, and I always felt food was the key ingredient that made those times so special.

As I went through my teenage years at school, I knew that University was not for me I wanted to get straight to work but the food industry never felt like an option and was not even discussed in terms of a career path especially for a woman.

I took my first part-time waitressing role as a teenager. The atmosphere, the buzz around a restaurant, the mixture of people and characters and I felt at home.

I started waitressing, but it was the chefs I was fascinated by, and although I could cook, I really wondered if I would be able to do what they did. I watched, I observed, and decided I could do it. My first job was in France working in a gourmet chalet. I met another (female) chef who was older and more experienced. She took me under her wing and taught me as much as she could.

From there, we returned to England, and she went on to work in The Eagle in Farringdon, the first trailblazing Gastropub. I helped in the kitchen, I waitressed and then got my second job as a chef on a boat in Greece.

Sadly, before I started, I hired a moped to get around, only to lose control and fall off a cliff edge.

I shattered my jaw and broke my foot. broken bones all over. I managed to get back to the UK, but it took nearly 48 hours, by which time I had to go into emergency surgery and was then in intensive care. Eventually, l left the hospital, but it was a long road to recovery.

Continuous infections were treated with a huge amount of antibiotics, which took a toll on my gut health. I was so unwell I had to stop work and college for 3 months. Dr’s could find nothing wrong with my stomach, but I knew something wasn't right. I felt terrible!