We have some really lovely people who have joined My Secret Kitchen as a consultant, so we've added this page to tell you about them and each month we'll introduce you to someone new.

Michelle Paice

Michelle joined us in May and has been a great addition to the business. Michelle has had extensive experience in product development and has shared some wonderful ideas with us. She has put forward a typical day in her My Secret Kitchen life for us below:-

Today is busier than most, have a booking for a tasting with Kirsty

7.00am- 8.00am Breakfast, kids ready and off to nursery.

8.30am- 9.30am Local supermarket for ingredient’s for my new product development and evening’s tasting. Made sure I had enough butter, eggs, and crackers for the tasting. I’ve taken it upon myself to do some development work of my own for My Secret Kitchen, which included a few versions of red wine and marsala sauces.

10.00am Received My Secret Kitchen samples, which arrived punctually, all ready to make and bake for the evening’s tasting. Oven on and ready to bake!

10.15am Beer Bread: Mixed a bottle of beer with the dry mix and poured into a greased tin, into the oven and timed for 40 minutes, this has got to be the quickest bread to mix and bake ever!

10.30am- 11.00am Next I emptied the ultimate chocolate brownie mix into a bowl, melt butter and mix in with three eggs, straight into a greased tin. Oven set and baked brownie for 30 minutes. Same with the lavender shortbread!

11.15am What wonderful smells were wafting around the kitchen, just so tempting, did I need all of the brownie’s for the evening’s tasting? I gulped one chunk down, just to check it tasted good, and had the gooey texture the guests all rave about every time. Oh as good as ever!! Chopped brownie up into squares, Kirsty expected 16 to 18 friends. Chopped beer bread into bite size pieces and shortbread into enough squares, with leftovers for family.

11.45am Coffee, sandwich and a spare hour to write the new recipe ideas.

12.45pm Picked up Jake and Sam from nursery

1.15pm – 2.30pm Jake and Sam nap on the way home, up to their beds which gave me chance to do the development work. Three recipes developed, cooked up and reduced down red wine, marsala wine and shallots, with seasonings and fresh thyme, and two versions of Marsala wine and porcini mushroom sauces. Bottles sterilised, filled and labelled, packed up ready for courier to collect.

2.30 Emailed Clare at My Secret Kitchen with the recipes, story and application ideas, explaining how the product can be used in recipes, to suggest to clients at tasting’s, what the product is, and the inspiration I had behind them.

2.45 Enough time before kids woke to mix the red pepper cheese ball mix with cream cheese and into a tub and chilled, ready for the tasting, the same with the choco berry cheese ball mix

3.00 Cucumber and carrots chopped into juliennes for dipping into the Thai and Miso dressing at the tasting. Cherry tomatoes prepared, hollowed out ready for the cheese ball mix to be rolled into balls and filled at Kirsty’s house

3.15pm-4.00pm Jake and Sam woke and had a drink and a piece of the delicious lavender shortbread. Set a game for Jake, Sam and I to play. Check my emails. Couple informative emails from My Secret Kitchen, one detailing the sales meeting’s and one explaining the Accelerated leadership course criteria, and preparation required. I qualified for the course by holding a number of tastings in two months, I attend the course in September and then try to book in eight tasting’s in eight weeks giving me the exposure to meet and recruit potential consultants. The preparation requires me to think about where you want your business to be in the future, which I thought about for the rest of the day.

4.15pm Courier arrived to collect the developed products for Clare and Phil to sample at My Secret Kitchen.

4.45pm Started dinner. Spaghetti Bolognese, kids favourite, but tried it with a little My Secret Kitchen Tapenade with smoked Garlic. Sat down to eat as a family, delicious, if I do say so myself, and clean plates says the family all enjoyed it! The Tapenade added a great texture and smoked garlic depth to the Bolognese sauce. Another recipe idea I shared with the guests at the evening’s tasting.

6.00pm Ready for tasting and packed up the samples, literature, and crackers for dipping, and the set of retail samples and displays.

6.40pm Left the house, leaving Nick (My Husband) to babysit, only had to drive five minutes to Kirsty’s house.
Previously met Kirsty, when dropping off the host pack I’d put together with invitations and information she would need prior to the tasting.

6.45pm Once into her kitchen I was able to do the final preparations before all the guests arrived, whilst Kirsty organised the seating and glasses for drinks. I laid out the tasting menu’s, order forms and feedback sheets on each seat (all prep-printed yesterday). Kirsty left me an area to set up the retail products to show the guests and the literature on hosting a tasting, becoming a consultant and the press releases on the Company since it’s launch in June 2007.

7.15pm I laid out fifteen product samples onto plates and into ramekins ready to start the tasting. Strawberries washed, cherry tomatoes stuffed with red pepper cheese ball mix, and the tasty choco berry cheese ball mix rolled into one and placed into a ramekin for dipping.

7.30pm Ready to begin, when guests were arriving, Kirsty and I greeted them. Drinks offered.

7.45pm-10.30pm I began with introducing myself and thanking Kirsty for hosting the tasting. I have been with My Secret Kitchen for three months, and heard about them on a mother/working website, with it being the only food position on there, I gave it a go, having a food development background and being a ‘foodie’, I thought I’d be perfect! The history of My Secret Kitchen, set up by Clare and Phil Moran just over a year ago doing food tasting’s in people’s homes, and an explanation of the tasting menu, starting with lighter product, through to spicier and then the sweet and more decedent products to finish. I passed the products round one after the other and talked through the ingredients and recipe ideas, from everyday recipes, to more special and exotic ideas for dinner parties and buffets. It was great to see people’s faces and reactions as they enjoyed the foods on offer. Guests were getting involved with talking about the flavours and coming up with their own recipe ideas, and enjoying the evening, it was a great tasting! I took orders after everyone had tasted the range, and offered the host her gifts, and free products. Feedback forms were filled in, and the person’s name drawn out of a hat won a beer bread mix. I also took a booking for a further tasting on the night. A guest was interested in becoming a consultant, so I talked through what is involved and took details to send out and meet further to discuss. All that was left for the next day was to place the orders online! Few!

Like to know more?

To contact Michelle or learn more about becoming one of our consultants please or call us on 0845 094 5319 .