Meet our team
Grab a drink, take a seat and get to know a little bit about the folk at Fieldfare…
The Fieldfare family story began in a broad bean field in Sussex where Fieldfare founders, Richard and Ann Cryer, met for the very first time. Richard was selecting broad beans for his new frozen food business and their story grew from there! They became trailblazers in the frozen, loose fruit and vegetable market and successfully nurtured and grew the family business. Their enterprising spirit and solid values are what shaped Fieldfare into the success it is today; values that Ann, her children and the Fieldfare team continue to honour and take forward.
Anna Cryer
“My work experience as a teenager was helping out with sales at Fieldfare’s first shop in Lenham, Kent (the ‘shop’ was two freezers in a barn!) I remember Dad being affectionately nicknamed Mr Whippy by our friends when Fieldfare sold some of the first ‘posh’ ice-creams, an enormous selection of which would be produced for pudding when we entertained at home.”
Charles Cryer
“I caught my first fish with my Dad on an ice-strewn river in Canada, just outside the frozen food factory he ran prior to starting Fieldfare back in the UK. I helped out in the first Fieldfare outlets back in the early ‘80s, filling freezers and working behind the till under the watchful eye of my Mum.”
David Cryer
“I remember the excitement at receiving a telex from a far-flung place telling us the price of the best quality fruit or vegetable and learning how to send messages across the world on those long ribbons of dots and holes. Then faxes took over and filled our home office with paper.
I’m not sure our Dad would have coped with social media!”
Matt Whelan
Managing Director
Matt loves working with food, which is a good job as he’s being doing it for over 20 years! He lives to eat and loves discovering new recipes, (feel free to share your top dishes with him!) Preparing fish, meat and cheese in his smoker is a favourite, tasty hobby. When he’s not working, preparing or eating food, he sets out on a run… he once ran non-stop from one side of England to the other!
Richard Schofield
Head of Sales
Richard’s love of the countryside began at an early age when he spent happy childhood holidays on his Nana’s farm with hundreds of pigs, sheep and cows! He later worked on farms as a teenager… for a whopping £1.44 an hour. These days he loves nothing more than a long, rambling dog walk… that ends up at a country pub serving real ale!
Natalie Langley
Sales & Marketing Administrator
Travel and food are two of Natalie’s greatest passions. At home, she loves discovering delicious new recipes with her husband. And out of the house, she may be cooking under canvas at the UK’s top campsites or soaking up the sun in her beautiful Spanish villa. The travel to-do list also includes lots of exciting European city breaks.
Chris Smith
Sales & Development Manager
Chris has gallons of experience working with UK dairy farms and was fascinated by the whole milking process, from cow to customer! When he isn’t travelling around our lovely country meeting retailers, he enjoys spending time with his daughter and is a keen footballer. He manages his local football team and is an avid West Ham supporter (he’s even scored at the old Upton Park stadium!)
Lucy Howe
Brand & Marketing Consultant
Lucy is a self-confessed food geek! She loves nothing more than working out what food people need and how best to sell it – a massive perk of her job is trying out delicious samples. She has three very active boys and rather a lot of animals! And when she gets the chance, Lucy loves being outside, on a bike, on a boat or in the sea!
Dave Rosser
Accounts & sTOCK Administrator
David’s been part of the Fieldfare since 2005! Outside of work, he loves chasing after his dogs on country walks and can belt out a fair few tunes on the clarinet, saxophone, recorder and guitar.
John Butterworth
Sales & Development Manager
John has bags of experience in the food industry from healthy granola to indulgent chocolate treats. Now he’s turned his attention to the wonders of frozen fruits and veg. His hobbies include tag rugby, motorbikes and music.
Maggie Ingram
Sales Administrator
Maggie loves the British countryside. She enjoys country walks and loves playing golf (badly!). When it’s time to relax, she’ll get stuck into a really great book.
David Rhodes
Sales & Development Manager
David’s experience of food retail began at an early age. He grew up working at his parents’ butchers, convenience store and newsagent, as well as farm work in his teens. He loves cooking and can be found wakeboarding, snowboarding or paddleboarding whenever he gets the chance!
isabelle flower
sales & development manager
Food has always played an important part in Isabelle’s life – from growing up in the beautiful Essex countryside and working with fresh produce at a local Pick Your Own farm, to spending 12 happy years in the Frozen Food sector in her career so far. Isabelle enjoys creating adventurous meals from scratch for her family, including her two busy & hungry boys! Isabelle’s other passions include live music, going to the theatre and long walks with her lovely family.
rick taylor
sales & development manager
Rick inherited a passion for working in the food industry from his family, whose connection with the meat and butchery trade goes back as far as 1860! Nowadays, free time is spent at home cooking up delicious Italian feasts, supporting Manchester United and watching the odd bit of horse racing. Above all, Rick loves nothing more than spending time with his two biggest fans, his little boys, Thomas and George.
Susie stewart
Marketing Manager
Susie has spent half of her 20-year marketing career in the food industry and loves nothing more than pottering about in her kitchen creating delicious feasts for family and friends. A keen DIY devotee and Pilates fan, Susie likes to keep busy. And when it’s time to unwind, there’s nothing better than a glass of her homemade sloe gin!
