In 2002, Thomasina Miers attended Ballymaloe Cookery School, where she began to understand the importance of growing food in healthy soil and farming in harmony with nature rather than against it.

She spent time in West Cork making cheese and baking sourdough in her free time, which she sold at farmers’ markets. She then traveled to Mexico, a country she had first visited as a teenager, to open and run a cocktail bar. The diversity of ingredients and the exceptional quality of the food in Mexico left a lasting impression on her, inspiring her to travel across the country, learning as much as possible about its regional cuisines and recipes.

In 2005, still searching for her next step, she decided to apply to MasterChef, a newly relaunched cooking competition on the BBC. After her unexpected victory, she went on to cook at Petersham Nurseries under the guidance of Skye Gyngell.

A few years later, following extensive research, she co-founded Wahaca, a restaurant inspired by the vibrant food markets of Mexico. From its inception, Wahaca prioritized sustainability, recycling everything from food waste to bottles and championing vegetables—today, half of the menu is dedicated to flavorful vegetarian dishes.

Thomasina is the author of seven cookbooks, the latest being Meat-Free Mexican: Vibrant, Vegetarian Recipes. Her recipes also appear regularly in her Guardian Feast column.

She is passionate about the origins of food, how it is grown, and its impact on soil health, biodiversity, and the planet. She believes that everyone should have access to quality ingredients, particularly locally grown fruits and vegetables. Much of her work is dedicated to these causes, from collaborating with the Soil Association and establishing a garden at her local primary school with support from the Fork to Fork food festival to co-founding Chefs in Schools, a charity she launched alongside Henry Dimbleby, for which she serves as a trustee.

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