Julia @retreat_chef
UK · Travels worldwide ★ Founding member
Julia Martin, Retreat Chef
Specialities
- Allergy-aware cooking
- Vegan & vegetarian cuisine
- Persian & Middle Eastern flavours
- Ayurvedic-inspired meals
- 200-hour certified yoga teacher
- Fermentation enthusiast
- Zero-waste advocate
- Champion of whole foods & no ultra-processed ingredients
What You’ll Find on a Retreat with Me
- I source locally whenever possible, connecting with farmers and producers as soon as I arrive.
- My cooking comes straight from the heart—fresh vegetables, vibrant spices, and flavours inspired by cuisines from around the world.
- I love experimenting with new recipes and ideas, while always staying true to my values: zero waste, low sugar, and no processed foods.
- My aim is to nourish and support the immune system through thoughtful, delicious meals.
- I enjoy hosting cooking demos and sharing practical knowledge that guests can easily take home - simple tips, recipe cards, and inspiration for everyday cooking. One of my greatest joys is seeing guests recreate the dishes at home and share their beautiful photos with me.
Get to Know Me
My love for cooking began as a child, standing by the stove with my mum, using only local produce, no freezer in sight. From those early days, I fell in love with flavours and the magic of the cooking process: the heat source, the layering of spices and herbs. I still dream about cooking. Over 14 years ago, I started an outdoor catering business focused on Persian and Middle Eastern cuisine, vegan food, and allergy-aware cooking. Along the way, I’ve had many adventures, with yoga always by my side. In 2021, I completed my 200-hour yoga teacher training in Bali.
My cooking continues to evolve, and I deeply enjoy the creative challenge of working in different countries and discovering what each local market has to offer. The guests on retreat are a true bonus—forming wonderful friendships and sharing food journeys together. Most recently, I’ve entered a new and exciting phase of fermentation. Experimenting with ferments has been an absolute joy.
Extra Skills & Techniques
- Gluten-free baking
- Fermentation & kimchi experimentation
- Allergy awareness
- EHO Level 3 certified
My Favourite Retreat Experience
That’s a hard one—but Santorini holds a special place in my heart. The island, the people, the retreat venues—it was all breath-taking. The local produce was incredible, the weather divine, and sailing there was simply unforgettable.
Photos
Reviews (26)
Amazing, versatile and creative
Julia was both the chef AND the yoga instructor for our recent retreat in Crete. She is truly gifted.. worked with minimal instruction and gave our retreat participants a culinary masterpiece each time. Cannot recommend her enough.
Mike · October 2026Delicious, local cuisine
Julia's food was tremendous! Fresh, local ingredients and healthy recipes that showcased the traditional cuisine of the area we were in. And she was a joy to have around - kind and funny and happy to answer questions.
Buffy, Durable Human Future You Retreat · October 2026Amazing
Julia cooked for a groups at a retreat in Crete. Everything that she made was delicious. I especially liked how she could take leftovers and turn them into new dishes so nothing was wasted. Not only was her food wonderful, I enjoyed talking to her while she was cooking.
Rose · October 2026An absolute joy to eat your food!
Thank you so much for taking the time to prepare us such delicious and nourishing food during the paramedic retreat. It was an absolute joy to eat your food and feel good in myself. Nutrition is one of the things I really struggle with but it is one of the most basic forms of self care! I got home yesterday and I’ve had rubbish food today as I had nothing in the house and couldn’t face going to the shops and the mundanity of it all and now I feel awful having not had such amazing food! Basic nutrition makes such a difference! Any easy recipes you can share I’d appreciate so much. Or if you sell any recipe content I’d happily buy them! Thanks again for all your yummy food and taking the time to chat to me about recipes - it was so lovely to meet you!
Emma J · October 2026Fabulous cook and wonderful hostess
The catering was based around vegetarian and vegan food choices and the abundance and variations that Julia conjured meant that meal times were the draw of the retreat. Not only would Julia be the most welcoming host to all that entered the kitchen area but she would also teach and encourage us all to share ideas and recipes with her and each other. Julia managed to entertain like this while flawlessly presenting dish upon dish. Food preparation, presentation and quality were second to none. Frankly the yoga / hiking retreat would not succeed as successfully without the fabulous yoga teacher and the marvellous chef, Julia.
Malcolm · October 2026Amazing
Amazing food at our yoga weekend retreat, and dished up by a fabulous lady. Julia is so relaxed in the kitchen and nothing is too much trouble. A delightful and nourishing time, with great company and full tummies! Thank you xx
Sally · September 2026Wow wow wow!
Just want to say a big thank you to you Julia and Lisa.. your good at the retreat was amazing!! So tasty and absolutely delicious! Me and Kelly loved every bite of what you made!! You guys definitely inspired me to make the dishes at home.. just good, honest, wholesome food!! Thanks again and hopefully see you soon! 😉
Tracy · September 2026Amazing food
Wow Julia and Lisa thank you for spoiling us all weekend with such incredible food . Each meal you prepared was nutritious and delicious . You inspired me to recreate some of the dishes at home !! Thank you so much x
Kelly winston · September 2026A feast of exquisite food
Julia and her team were fantastic. The booking was easy, with clarity and flexibility of choices. We had the Persian Menu for ten people at Houghton Farmhouse. Julia arrived with all the food, plated it up on the house dishes, beautifully presented; a feast of exquisite food leaving plentiful seconds for the following day! What a great service!
Malcom · August 2026Such delicious food!
Thank you so much for a lovely meal at my big birthday celebration dinner party on Saturday. I don’t know how you managed to serve such delicious food for twenty-two people, in a heatwave, and in a kitchen with a four oven Aga switched on !! Many, many thanks again!
Diane · July 2026Creative, nutritious, delicious
I have hired Julia three times to be my chef on yoga retreats. Each time her food is creative, nutritious and delicious. The presentation is great and my students always love her food. Julia is professional, reliable and is a pleasure to work with. She takes interest in each group and creates menus to suit the clients. She becomes part of the retreat, not just supporting students, but supporting me as the teacher. I can’t recommend her highly enough.
SarahB · May 2026Fantastic nourishing food
Julia gave us fantastic food and fantastic service. I loved her ethos of zero waste. There was always lots to choose from and it was great to see veg done in a different way. I was never left hungry but I was always counting down the hours til the next meal in eager anticipation of another delicious offering.
Katie · April 2026Delicious food, amazing service
Just back from a retreat with Julia. The food was nourishing and delicious. Can’t believe how much I ate. Everyone was asking for recipes! Thank you for helping make the retreat such an amazing experience xxx
Shuli · April 2026Wonderfully nourishing food!
I am not long back from a yoga retreat where Julia was the retreat chef (!) and Julia’s food really made the retreat for me. Julia’s dishes were thoughtfully put together and participants’ intolerances and allergies were carefully considered. Her food was heartwarming and soul nourishing. It also was real! As many of you will know retreats make you hungry (!) and Julia was able to put together wholesome meals that set us up for practice and adventure. Julia also made the kitchen a warm and welcoming place to be and her enthusiasm and generosity in sharing ideas about recipes or things to try was infectious. Her food and ideas stay with you even once the retreat experience is complete. Highly recommended!
Melissa · March 2026YUM!!
Julia is a wonderful retreat chef! Delicious and filling meals, healthy options (including fantastic desserts!), flexible with dietary requirements and preferences, and very mindful when it came to sustainable food practices. She’s also a delightful human being and provided loads of inspiration, tips and tricks for recipes to take home. Thank you, it was a pleasure to sit at your table!
Marlene · February 2026Fabulous Food
Julia’s range of meals and treats on our yoga retreat were simply delicious, healthy and so varied at every sitting over the weekend. Her ability to create such a variety of dishes with so many flavours and colour across every meal, without wasting anything was incredible, she makes it look so simple but it’s with a great deal of thought and consideration of every thing she has to hand, while satisfying all our taste buds! She’s a joyful soul and a pleasure to have a cuppa with. Looking forward to our next retreat in the Summer. Thank you xx
Elen Richards · February 2026Amazing clean food
After just coming back from a wellness retreat at Chaucer Barn we had the joy of being cooked for by Julia and although I’m not vegetarian/vegan I do love healthy, good food and found the meals cooked for us and prepared were amazing so tasty and enjoyed everything about the menus. I especially loved the curry and also how basic foods could be so interesting and tasty. Julia was extremely friendly and a great host so thank you ☺️
Teresa · January 2026Deliciously healthy and beautifully presented!
It was a huge treat to have such a wonderful, colourful array of nutritious, tasty plates served to us over our retreat weekend. Thank you to Julia and team for sharing your culinary talents with us all! 😊
Fran · January 2026Fantastic food & company!
What a treat having Julia cook for us at our Norfolk yoga retreat. Her food was absolutely delicious, fresh and satisfying while not being heavy. Every meal was a delight & she was fabulous company too. Many thanks
LucyB · January 2026Inspirational and friendly soul food catering
THANK YOU so much for all the soul food on our Yoga Retreat weekends in Norfolk! Our guests love indulging in your tasty delights and colourful feasts. I highly recommend you and your fabulous team to everyone who would like Inspirational and friendly Catering! Looking forward to more of your nourishing and fresh food…
YogawithLucy · January 2026Creative, comforting and delicious
Julia was an absolute joy to have as our chef. The food was creative, varied and delicious. I tried dishes I had never tried before and loved every single one. She took the time to explain each dish with so much care and passion and that made the experience feel even more special. Beyond the food, Julia herself was like a ray of sunshine. Warm, easy to connect with and a pleasure to be around. I hope our paths cross again and I am so grateful to have had her as our chef for the retreat.
Calli · January 2026Best vegetarian food ever!!!
We were thrilled to have Chef Julia and her team cater our weekend wellness retreat! Her passion for vegetarian cuisine made every meal a delight with vibrant, flavourful dishes that exceeded all expectations. Many guests shared it was the best vegetarian food they've ever tasted. Each meal was thoughtfully crafted and beautifully presented. Thank you Julia & team for making this experience unforgettable - we can't wait to work with you again!
Nancy · December 2025PERFECT choices
Going on a wellbeing retreat without any previous experience is daunting in itself... to not have to think about food and options, cooking and clearing up was amazing. Julia was incredible producing masses of fresh foods, cooked options, healthy sweet choices and catering for everyone's needs. And very easy to be around but saw when it was right to move away. Thank you.
Ali P · September 2025Incredible food
I hired Julia for my yoga retreat of 16 guests. She was amazing! Not only was her food incredible, but she took the time to get to know my students and was an integral part of my retreat. Julia is a team player and completely unflappable! I look forward to working with her again soon and wholeheartedly recommend her.
Sarah · August 2025Absolute pleasure to work with
Julia is an absolute pleasure to work with on yoga retreats. I've just completed my 4th retreat with her and every single time has been a dream. Nourishing, tasty, filling food, beautifully presented and always getting great feedback from students on retreat too!! Would highly recommend to anyone looking for a reliable, professional and personable retreat chef!
Daryn Wober · August 2025The best retreat chef
Julia is THE BEST retreat chef, hands down. Been using her for numerous weekend and day retreats and I would never go anywhere else. Her food is always complimented & she always brings her easy going nature and gets on so well with all the guests. It’s a dream with her & id honestly hate to work without her. I did once and it was a nightmare! 5 stars all round. Thanks Julia.
Virginia Offiah · August 2025