Name: Stephanie Hildon
Job title: Managing director
Company: Ginsters
What was your first job? I worked on the checkout in Co-op in St Austell when I was 16.
What’s been your worst job interview? Fairly early on in my career I remember being asked “why do you want this job?” and despite the obvious question (!) I could not think of a single reason.
It was at that very moment I realised… I didn’t want that job.
“We have so many entrepreneurs and startup businesses in the UK and it’s so hard for them to get a foot up into retail, even when their ideas are brilliant”
What was the first music single you bought? Well, I didn’t buy it, but I was given Bucks Fizz’s Land of Make Believe for my birthday by a friend. Yes, I have always been this cool.
How do you describe your job to your friends? I sell pasties. It’s the best job in the world.
What is the most rewarding part of your job? Bouncing ideas around with clever, energetic like-minded people. I love working in teams and sparking off each other.
What is the least rewarding part? Working alone. See answer above!
What is your motto in life? Whatever life throws at you, get up, dress up and show up.
If you were allowed one dream perk, what would it be? A personal chef. I love good food. I love cooking for friends and family, but I’m not clever enough to go ‘off recipe’.
I’d love someone to do that for me so I could eat amazing food and try new recipes and ingredients all of the time.
Do you have any phobias? Off milk. No, I am not going to taste it to see if it’s still OK!
If you could change one thing in grocery, what would it be? More room for new, innovative brands and products in supermarkets.
We have so many entrepreneurs and startup businesses in the UK and it’s so hard for them to get a foot up into retail, even when their ideas are brilliant. I’d love to see more innovation on supermarket shelves, I am always the first person to seek out and try something new.
Today’s favourites: Bold Bean Co, Ember, The Gym Kitchen, Holy Moly, The Paleo Food Company.
What luxury would you have on a desert island? Marmite. That can make anything taste amazing.
What animal most reflects your personality? A New Forest pony. Determined, resilient, a little bit excitable (and some might say stubborn).
What’s your favourite film and why? Let Him Have It. It’s based on a true story and even if I start watching it in the middle of the film, within seconds I will be blubbing.
Read more:
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How can pies & pastries win back younger people?
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Farmer Merryn helps Ginsters show off Cornish veg sourcing
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Higgidy sinks to a loss as inflation and bakery expansion hit savoury pastry maker
What has been the most embarrassing moment in your life? Maybe not ‘the most’ but the one I’m prepared to tell you about.
Discovering a hole in the centre seam in the back of my trousers whilst at work… in my boss’s office. No idea how long it had been there.
Which celebrity would you most like to work with and why? Jeremy Clarkson. I love a good argument and we could talk about how to resolve the issues in food and farming in the UK.
What would your death row meal be? Really good toast and unsalted butter, washed down with a golden, buttery chardonnay.
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