Page 76 - The Moretonian 2025

Life After Moreton

Lorna Campbell (OM 2000)

Since leaving Moreton in 2000, Lorna Campbell creativity and confidence were rewarded again
has embraced a career that is anything but this summer when one of her own dishes made
conventional — a rich tapestry woven from fine it onto the restaurant’s menu: Lamb roasted in
wines, algebra, and open flames. Her path has locally foraged seaweed, served on okonomiyaki
taken her from the cellars of Champagne to the pancakes — a flavourful blend of British and
beaches of Cornwall, proving that life is at its Japanese influences, with a hint of seaside smoke.
best when it’s seasoned with bold decisions and Reflecting on her journey, Lorna shares:
a little smoke.
“The best thing anyone can do is start
After graduating from Exeter University, Lorna something new. It’s exhilarating to be
set off for France, where she worked in the learning again — to stretch myself in a
Champagne region for none other than Vuitton totally new direction. It was a scary step,
Moët Hennessy. There, she spent her days but I’m so glad I took it.”
guiding guests through the historic champagne
cellars and leading tasting sessions — “probably Lorna’s story is a reminder that reinvention
the best job in the world,” she says, and one isn’t just possible — it’s joyful. Whether in the
imagines she’s not wrong. Though the contract classroom or the kitchen, she brings warmth,
was short, it left a lasting impression. curiosity, and courage to every chapter.

Back in the UK, she joined the iconic wine
merchant Berry Brothers & Rudd, immersing
herself in the history, heritage, and craftsmanship
of fine wine. “I absolutely loved working in the
wine industry,” Lorna reflects. “I learnt so much
from truly wonderful people.”

But education had always called to her — and
so, she pivoted, enrolling at Roehampton
University to complete a PGCE in Mathematics.
Her enthusiasm for teaching was immediate
and wholehearted. She taught a wide range
of subjects and, in a poetic twist, returned to
Moreton Hall as a teacher for five years. “It
was such a special time,” she recalls, “and a real
honour to teach alongside some of the very staff
who had once taught me.”

Eventually, a fresh adventure beckoned. Lorna
and her family made the bold decision to relocate
to Cornwall, where she embraced a long-standing
passion for food and retrained as a chef. She
now works for Rick Stein as a Chef de Partie,
spending her summers doing what she loves most
— cooking outdoors on the BBQs, surrounded by
sea air and Cornish sun.

Never one to settle, Lorna pushed herself
further by entering The British Live Fire Cooking
Championships, making it all the way to the
semi-finals — an exhilarating achievement. Her

76 The Moretonian 2025