Milly Fyfe Awarded MBE in King's Birthday Honours for Services to Farmers and Family Nutrition

Northamptonshire farmer, social entrepreneur and community champion Milly Fyfe has been awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in His Majesty The King's Birthday Honours List 2026 for services to farmers and family nutrition.

The award recognises Milly's work as Founder of No Fuss Meals for Busy Parents CIC and creator of its flagship initiative, The Countryside Kitchen, a pioneering field-to-fork education project based on her family's farm at Yelvertoft in Northamptonshire.

For more than two decades, Milly has dedicated her career to supporting farming families, improving food education and championing the connection between agriculture, health and wellbeing. Through No Fuss Meals for Busy Parents CIC, she has worked tirelessly to make healthy eating accessible and achievable for busy families while helping people better understand where their food comes from.

The Countryside Kitchen, which officially opened in 2025, has become the physical embodiment of that mission. Situated on a working mixed livestock and arable farm, the project includes a purpose-built classroom, demonstration kitchen and community honesty shop. Together, these facilities provide hands-on opportunities for children, families, schools and community groups to learn how food is grown, prepared and enjoyed.

The project's "Grow, Cook, Eat, Discover" approach helps tackle food insecurity, improve nutritional understanding, support mental wellbeing and reconnect people with British farming and food production.

Milly said:

"I am incredibly honoured and humbled to receive this award. While my name appears on the citation, this recognition belongs to an extraordinary community of people who have supported, encouraged and believed in the vision of No Fuss Meals for Busy Parents and The Countryside Kitchen."

"This honour is for every farming family who continues to work tirelessly to produce food, often in the face of enormous challenges. It is for every volunteer, supporter, funder, teacher, parent and child who has been part of our journey."

Born and raised with a passion for agriculture and the countryside, Milly has devoted much of her professional life to supporting the farming community. Her career has included serving as National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs Chair, Regional Manager for the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI), Chief Executive Officer of the Dairy and Beef Shorthorn Cattle Society, Ambassador for the Farming Community Network (FCN) and the Farm Safety Foundation, as well as representing farming interests through the West Northamptonshire Sustainable Food Network.

Alongside these roles, Milly has consistently advocated for improved mental health support, food education and stronger links between consumers and producers.

Behind the scenes, however, the success story has not always been straightforward.

Over the years, Milly has faced significant personal adversity, including the long-term effects of a spinal injury sustained during childbirth. Managing chronic pain while balancing family life, farming responsibilities and building a social enterprise from the ground up has required determination, resilience and unwavering commitment.

"People often see the awards, the events and the milestones, but they don't always see the years of hard work, setbacks, uncertainty and personal challenges behind them," she said.

"There have been moments when the future felt impossible, but I have always believed that if we can help even one family eat better, one child understand where food comes from, or one farmer feel less isolated, then it is worth continuing."

Milly and her husband Andrew run a mixed livestock and arable farm in Northamptonshire and are parents to two sons, Angus (8) and Dougie (7). Alongside her work with the CIC, Milly maintains livestock including Golden Guernsey goats, Gloucester Old Spot pigs, Herdwick sheep, broiler chickens and laying hens, while also nurturing a productive kitchen garden that helps inspire many of the educational activities delivered through The Countryside Kitchen.

Milly paid tribute to her family, saying:

"None of this would have been possible without Andrew, Angus and Dougie. They have shared the sacrifices, celebrated the successes and supported me through the most difficult times. I am also enormously grateful to our volunteers, directors, funders, mentors, partners and wider farming community. This honour belongs to all of them as much as it does to me."

To mark the award, The Countryside Kitchen is launching a new community initiative encouraging people to celebrate and support British food producers.

The "Thank You for Choosing British" postcard campaign invites members of the public to recognise businesses, retailers, cafés, restaurants and individuals who actively support British farming by purchasing and promoting British produce.

The postcards can be handed directly to business owners and staff as a simple gesture of appreciation, helping to build stronger connections between consumers and producers while encouraging support for local food systems.

Anyone wishing to receive postcards or pledge their support for the campaign can email: contact@thecountrysidekitchen.co.uk We ask that you include your address, how many postcards you would like and a suggested donation of £5 towards postage and admin.



Those wishing to support the work of The Countryside Kitchen can make a donation at:

https://givealittle.co/c/thecountrysidekitchen

ENDS

Media Contact:
Milly Fyfe MBE
Founder, No Fuss Meals for Busy Parents CIC and The Countryside Kitchen

contact@thecountrysidekitchen.co.uk

Notes to Editors:

No Fuss Meals for Busy Parents CIC is an award-winning social enterprise based in Northamptonshire that promotes healthy eating, food education and wellbeing through practical, accessible community initiatives.

The Countryside Kitchen is a field-to-fork educational facility located on a working farm at Yelvertoft, Northamptonshire, delivering hands-on learning experiences focused on food, farming, sustainability and nutrition.

Photos available on request

Attached Milly Fyfe MBE in action at The Countryside Kitchen - photo credit: Tesco

Head and Shoulders shot of Milly Fyfe MBE – photo credit: Olivia Brabbs