About me

Sam French is an award winning young entrepreneur behind Sam’s Kitchen, who produce gingerbread men and woman that wear fashionable clothes. He came up with the idea when he saw gingerbread men in London and thought he could do better. Now widely known as “Sam the gingerbread man” he gives speeches to inspire other young people to start their own business.

My Story:

Hi everyone and welcome to my kitchen! I’m Sam French better known as “Sam the gingerbread man”. I had always liked business from and early age, selling McDonald’s toys on my Dad’s antique stall, importing model aeroplane parts for my model flying..   But then I saw some gingerbread men in a top London department store,  thought I could do better,  went home and taught myself how to bake and started supplying the largest farm shop in Sussex, England.

Me at my charity gingerbread house competition I had organised, hosted at Tulleys Farm shop.

When I was organising a charity gingerbread house competition to be hosted at the farm shop someone advised me to enter a young business person’s competition which I entered and won!

Me winning Young Start-Up Talent (Picture by Jon Rigby)

After winning I went on holiday and I couldn’t find a lemonade that I liked. I thought I could do better so I went home & taught myself how to make some I did like! I started supplying local cafes and Farm shops.

Shortly after Olly Smith and Levi Roots reviewed my homemade Sussex lemonade on Radio 2. The rest as they say is history.

The Taste West Sussex event held in the Jubilee Room at the Houses of Parliament London . Food and drink producers from West Sussex gathered at the Houses of Parliament to show off their local produce to MPs and staff Kenny Tutt and Louise Goldsmith grab a selfie with Sams Kitchen Photograph taken by Simon Dack
Me with the Lord Mayor of London
Me with Andrew Street CBE, former managing director of John Lewis
Me with Greg Clark, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy while helping to represent LEP Cost to capital. He later put me in his speech!

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My speeches

Sam French
Me giving a speech in the BIS offices in Westminster, London

I have given gives speeches to inspire other young people to start their own business. I have given speeches in Schools to Westminster alongside people like Matthew Hancock MP and Minister for Skills and Enterprise, Guy Johnson the co-founder of Carphone Warehouse and Rob Shaw the Co-Founder of Jack Wills to name but a few.

Testimonials

Rob Shaw, Co-Founder, Jack Wills

“Sam gives a disarming back to basics account of himself and his business journey. Packed full of passion and brilliant advice we were all mightily impressed. Today gingerbread, tomorrow the world. Who wouldn’t step away from a talk with Sam and want to grab every opportunity coming their way.”

British Airways

“We have had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know Sam French of Sam’s Kitchen whom we can highly recommend as a reliable and conscientious young man.”