From regenerative grains to food education: Northern Pasta’s Imogen Royall on building a sustainable food business
Northern Pasta was founded in 2022 by Imogen Royall and her husband Matt. What began as a market stall in Kendal, Cumbria, has grown into a UK-wide brand stocked in major supermarkets. Keen to support food education in their local area and share their love of delicious, sustainable food, Northern Pasta is donating proceeds from its Christmas pasta sales to support School Food Matters’ projects in Cumbria.
We spoke to Imogen about how she brought the company to life, the highs and lows of running a start-up and why food businesses should champion food education.
What inspired you to start your own pasta company?
Towards the end of the pandemic, I was working at a bakery surrounded by incredible British-grown grains. We used them to make wonderful bread but I kept thinking: why aren’t we using these for pasta (my favourite carb!)? At the same time, the pasta I was eating never made me feel great. It was heavy and lifeless – more filler than main event.
It clicked: we’ve got these beautiful, nutrient-rich grains here in the UK, and no one was championing them in one of our staple foods. So, Matt and I started experimenting at home, making pasta in small batches and selling a few bags at our local market. That’s how Northern Pasta began, with a mission to make pasta without compromise – real food, grown and made by real people.
How is Northern Pasta different to other pasta available in the supermarkets?
Northern Pasta is different from the ground up. We believe pasta shouldn’t just be filler on your plate, it should be the main event. We use regeneratively grown British spelt from farms we know by name, so every bag is fully traceable back to the field.
Spelt is an ancient grain, naturally rich in flavour and nutrients. Pasta made with spelt is lighter, more delicious and genuinely satisfying. We craft it using traditional methods – it is bronze-cut and slow-dried, giving a rough texture that hugs sauce properly. Made with nothing but flour and water, it has a depth of flavour you don’t get from industrial pasta.
You use spelt grown by regenerative farming methods – what does this mean and why did you choose these as the foundation of your brand?
It all starts with the grain. Regenerative farming means the farmers growing our spelt are rebuilding soil health, increasing biodiversity and working with nature, not against it. Healthy soil produces more nutrient-rich crops, captures more carbon and supports resilient food systems.
We chose regenerative spelt because it’s better for flavour, farming and the future. Northern Pasta exists to show that you don’t have to choose between delicious and responsible – you can have both in a really good bowl of pasta.
Why was it important to you to source locally and build sustainability into your business model?
Sourcing locally means we know exactly where our grains come from, how they’re grown and who’s growing them. It keeps our supply chain short, supports British farmers and cuts unnecessary food miles. Sustainability wasn’t a bolt-on; it was the starting point. We wanted to build a food business that works with nature and proves that delicious and sustainable can go hand in hand.
What challenges have you faced as a start-up in the food industry?
So many! The food industry can be tough – margins are tight, buyers are cautious and everything takes longer (and costs more) than you expect. Scaling has been our biggest challenge: moving from handmade batches for local markets to supplying national retailers while keeping the quality and values that define us.
You also wear every hat – founder, marketer, engineer, packer – and still need to tell your story in a very noisy category. But every challenge has made us sharper. It’s taught us that being small can be a superpower if you stay true to your beliefs and close to your community.
And what are you most proud of in Northern Pasta’s journey so far?
Honestly, that we’ve built something real from a kitchen-table idea and that the pasta is truly delicious. We started with a tiny market stall and a few bags of spelt pasta and now we’re available across the UK, working with incredible farmers and still making everything ourselves in our solar-powered HQ.
I’m proud we’ve grown without losing what makes us special: real ingredients, real craft, and pasta that makes people smile when they eat it!
Why were you keen to support School Food Matters with your Christmas campaign?
I wasn’t always food obsessed. Growing up, I struggled to build a healthy relationship with food. In my twenties, something changed. I picked up a Jamie Oliver cookbook, started cooking properly for myself and, for the first time, food felt joyful, creative and exciting. The more I engaged with it, the less I feared it. My fear turned into joy – and then obsession.
That’s why supporting School Food Matters means so much to me. I know how learning about food can transform your relationship with it. When children get the chance to grow, cook and understand food, it opens up a world of confidence, curiosity and joy. And that’s a world everyone deserves access to.
How do you see the role of food businesses in supporting food education?
Food businesses have a huge role to play. We’re often people’s first point of contact with ingredients, cooking and the stories behind what they eat. We’re not just putting products on shelves; we’re shaping how people understand and relate to food. It is a privilege for us, and an opportunity we should seize to engage, connect and excite people about food.
For me, it’s about making food joyful and accessible – talking about where ingredients come from, showing how delicious real food can be or giving someone the confidence to cook from scratch. Food education doesn’t need to be technical. It can start with getting your hands in dough, tasting something new and having fun. Those small moments build curiosity, and curiosity builds confidence.
We look forward to working with Northern Pasta and watching them continue to grow. For every bag of pasta sold before Christmas, Northern Pasta will donate 50p to support our food education projects around their Cumbria HQ.
Discover more about our partnership with Northern Pasta here.