If experience counts for anything in catering, then Nicole Taylor could write a book on the subject. Raised in an Australian farming community, Ms Taylor has worked her way around the world from Thailand to Canada, with Europe in between.

Now she has settled in Chipping Norton to open Blue Basil, a catering firm which specialises in fresh, locally-sourced food she hopes will set her apart from the usual fare found at corporate and family events.

Ms Taylor, 36, said: "I grew up on a sheep farm with an appreciation of natural food, such as having our own vegetables with everything bottled and preserved from scratch."

She started her cooking career in an Australian cattle station before her travels started and she found herself working in chalets in ski resorts, often for Europeans, which enabled her to learn different styles.

Then she met and married an Englishman and went to work for a corporate hospitality management company, before heading off to Switzerland, again for British tour operators.

Now she has decided to put her vast experience to good use through Blue Basil.

"We try to focus on healthy options and prepare everything from scratch," she said.

"At corporate events and networking meetings, I get sick of seeing the same old thing. No-one seems to have any imagination. Everything seems to be from the cash-and-carry and is not home made."

Most of the meat Blue Basil uses is free range from Foxbury Farm, Brize Norton, while the flour comes from FWP Matthews in Shipton-under-Wychwood, and dairy produce from the Upper Norton Creamery in Church Hanborough.

"I am in local business and I feel it is important to support everyone around me.

"People think it is expensive and it might be a little more but it is worth it, compared to caterers charging you for rubbish," she said.

"There is a microwave culture' and people are almost happy to be ripped off."

Despite her travels, Ms Taylor says she loves British food, if it is prepared well and the emphasis is on quality.

Blue Basil now has a staff of four and is working from premises on the Worcester Road industrial estate, which has its own kitchen.

"It is really important to have your own space where everything can be checked and approved," she said.

Long-term, Ms Taylor would love to extend her knowledge of catering into running her own restaurant with the same ethos but, for now, she is concentrating on what could be a very busy summer season.

o Contact: Blue Basil, 0871 218091, www.bluebasil.co.uk