It has been my privilege to lead Low-Carb Food Co since its formation in 2018, and the project has kept me busy for all eight of those years. The time has flown by, and at the grand old age of 67, it is time for me to hang up my boots. But before I do, I wanted to share this message, because none of what we have built would have been possible without you.

This is the story of where it all began, what we have achieved together, and what comes next for the company.

It all started when I was sitting in my chair in my living room and couldn't get out of it. I had been diagnosed with type two diabetes five years before, and although I took all the pills, the disease had finally overwhelmed me.

I was dragged by my ear (management!) to a life-changing session with my GP, who referred me to an NHS nutritionist. We had a group session that led to a simple lightbulb moment that led to everything that has followed.

I found out that diabetes is not a sugar disease, but a carbohydrate disease, and all carbohydrates metabolise into glucose in the body.

Learning this was a door opening in my mind: if I could restrict the consumption of carbs, I could mitigate the worst of the disease and avoid all the complications of diabetes.

It was like waking from a nightmare to find hope again…

What followed was a journey of discovery about low-carbohydrate lifestyles. I was given a lot of help by a significant number of people, and my debt to all of them is immense.

When I cut the carbs, I reduced my blood sugar from sky high to normal in the course of six months. I finally started using the treadmill in my living room and began doing a bit of hill walking. Before long, I joined a gym, and soon I was able to achieve a lifelong ambition (an unlikely one at that) of walking up Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and roaming around North Wales every weekend.

The low-carb lifestyle transformed me, but it also educated me on how difficult it is to change old habits. Of all the challenges, living without bread was the hardest thing.

So I decided to develop a bread that was very low in carbohydrates and tasted as close to regular bread as possible.

I worked with a very talented team of specialists, and Low-Carb Food Co's ultra low-carb flour came into existence. It contained only four ingredients, plus salt. No preservatives, chemicals or high-glycemic fixes.

We made bread by adding extra virgin olive oil, free-range whole egg and yeast.