TWO women are transforming their business on the Lancashire Cumbria border, by putting their popular farmhouse cookery workshops online from October.
Now people can sign-up for a live lesson, via Zoom, from the comfort of their own kitchens, joining others from around the UK. Together they will produce dishes that include a cream tea, Indian, Eastern Mediterranean or Thai meal.
Talented cooks, Angela Favell and Deborah Clark say that in two hours participants will have their spirits raised whilst creating fabulous food, using affordable and easy to find ingredients.
The duo behind the business, The Create Escape, which they set up in June 2019, say since opening they have welcomed over 300 people, or ‘escapees’, to the Hale farmhouse to enjoy experiences. In addition to cookery classes, a talented team of Cumbrian experts also lead workshops including photography, felting, ceramics and somatic exercise.
Angela says cooking is a great ‘stress buster’ as it requires concentration which means people can forget everything else. As she explains: “It’s a real tonic for the soul, cooking in the company of others and having a bit of fun. Right now, we know people’s spirits can be low so we’re hoping people see this as an opportunity to invest in some feel-good-factor. It’s got all the ingredients for good mental health, from the sense of achievement that comes from learning a new skill to connecting with other friendly faces.”
For these two food professionals dipping their toes into live cook-along sessions, is a natural extension of their hospitality skills and a desire to take care of others.
“We’re not an online company, we’ve didn’t set out to be and we know our bricks and mortar workshops really work,” adds Debs.
“But we’re confident the magic of creating food together can happen online, it certainly did in our practice sessions. We are adding to the list too, with winter warmers, vegetarian, fish and seafood, Christmas and Easter themed online workshops in the pipeline.
“It’s changed our business model and we expect online experiences to run alongside our farmhouse-based workshops in the future.”
For more information about the courses and dates, and to book online please visit https://www.thecreateescape.org.uk/