IN a picturesque farmhouse on the Lancashire Cumbria border two women are offering people the opportunity to ‘escape the everyday’ with cookery and creative experiences.

Talented cooks, Angela Favell and Deborah Clark are transforming their business by taking their popular farmhouse cookery workshops online from 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.

The pair 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.”

While Angela and Deborah deliver inspiring cookery workshops, a talented team of Cumbrian experts lead workshops in a wide range of topics from photography to felting, ceramics to somatic exercise.

Angela says her father is her inspiration in the kitchen, as she explains: “My parents were in the forces so we never had turkey at Christmas, rather exotic food from faraway places.

“When my son flew the nest, I completed a food and wine diploma at the Edinburgh School of Food and Wine and travelled the world attending cookery courses.

“ I then taught children how to cook, and gave demonstrations to WI groups, cookery schools and individuals. I now use all these skills in our business.

“Cooking is a great ‘stress buster’. You need concentration which allows you to forget everything else. After a busy or stressful day you will find me making bread or cakes and of course singing along to the radio at the top of my voice!”

Deborah also brings skills from a varied career to the business.

Learning to cook alongside her mother, she says in a life full of change, food has been her constant and touchstone.

Deborah spent four years teaching at the Vegetarian Society Cookery School in Altrincham and has cooked in local cafes and hotels. She loves teaching people new skills, has a love of great food and a love of Cumbria and sharing fun and memorable times with new people.

“A diversion into the corporate world provided an opportunity to hone my training skills and now it’s time to bring all the loves of my life together; a love of teaching people new skills, a love of great food, a love of Cumbria and a love of sharing fun and memorable times with new people.”

Workshops run from now to April 2021. For more information about the courses and dates, and to book online visit https://www.thecreateescape.org.uk/

The pair also host events, whether a birthday, an anniversary, a reunion or just a chance to gather favourite people together,.