Wow. What a year.
In a blog about 2021, we wrote “Cheers to 2022 – watch this space!”… and if you have been watching this space, then you’ll know that the team here at All About the Cooks, and the cooks themselves, have been up to A LOT.
We have put a total of £50k into our cooks’ pockets with 1.1k+ orders… its been a busy one!
To try and summarise the bits we are most proud of is difficult because there are so many things to pick from – So, we’ve done our best to pick three of our favourite highlights to round-up the successful year of 2022!
Trying to rank these highlights felt like trying to choose a favourite child, so instead, here they are in no particular order:
Much like cooking a new recipe, when you put love and energy in to making something you care about, it can be an unsettling time putting it out there – made even more daunting when asking people to endorse that creation.
Well, that’s exactly what we did earlier this year…
By asking people to invest in our creation, we questioned whether people envisioned the same thing as us – a future where you can buy extraordinary food made by talented home-cooks in your local neighbourhood.
And they not only agreed with our vision, but supported it too!
We smashed our target and raised £350k+ from 204 people who believe in our concept. Raising those funds meant that we can continue growing All About the Cooks.
Our wonderful Founder, Claire, said at the time that “… the money we raise will help us build a great team, and improve our technology and systems to make us fit for our growth journey ahead…”
And we most definitely have grown!
This year, we launched in our first city outside of our lovely hometown of Bristol!
In November, we announced our arrival in Bath with style, putting on a three-course meal prepared by some of our first Bath cooks.
We invited some of our friends to a townhouse in Bath to enjoy some home-cooked food – made by Russel and Quelly, Mahesh and Dino.
It was a great success which showcased who we are, and what we do, to our friendly neighbours in Bath – something that we really wanted to get across!
Along with the excitement that launching in a new city brought to us, it also made us hungry to do more… Our Community manager, Izzy, says: “The ‘new city’ launch felt like a bit of a pipe dream for a while, and so when it happened I felt so chuffed that we had done it, and how well it was received by other people. I now feel really ready to take on new cities with a lot more confidence”
Arriving in our first new city has got us excited about what the next year will bring!
2022 started with just two people – Claire and Izzy. The year is ending with more than double that original number.
We are now a team of five people!
The first of the most recent recruits was Lizzie, our Head of Growth and Operations, who joined in the spring. With her help, the Crowdfund was a success. With the money raised from it, there was room for two more members to join the team – Melanie and Ben.
Here’s a little bit from Lizzie about what that process entailed: “We worked hard to find the right people and we know that we found them. Having a team who are curious and smart, who align in personal and business values, and where we can achieve psychological safety at work are priorities of mine, and we have all of this!”
According to Izzy (yes, sometimes having a “Lizzie” and an “Izzy” on the team can be troubling), growing the team has had a hugely positive impact on the business and has done wonders for her motivation.
With more people, comes a greater capacity to do more work, which means Izzy has been able to give more of her attention to recruiting new cooks – an indication of great things in the coming months!
It’s simple. Growth.
Our plan is – using the resources we have gathered in 2022 – to launch in at least 6 new cities in 2023, and onboard a further 250+ cooks. This year has set us up on a great springboard for success, and now it is down to us to use it and leap into the next year… and beyond.
With a great team, a successful launch in our first new city and bags full of motivation, we are ready to fly into the start of next year.
That being said, we are incredibly proud of what our cooks currently have available on our website. From Tomer’s Middle Eastern Feasts, to Russel and Quelly’s Filipino food, you can get home-cooked food made by talented local people wherever you are in Bristol or Bath.
Have a look at what local home-cooks are cooking near you by clicking the button below.
Alternatively, click the button below if you want to become a cook with us during 2023.
We’re very proud that founder of All About The Cooks, Claire Ladkin, has been shortlisted as a Community Food Champion at the BBC Food & Farming Awards!
Our Bristol-born online marketplace for home-cooks is growing – Nick Davies and Will Hamilton join our advisory board!
For Refugee Week 2023, we look at how we’re making it easier for talented cooks from refugee and migrant backgrounds to enter the food industry!
It’s International Women’s Day 2023! Meet a few of our many amazing female cooks!
Try making Mireya’s vegan feijoada recipe for Veganuary this year.
If you like cooking, we have a New Year’s resolution that you’ll love!