A look back at 2021: All About the Cooks’ year in review

Back in 2018, Claire Ladkin purchased a jar of home-made lemon curd from the Square Food Foundation. Little did she know that it would lead to the launch of All About The Cooks in Bristol, an online marketplace and innovative concept, enabling the city’s talented home-cooks to sell their food online, from the comfort of their own homes.
With the mission to make it easy for people to eat real food made by local people well on its way, here’s a look back on the past year from the inspiring founder, a woman driven to create greater food connections within our communities.
" When I look back at 2021, it pretty much covers the whole of the time All About the Cooks has been actively selling food made by local people”
This time last year
Towards the end of 2020 All About the Cooks launched its pilot phase to the people of Bristol, with three important questions:
- Do people want to buy home-cooked food from local people?
- Do people want to sell their food they cook in their own home?
- To aid future growth, will the business attract objective investors?
Despite inevitable bumps along the way, we are thrilled to say that the answer to all three is a confident YES! Bristol communities have begun to embrace home-cooked food, made by a local, right on their doorsteps.

As you can see for yourself... the proof is in the pudding!
Of all these statistics, the one that stands out is that well over £25,000 has been paid into cooks’ pockets. This is money moving around within communities, enabling home cooks in Bristol to make money doing what they enjoy, alongside the other busy parts of their lives. The social impact All About The Cooks’ creates encompasses its values and is undoubtedly the driving force for Claire Ladkin
"Our part of this income is really quite a small percentage, but we have achieved 'Proof of Concept’ and are now ready to spread our wings elsewhere over the coming months."
Looking to the future
Food is about bringing people together, which has become particularly important in recent years. As we plan ahead for the future, our goal is to sell delicious food made my local people in several more cities across the UK, with many, many more cooks joining the platform.
Cheers to 2022- watch this space!
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