Harrogate food entrepreneur launches Indian cookery school

Monalisa Fathima, who launched her business Saffron Tree just six months ago, investing over £200,000 in the business and producing over 1,000 chilled main meals a week.

She now intends to open her Indian cookery school in January, with lessons running every Friday at Saffron Tree’s kitchens at Follifoot Ridge Business Park in Pannal.

An award-winning cook, Ms Fathima says she is keen to pass on her knowledge to home cooks and to share the secrets of what makes Indian food unique.

Ms Fathima said: “I’m a great believer in the power of learning through observation and instruction, which are the same techniques that parents and grandparents have used for centuries to pass down traditional Indian recipes through the generations.

“This is where my passion for cooking comes from and I can’t wait to share it with others. With a range of courses to choose from based on dietary choice and ingredients, and with a maximum of four people per lesson, the experience is designed to build confidence in a fairly intimate setting.

“The overall aim of the lessons is to teach students how to make a delicious four-course meal that I hope will become part of their own culinary repertoire.”

Lessons are open to groups of four and begin on Friday, January 10, running every week from 10am to 4pm. Gift vouchers are available online.