Along with our dedicated team of cookery teachers we deliver practical cookery instruction to children from 5 to 16 years old. We’re a likeminded group of people, all crazy for calzone, nuts about nougat and fanatical about fajitas. We all love to cook and we’re all passionate about passing that on to the next generation.
Understanding what you eat and finding a pleasure in cooking from scratch is so important; we take this responsibility very seriously. However we’re also lots of fun and we actively encourage a hands-on approach to cooking; it’s the best way to learn!
Alicia Cronin
Founded Smart Raspberry Cookery School in 2011
Born and brought up in Spain, Alicia‘s passion for food was first inspired by her dad’s Mediterranean cooking. After having her own children she wanted them to grow up experiencing a wholesome, varied and interesting diet. Prompted by the lack of regular cookery tuition in schools she started running a few local cookery classes close to home. She also attended Leiths School of Food and Wine where she was able to hone her culinary skills. This has been invaluable in her quest to teach as many children as possible the enjoyment of cooking.
Tel: 0845 269 2665
alicia@smartraspberry.com
Kasia Harrison
Joined April 2022
Kasia was born and raised in Poland, where food always played an important aspect of her family life. After leaving school she decided to move to the Netherlands where she lived for more than 16 years. It was then, where her interests in multi-cultural cuisines started.
She has always been very passionate about working with children but couldn’t decide in what capacity. She come across Smart Raspberry Cooking School many years ago as a parent, but it took a few years before she decided to leave her job in Accountancy firm and join Smart Raspberry as a teacher. Kasia enjoys working with children, building a strong report with them, encouraging children to try new healthy foods, and at the same time develop basic cooking skills.
Hannah Segrue
Joined April 2022
Hannah has a strong passion for food which started with helping her mum cook and bake from a young age. This passion developed over schooling years and lead Hannah to participate in Leith’s food and wine introductory course which encouraged her to start a food-based career.
Hannah gained a first-class honours degree at the Royal agricultural university in Cirencester where she studied food production and supply management. At University Hannah’s interest in public health and nutrition lead to her writing a dissertation about how nutritional labelling impacts consumption of sugar and how sugar affects the body. Hannah Believes that there is little education on healthy eating currently given to children at a young age and therefore has made it her goal to teach young children a fun way to cook healthily.
Asma Awan
Joined April 2011
Asma first came across Smart Raspberry Cookery School whilst looking for a birthday party idea for her daughter, she says it’s the best thing she ever did!
The franchise appealed to Asma as the perfect business to work around her children and family life. Prior to Smart Raspberry Asma worked in schools as a teaching assistant, educating parents and children in healthy cooking.
Tel: 07999 118098
asmaawan@smartraspberry.com
Gee Angelo
Joined September 2016
Originally from Turkey, cooking and food have always been major passions for Gee. Her joy of cooking began in her grandmother’s kitchen preparing traditional dishes. Gee owned a catering company in London, specialising in Mediterranean cuisine, and managing events.
Gee relishes the opportunity to teach with Smart Raspberry, she feels if you love something it is instinctive to share it with others.
Tel: 07725 221384
geeangelo@smartraspberry.com
Yasmin Ali
Joined August 2018
Growing up in a traditional Bengali family, food has always been an important part of the household for Yasmin. Her love for cooking, stemmed from helping her mum in the kitchen from a young age. Having previously supervised after-school clubs, holiday camps and birthday parties, she has been given a head start in beginning her Smart Raspberry journey, as well as opening her eyes to how much she really enjoys working with children.
Tel: 07826835256
yasmin@smartraspberry.com
Joelle Hallmark
Joined September 2018
Having grown up in a family with a passion for food - her Greek grandmother was famed for her authentic home cooking - Joelle completed a Cordon Bleu cookery course at Leith’s after taking A’ Levels. She went on to train as a French teacher but maintained her culinary enthusiasm by cooking regularly for friends and family. She loves discovering new ingredients; on holiday you are more likely to find her in the local market than in a museum. She enjoys teaching and sharing her knowledge and aims to strike the perfect balance of healthy and tasty in all her meals.
Smart Raspberry gives Joelle a chance to follow her passion and share it with the next generation. She believes young people need to learn to follow recipes and develop the knowledge and skills they need to be creative in the kitchen. She wants them to leave her classes with a sense of pride and newfound confidence to cook for their friends and family.
Tel: 07762105074
joelle@smartraspberry.com
Emma Moore
Joined November 2020
Emma has always had a keen interest in cooking, encouraged by her nan whom she spent a lot of time with cooking and baking over the years. She remembers her first bake was making a Christmas cake with her nan and when she was old enough she took over the yearly family tradition. After developing her skills and becoming a fully qualified chef, cooking has become her lifelong passion. With over 12 years of varied cooking roles and also having a family of her own she has enjoyed encouraging her own children to get involved in cooking healthy, home-cooked meals and teaching them about healthy choices. Emma also loves growing her own fruit and veg which has helped her to gain a greater insight into the time and effort it takes to nurture food as it grows and matures, giving her a sense of achievement. After cooking in a school kitchen for nearly 4 years, she came to realise that children don’t get many opportunities to learn cooking skills in school, so she decided to look into running her own children’s cookery classes. After doing a lot of research she came across Smart Raspberry which was the perfect fit.
Tel: 07860 152046
emma@smartraspberry.com
Mahsa Bayat
Joined July 2024
Originally from Iran, Mahsa was raised in a household where food was a central part of her culture and family life. This instilled in her a love for cooking and sharing her culinary knowledge with others.
Mahsa has honed her skills working in Montessori settings, and primary schools for the past ten years where she gained valuable experience in understanding the needs of young children and ways to enhance their skills. Her time in these settings has equipped her with the knowledge and expertise to effectively support and nurture children in their development.
She strives to create a fun and engaging environment where children
learn and grow through hands-on experiences and practical learning.
Mahsa is very excited to be a part of Smart Raspberry Cookery School where she can continue sharing her love for cooking and helping children develop important life skills that will serve them well in the future.
Tel: 07777 118399
mahsa@smartraspberry.com
Pam Stableford
Joined November 2024
Pam has a strong belief in what you eat affects your whole wellbeing and food is at the heart of all the things she loves doing including growing her own fruit and vegetables. Realising she had a gluten intolerance she decided to study Nutritional Therapy to understand how food isn’t just about fuel for energy, but can be the difference between good vitality and poor health. Pam’s passion for food and cooking was put to good use when she set up a community coffee shop with her husband, where she baked all the cakes and created healthy menus.
More recently Pam has enjoyed volunteering with her local Brownies Unit as a qualified Brownie Leader (Snowy Owl) and it is whilst she was there she gained the valuable skills to lead and teach at children’s cookery classes. It was a natural move for her to decide to become part of the Smart Raspberry Team. She is excited about teaching cookery skills to children across Solihull, and having some fun along the way.
Tel: 07986 624745
pam@smartraspberry.com
Hema Sablok
Joined April 2025
Hema, originally from Goa, India, has been part of the UK’s teaching profession for the past 18 years. A dedicated educator, she has a deep passion for nurturing young minds and imparting valuable life skills through the Montessori method.
Hailing from a land renowned for its rich culinary heritage, Hema is also an enthusiastic and accomplished chef. Her love for food spans across cultures, with her cooking repertoire shaped and refined by her experiences living in various parts of the world.
Smart Raspberry presents the perfect opportunity for Hema to combine her two great passions—teaching and cooking. She is particularly inspired by the chance to introduce children to the joys of healthy eating and essential cooking skills from an early age. Hema recognises that many young children today have limited opportunities to cook at home, which can lead to a lack of interest or confidence in the kitchen as they grow older.
Drawing from her own experiences, she firmly believes that learning to cook in childhood not only creates lasting memories but also fosters a love for food, independence, and creativity that lasts a lifetime. Cooking, in her view, is a wonderful medium to explore imagination, build practical skills, and grow confidence in young learners.
Hema is truly excited to welcome children into her classes and workshops, where she hopes to inspire, engage, and empower them through the magic of cooking.
Tel: 07944 234618
hema@smartraspberry.com
Xenia Murray
Joined January 2026
Xenia’s first cookery book was “Cooking is a Game you can Eat” and she started cooking at a young age. The family travelled a lot and always introduced the children to different cuisines including France, Italy and South America. Spending time with her grandmother’s family in Austria she learnt to cook traditional recipes - but also imported the recipe for apple crumble!
After a corporate career, Xenia changed directions and trained at Leiths School of Food and Wine, becoming a teacher soon after, teaching a wide range of classes for enthusiasts, and in the Leiths Education partner schools programme as a visiting teacher and exam assessor. She has developed and run cooking classes for food bank clients, adults with special needs, and children.
Xenia has a passion for teaching cooking and introducing people of all ages to healthy food, using simple recipes and seasonal ingredients. She enjoys watching people grow in confidence as they learn to cook and above all having fun.
Tel: 07957 807797
xenia@smartraspberry.com
