COOK, the quality frozen food retailer, is to open a new shop in the heart of Hale village.
Brad and Jess Podbur, who live in the village with their two children, have taken on the Hale franchise and will open in the former Interiors of Hale unit on Ashley Road later this month.
The couple launched their first COOK shop on Water Lane in Wilmslow two years ago.
COOK was set up in 1997 with the founding principle to “cook using the same ingredients and techniques that you would at home”. The company remains an independent family-run business, and was last year ranked 44th in the Sunday Times Top 100 Companies To Work For.
The company now has over 80 shops around the UK and annual sales of £50m.
Brad said: “The food is handmade and blast frozen so it tastes like you’ve just cooked it yourself, and most importantly there are no additives or preservatives. All the meals are signed by the chef who made them, and one of the most popular aspects is that you cook them straight from frozen. This means you can get home from work or a long day out and have a home cooked meal within minutes.
“We’ve seen the chefs at work in their chef’s whites, using only the best quality ingredients. Puddings and cakes are made in COOK’s brand new purpose-built puddings kitchen in Somerset.”
The Podburs, who relocated to the area due to Jess’s job as assistant editor at BBC Breakfast, are hoping to open several more COOK shops in Cheshire.
Jess explained: “As a busy working mum, I relied on the COOK store in West Dulwich when we lived in south London and absolutely loved the food. Brad had always wanted to run his own business, and we felt very strongly that we couldn’t invest in something we didn’t believe in, then one day, I picked up a COOK leaflet about franchising, and it seemed like a match made in foodie heaven.”
She said the application process to become a franchisee was “akin to appearing on The Apprentice”.
COOK Hale, which will be open seven days a week from the end of April, will also offer click and collect and home delivery services.
