Holly Jones of Manna from Devon cookery school writes: ‘Chatting over coffee and wondering what we should celebrate after this last crazy year, we came up with a few things that warranted a glass or two of fizz – coming out of lockdown, getting vaccinated, being able to see friends and family by more than Zoom and having a haircut at long last. Then it occurred to us that in May our cooking school, Manna from Devon, is 15 – a big celebration that had crept up on us almost unexpectedly.

‘From little beginnings, it has taken over our lives. We now have 3 books to our name, a growing YouTube channel with followers all over the world and a full calendar of courses. Additionally a lot more skills than when we started – film making and production; a lot of officey stuff; an awful lot of knowledge about our core skills of breadmaking, fish cookery and cooking with woodfired ovens that could well be considered nerdy; and the crucial how to make sure to finish on time however many questions our students ask. 

‘We also, fortunately, have lots of happy memories, many food industry friends at home and abroad, lots of plans for the future and still like working together. That’s definitely cause for celebrating.’