Our Culinary Journey

Bringing authentic home cooking wisdom to kitchens across the UK since our humble beginnings in East London

Where Food Meets Passion

Back in early 2020, our founder Eveline Korthagen was teaching her neighbour how to make proper sourdough bread when she realised something important. The internet was full of complicated recipes and fancy techniques, but nobody was talking about the real foundations of home cooking.

That conversation in a small Stratford kitchen became the spark for Hiolianto Puperavo. We started with just three families sharing weekend cooking sessions, and now we're helping hundreds of people discover the joy of creating genuine meals from scratch.

What makes us different? We focus on the essentials that actually matter. Not trendy superfoods or Instagram-worthy presentations, but the core skills that turn cooking from a chore into something you genuinely look forward to.

Fresh ingredients and cooking essentials arranged on a rustic wooden table

What Drives Our Kitchen Philosophy

Practical Skills First

We teach techniques you'll actually use every week, not just special occasion tricks that sit unused.

Real Home Kitchens

Our methods work with standard equipment and normal budgets. No fancy gadgets required.

Community Learning

Small groups where everyone gets proper attention and can ask questions without feeling silly.

Meet Our Lead Instructor

The person who turns cooking anxiety into kitchen confidence

Eveline Korthagen

Founder & Lead Instructor

Teaching Through Real Experience

Eveline spent fifteen years working in restaurant kitchens before realising her true calling was helping regular people cook better at home. She's trained over 800 home cooks since 2020, and her approach focuses on building confidence rather than following rigid rules.

Her background includes work at Borough Market, where she learned to select ingredients like a pro, and three years managing kitchen operations for a farm-to-table restaurant in Kent. But what really shapes her teaching is her understanding of how intimidating cooking can feel when you're starting out.

"I remember burning my first attempt at scrambled eggs," she laughs. "Now I help people master techniques that seemed impossible to me once. Everyone can learn to cook well – they just need someone who remembers what it was like to be a beginner."

Building Kitchen Confidence That Lasts

Our programmes start in September 2025 with small groups of just eight people. This isn't about creating celebrity chefs – it's about giving you the skills to feed yourself and your family well, without stress or waste.

We cover everything from proper knife technique to understanding how flavours work together. By the end of our twelve-week course, you'll have a repertoire of reliable recipes and the confidence to adapt them based on what's in your fridge.

Most importantly, you'll understand the 'why' behind cooking techniques, so you can fix things when they go wrong and experiment with your own ideas.

Explore Our Programmes

Hands kneading bread dough on a floured wooden surface