Smart Raspberry Cookery School

What Smart Raspberry Cookery School does

Smart Raspberry Cookery School is a UK-based children's cookery education business founded in 2011 by Alicia Cronin, headquartered in England and structured as a franchisor. The company teaches children aged 2-16 through a portfolio of in-person and online classes, including after-school cookery clubs delivered in schools, full-day holiday workshops, birthday cooking parties, pre-school classes for ages 2-5, and online Zoom classes for ages 10-15. Specialized offerings include gluten-free classes for children with coeliac disease, a Duke of Edinburgh Skills Section course (3, 6, or 12-month options priced £60-£180), and a pre-university life-skills cooking course. The franchisor is supported by a small HQ team of 11 employees and a network of area managers operating distinct UK territories under the Smart Raspberry brand, teaching 700+ students weekly.

The company's technology stack is relatively lightweight: a website-based Class Finder and booking portal directs parents to local franchisees, a third-party franchise management system (Webchise by Azura Ltd) handles customer data, Zoom powers live online classes, and Mailchimp and Google Analytics support marketing and traffic analysis. No proprietary AI or advanced technical assets are disclosed. The competitive positioning rests on a recognized brand (with Mary Berry endorsement at the 2019 pre-school launch), UK Food Standards Agency hygiene certification, a curated curriculum, and the franchise distribution model.

Revenue is generated through a mix of streams: recurring termly subscriptions for after-school clubs, one-time fees for holiday workshops and birthday parties, subscription-style DofE courses, recurring monthly online coeliac classes, weekly online Zoom classes, and franchise licensing fees. The customer base is fragmented across individual parents booking children's classes, schools hosting after-school clubs, and Duke of Edinburgh award participants. The company has not disclosed any external funding, parent company, or acquisition activity, and operates through two legal entities: Smart Raspberry Ltd. (company number 6840199) and Smart Raspberry Cookery School LLP (company number OC401109).

Name

Smart Raspberry Cookery School

Legal name

Smart Raspberry Ltd.

Website

https://smartraspberry.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Smart Raspberry Cookery School is a UK franchisor that teaches children aged 2-16 to cook through after-school clubs, holiday workshops, birthday parties, and online classes, delivered by area managers across multiple UK regions under the brand founded by Alicia Cronin in 2011.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Cooking Education

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

akta.pro primary industry

Nutrition, Special Diets & Wellness Cooking (EDAOAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cooking Classes & Chef-Led Workshops (THAJAGAI), Culinary Skills Workshops (Baking, Regional Cooking, Food Prep Skills) (THAJAKAE), Baking & Pastry Classes (THAJAGAJ)

Keywords

• Children's cookery classes
• Kids cooking classes
• After-school clubs
• Holiday cooking workshops
• Franchise cookery school

Headquarters

HQ city

Henley-on-Thames

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. After-School Cookery Clubs: Weekly cooking classes held in schools across the UK, booked by parents on a termly basis
2. Holiday Workshops: Full-day cooking workshops during school holidays, offered across multiple UK locations
3. Birthday Parties: Cookery parties for children's birthdays, including customizable menu options
4. Duke of Edinburgh Courses: Cook at Home courses with 3, 6, or 12-month options - courses range from £60 to £180
5. Online Coeliac Classes: Monthly online gluten-free cooking classes for children aged 5-17 with coeliac disease
6. Online Zoom Classes: Weekly live online cooking classes for 10-15 year olds via Zoom
7. Franchise Fees: Revenue from franchise network licensing and support services

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Smart Raspberry Cookery School teaches children aged 2-16 to cook through a portfolio of weekly after-school clubs, full-day holiday workshops, children's birthday cookery parties, pre-school parent-and-child classes, online Zoom cook-alongs, and specialised courses for the Duke of Edinburgh Award and gluten-free (coeliac) diets. The offering is delivered across the UK via a franchise network of area managers, with all ingredients, equipment and curriculum provided so families do not need to prepare anything.

Product overview

Smart Raspberry Cookery School is a UK-based children's cooking education business offering a diverse portfolio of in-person and online cookery classes for children aged 2-16 years. The core offerings include After-School Cookery Clubs (running weekly in schools across the UK), Holiday Workshops (full-day sessions during school breaks), and Kids Cooking Parties (birthday celebrations with cooking activities). The company also operates Online Zoom Classes (live weekly sessions for 10-15 year olds), Online Coeliac Classes (monthly gluten-free cooking sessions), and Pre-School Cooking Classes (for ages 2-5 with parent helpers). Specialized programs include Duke of Edinburgh Cookery Courses and Pre-University Cooking Courses. The business operates through a franchise model, with franchisees delivering classes across various UK locations. The company also launched Online Zoom Cookery Classes in March 2020 and continues to offer both online and in-person options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• After-School Cookery Clubs Weekly after-school cooking clubs held in schools across the UK for children in Years 1-6 (ages 5-11). Each session features a new recipe (sweet and savoury on rotation), small class sizes, and all ingredients and equipment provided; parents book termly via the website.
• Holiday Workshops Full-day cookery workshops run during UK school holidays at multiple community and school venues for children aged 5-15. Each day covers three recipes with printed recipe sheets, all ingredients included, and themed activities appropriate to the season.
• Kids Cooking Parties Stress-free cookery parties for kids' birthdays with three package options: Tasty Two-Course Party, Creative Cupcake Party, and Perfect Pizza Party. Children cook their own party meal with all ingredients, equipment, invitations, chef hats and party bags provided.
• Duke of Edinburgh Cookery Course Self-paced home cookery course recognised by the Duke of Edinburgh Award as counting towards the Skills Section. Available in 3-month (£60), 6-month (£90) or 12-month (£180) tiers; participants cook one recipe per week, submit photos for teacher review, and receive a DofE assessor report and completion certificate.
• Online Coeliac Classes Monthly online gluten-free cooking classes for children aged 5-17 diagnosed with coeliac disease or requiring a strict gluten-free diet, with no cross-contamination risk. Led by Alicia Cronin and run on Sunday afternoons (16:30-18:15).
• Weekly Online Zoom Classes Weekly live online cook-along classes via Zoom for 10-15 year olds, held Wednesdays 17:30-18:45. Includes real-time teacher guidance, recipes emailed in advance feeding a family of 4, and an interactive live format.
• Pre-School Cooking Classes (Ages 2-5) Cookery classes for children aged 2-5 with parent helper participation, held Tuesday mornings at The Christ Church Centre, Henley-on-Thames. Designed to introduce young children to cooking safely with parental supervision.
• Online Pre-University Course Online cookery course for teenagers and young people preparing for independent living or university, teaching essential life skills and nutritious cooking from scratch.
• Franchise Opportunities Business franchise opportunity for individuals to open and operate their own Smart Raspberry Cookery School franchise in a defined UK territory. Franchisees receive training, guidance, the franchise management portal, brand curriculum and ongoing support; territories are currently being recruited in Beds, Bucks and Herts.

Quantifiable outcome

• 700+ students taught weekly
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Duke of Edinburgh's AwardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmart Raspberry's Cook at Home course is officially recognised as counting towards the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Skills Section. The company handles course delivery, photo submissions, teacher feedback, and provides the official DofE assessor report and certificate of completion.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Avenue Cookery School: London-based cookery school offering children's classes, parties, and adult workshops — competes for the same parent and child audience in Greater London.
• Mini Cooks: UK children's cookery school franchise delivering after-school cooking clubs, holiday workshops, and birthday parties — near-identical offering and channel structure to Smart Raspberry.
• Cook Stars: UK-based children's cookery school franchise offering after-school clubs, workshops, and parties for children — directly comparable franchise model, age range, and product mix to Smart Raspberry.

Emerging players

• Sorted Food: UK digital cooking content and education brand with online classes and a youth-focused community — comparable in using online channels to teach cooking skills, though primarily a media/content business rather than physical classes.
• School Food Matters: UK charity delivering food education in schools including cooking programmes — adjacent to Smart Raspberry's school channel, competing for the same 'cooking in schools' mission and school-partnership mindshare.
• Kids Kitchen Academy: UK children's cookery school running workshops and holiday courses — overlaps in the children's cooking class category though typically single-location rather than franchise-network based.
• Tasty Kids Club: Smaller UK children's cooking club offering after-school and holiday classes — overlaps in product and channel but with a narrower geographic and operational footprint than Smart Raspberry's franchise.

Broad incumbents

• Leiths School of Food and Wine: Established UK culinary education institution (adult-focused) where Smart Raspberry's founder and several area managers trained — comparable in culinary teaching content but serves adults and operates a fixed London venue rather than a children's franchise network.
• Riverford Cookery School: UK cookery school attached to Riverford organic farm offering hands-on cooking classes for adults and children — overlapping curriculum space but adult-skewed and venue-based rather than franchised.

Regional players

• Juniors Chef Academy: Children's cookery school operating in select UK regions with holiday workshops and classes — comparable product offering but limited geographic footprint relative to Smart Raspberry's franchise reach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/smartraspberry
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smart-raspberry-cookery-school
• Instagraminstagram.com/smartraspberryhq

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Smart Raspberry Cookery School