SELLING prepared frozen meals has become the latest business idea for two Salisbury women, to give people the “gift of time” while eating healthily and supporting the local economy.

Launched in September 2018, Absolute Cooking is a service that offers prepared frozen meals to those who are unable or have less time to cook, as a healthy alternative to takeaways.

Describing themselves as Big Cook, Little Cook, the business is run by neighbours and friends, Nicola Parsons and Krupa Vyaghra, who both have a passion for cooking and take pride in sourcing their ingredients from local suppliers, in a bid to support the city and independent outlets

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The duo cook meals in large batches, and Nicola said: “We walk to the market to get all our spices and herbs, and we use the butchers in The Maltings, we just want to support local businesses who may have suffered last year.

“Now we want to branch out even more to support Salisbury, because we love Salisbury and it had a really hard time last year, we don’t want there to be anymore harm caused.”

The current menu boasts a range of meals for customers to order and pick up, from the Indian inspired bean curry, lamb biryani and spinach Dahl, to winter favourites including Shepard’s pie and lasagne.

Nicola, who cooked meals as part of her previous job, added: “It’s always been in my mind that it’s a great idea for people who work, and you know that what you’re giving or eating is the best quality as it’s home cooked.”

As well as its cooking service, the team offer regular workshops called Chop, Chat, Cook, where people can watch how to cook Indian dishes with everyday ingredients, and then try cooking them for themselves. Each class is then followed by enjoying the meals together.

Krupa, who leads the session, said: “I wanted to give another identity to Indian food, which is usually known for takeaways.

"We want to show that Indian home cooking is completely different to restaurants and very easy to do, and prove that it’s possible to eat really healthy, fresh meals.

“The idea is to teach that you shouldn’t have to buy specialist ingredients, it should just be part of your normal day.”

The next Chop, Chat, Cook session will be held on February 17, for more information about the business, visit Absolute Cooking’s Facebook page, telephone 07889 797002 or email: info@absolutecooking.co.uk

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