Hello. My name is Manal and I am from Syria.  I have been living in the UK since 2014 along with my husband and two children.  My love of cooking started at a young age when, like many Arabic girls, I spent a lot of time in the kitchen helping my mother to prepare family meals.  I went on to study cooking at college and spent a couple of years teaching cookery classes for 14-17 year olds at a school in Syria.  Since arriving in the UK, I have channelled my energy into completing English language and book-keeping courses, the Migrateful chef’s training programme and I am about to start studying photography at university.

I have also produced my own Syrian cookery book to raise funds for refugees and recently I have been asked to cater for some private events which is very exciting and something I would like to do more of.  My aim is to build a successful career for myself which combines my passions for cooking and photography.  I can’t wait to teach you my favourite traditional Syrian recipes and to share stories about Syrian culture as we cook and enjoy a meal together.