Cooking has never been the hard part.
Charging for it, registering it and making it sustainable has been. From Hong Kong bakes to Pakistani comfort food, women across Preston who have spent years cooking at home are now learning how to treat that skill as work.
The programme supporting that change is Lady Boss, a programme delivered by Preston Co‑operative Development Network (PCDN) and Kind Communities, and funded through Preston City Council’s UKSPF 2025/26 programme. While Lady Boss includes catering and food safety training, its focus is practical: helping women turn their existing skills into viable food businesses that meet UK regulations and fit into their real lives.
“For most of the women, the passion is already there,” said Aysha Patel, Founding Director of Kind Communities. “What they were missing was structure, the legal knowledge and the confidence to move forward.”
The second Lady Boss cohort ran in autumn 2025, bringing together 18 women from eight wards across Preston. More than 70 per cent were born outside the UK, with many having arrived in the city within the last few years.
Sessions covered UK‑specific requirements, including food safety, allergen law, kitchen inspections, pricing, invoicing, branding and tax. Rushtons Accountants also delivered sessions on record‑keeping and HMRC requirements, an area many participants said they had previously found intimidating.
“People often think pricing is just ingredients and packaging,” Patel explained. “They don’t account for shopping time, energy bills, their kitchen, or the hours they spend cooking. Many of them had never paid themselves.”
Participants were asked to calculate the true cost of producing a single item, including their labour. For many, what initially appeared profitable changed once time and overheads were added in. It was the first time their work had been broken down and valued in that way.
For Rabia Bangi, founder of Sofi’s Kitchen, Lady Boss helped turn a long‑held idea into something tangible.
“I’ve always been a passionate home baker and cook,” she said. “Friends and family were always asking me to make things. When it came to doing it as a business, I didn’t know where to start.”
She described the sessions as accessible and supportive, with space to ask questions without judgement.
“Everyone helped each other. Those sessions became my favourite day of the week.”
Outside the sessions, participants stayed connected through a WhatsApp group, sharing reminders, advice and encouragement. Bangi has since completed her Level 2 Food Safety qualification and is preparing for her home kitchen inspection.
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For Angela Yiu, founder of TALK.HK, Lady Boss offered a way to share her culture while building something rooted in Preston. Originally from Hong Kong, her business centres on traditional cashew biscuits, made from a family recipe she has cooked for years. An unexpected part of the programme involved writing about her business and its background.
“It gave me the opportunity to explain what we do and why,” Yiu said. “I hadn’t really thought about that before.”
The group itself became a source of connection.
“I met women from lots of different places,” she said. “I now have friends from all over the world here in Preston. Everyone was very open and supportive.”
Lady Boss was designed as a women‑only programme to reflect the realities many participants face. Running the sessions in a women‑only space made it easier for participants to attend regularly and speak openly, creating an environment where practical questions could be asked without hesitation.
“Most of the women are juggling a lot,” Patel said. “Caring responsibilities, families, and other commitments.”
Preston has a long tradition of small, home‑based food economies, from informal catering for community events to family‑run takeaways, market stalls and community kitchens. Much of that labour, particularly when carried out by women, has historically gone unpaid or been treated as informal rather than entrepreneurial.
Alongside Lady Boss, PCDN in the Community offers free, open-access business advice across Preston to anyone looking to start or develop a business, cooperative, or community organisation. While Lady Boss is women‑only, that wider service is open to all and provides ongoing support beyond the programme.
By the end of the course, most participants had completed Level 2 Food Safety training and begun the process of kitchen inspections. Some are already trading; others are taking their next steps more slowly, fitting work around family life and other commitments.
What they share is a clearer understanding of what their skills are worth – and a route to building something sustainable from them.
Lady Boss Businesses to Watch:
- TALK.HK – Angela Yiu
- Sofi’s Kitchen – Rabia Bangi (@sofiskitchen7)
- A Taste of Palestine – Faten Issa
- Essence of Pakistan – Farhana Khan (@essenceofpakistan)
- Salad Express – Asma Kantharia (@salad.express)
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