A York-based cookery school has been named one of the nation’s favourite businesses.
Sharmini’s Inspirational Indian Cuisine Cookery School, founded by Sharmini Thomas, received the honour as part of the 2026 Nation’s Favourite Businesses campaign by Small Business Saturday.
The campaign highlights standout independent businesses in the lead-up to Small Business Saturday on December 5, encouraging the public to shop small and support local enterprises.
The news comes as the school announced plans to expand into online education with an on-demand digital masterclass launching in 2027.
Sharmini said: "Being selected for this national recognition is a tremendous honour.
"York has an extraordinary, supportive independent business community, and I am incredibly proud to represent our city on the national stage as we champion local businesses.
"This moment belongs to all of our supporters, from the students filling our cookery classes to those choosing our vouchers as meaningful experience gifts.
"I am endlessly grateful to our wonderful community and my family, whose support makes every milestone possible."
Sharmini’s cookery school was founded in 2003 after she spent two decades teaching adult education with City of York Council.
The school is known for its hands-on masterclasses that demystify authentic Indian home cooking.
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Michelle Ovens, director of Small Business Saturday UK, said: "This year’s Nation Favourite Businesses are a true representation of the UK’s most-loved small businesses.
"From independent, family run cafés and local restaurants, to makers, services and traders, they showcase the incredible diversity of the UK’s small business community."
The school has previously received other national honours, including Nation’s Best Curry School, an FSB Sole Trader Award, and gold at the Best Business Women Awards.
Sharmini said: "These accolades were a powerful validation of our hands-on, sensory approach to teaching.
"Now, we are channelling that momentum into pre-recorded masterclasses, bringing the art of traditional Kerala cooking to home cooks at their own pace."
The new course, Kerala Cuisine: The On-Demand Masterclass, translates nearly 30 years of classroom teaching into a digital format designed to help home cooks master regional Indian cooking.
Drawing on her background in psychology and adult education, Sharmini has developed a visual learning method to help students understand what each stage of a recipe should look like.
The course features step-by-step guidance on essential techniques, street-food favourites, mains, sides, chutneys and sweets, with adaptations to suit vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free diets.
Designed for everyday UK kitchens, the masterclass uses only standard cookware and domestic hobs.
Subscribers will have access to 12 months of unlimited on-demand streaming across all devices, along with large-print, colour-coded recipe cards for ease of use in the kitchen.
Small Business Saturday is the UK’s most successful small business campaign, having engaged millions of people since its launch in 2013 and driven billions of pounds in spending with independent firms.
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