A Cheshire cookery school will open up a new branch in Macclesfield this year.

Wild Salt Community Interest Company (CIC) has received cash help from the Crewe breakfast company Mornflake, to help propel their expansion in Macclesfield this spring.

The funds have been put towards equipment, as Wild Salt plans to move into Macclesfield in March.

The community cooking school has already been helping hundreds of Sandbach families, with the aim to eat well on a tight budget, and now they want to spread these skills and wisdom to Macclesfield.

Wild Salt Community Interest Company founder Esther Southern meets Charlotte Gribbin and Iain Lavelle of Mornflake in the firm's innovation kitchen.

Founder Esther Southern, a mental health charity worker from Sandbach, said: "The community cooking school provides free classes to families who access the local food bank pantry."

"The aim is to increase social inclusion, diversity in meals and empower every person who attends to be able to build a nutrient-dense plate of food.

"The results have been reduced sugar intake, decrease in loneliness and increase in families cooking together at home.

"The classes have enhanced understanding of flavour and what you can do with left over veg in the fridge. And the demand has been overwhelming, so much so we are expanding into Macclesfield in March once the venue is confirmed."

The free classes, staged monthly, are funded by paid-for supper clubs and cookery events involving local chefs who support the project.

To give a flavour of what they could bring to Macc, events in the pipeline for their pre-existing Sandbach classes include Japanese, Greek and plant-based cookery.

Crewe oats company Mornflake has topped up the funding pot with £250 to buy more utensils and provided oats and recipe ideas.

Esther, 36, added: "We reached out to Mornflake explaining how we bring people together to have a laugh and learn how to use ingredients in creative ways. To get this funding, but also recognition from a well-known company like Mornflake is truly inspiring."

Mornflake (a sponsor of Crewe Alexandra FC) are helping fund the new classes coming soon to Macclesfield. (Image - Macclesfield FC players at Crewe's Mornflake Stadium)

Mornflake, a family milling operation founded in Swettenham in 1675, is one of the country's oldest food producers whose porridge, granola and muesli cereals are a staple in 70 different countries, including China, Saudi Ara­bia, America, Australia and South Africa.

Managing director James Lea said: "Mornflake promotes an active lifestyle through sponsorship of many local sporting organisations. Sponsoring the free cookery classes is another way for us to support health and mental wellbeing. We were delighted to hear how they have improved local diets while helping to combat isolation."

Mornflake shares a wide range of oat-based recipes on its website and social platforms. Chewy chocolate flapjacks, veggie chilli and banana, honey and blueberry bread are flavour of the month.

For more go to mornflake.com/recipes.

They have a Macclesfield venue for their new lessons in mind, which will be revealed closer to the launch in March.

For more on the cooking classes, and to be first to find out the venue of their new Macclesfield classes, please email [email protected].