With over 40 years' experience in both food retail and hospitality sectors. I now specialise in food consultancy and recipe development, using fresh family food ingredients which are available in most supermarkets, in all of my recipes.

 

The passion I have for great tasting, freshly prepared family food goes back a long way, learning to cook with my mum (jean) when I was young, and then training as a butcher, greengrocer, baker and fishmonger in the 80s & 90s with 3 large food retailers in the UK & USA.

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​Growing up in a family of 2 brothers, with both Mum & Dad, who had a strong interest in food & cooking. Mum (Jean) attended a cordon bleu cookery course in the 1950s, and Dad (Willie) travelled all over the world experiencing different food cultures, which he then brought back to share with us on his return.

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Having worked for the 3 large food retail businesses between 1983 and 2010, I witnessed both the UK and USA food cultures evolve into such that are now renowned across the world today. Since 2010 I have worked within the hospitality sector, developing food and drink menus, and recipes for bars, pubs & restaurants across the UK as well as on-line.

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The past 20 years has seen the positive developments on products being introduced by manufacturers into UK supermarkets. I started to look at ways of using these to enhance recipes, as well as developing simple ‘Cheats’ that speed up preparation and the cooking process. I have chosen some of the best of these to help you, the home family cook, prepare great tasting dishes that focus on ‘Fresh Family Food’ being at the heart of each recipe.

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Fresh ‘Ready Meals’ may have a place in the home for ‘Time Poor’ families, and over the past 30 years, we have seen a decline in children wanting to, or being supported in learning to cook at home.

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​Spending time with families, teaching them how to cook, and sharing my experiences is one of the most rewarding experiences for me. It encourages creative thinking, while experiencing different flavours, cooking processes and food cultures, and then pass that knowledge on to their own children, and families. That’s what happened with me, and I thank both my parents enormously for that.

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Why 'MR HANS' ?​

"The name and brand of 'MR HANS' evolved from recent visits to the middle east, when I was on a 'Busman’s Holiday' to experience middle eastern food culture.  I witnessed one of the most passionate and motivated teams i have ever experienced in years of travel; at HILTON RAS AL KHAIMAH RESORT & SPA. Every colleague worked extremely hard, at every opportunity, to exceed guest expectations in everything they did. While getting involved and sharing my food and recipe experiences, I began to be known as (and referred to as) 'MR HANS'

 

It was a privileged to visit HILTON RAS AL KHAIMAH RESORT & SPA another 3 times in 2018 / 2019, and on each occasion the name 'MR HANS' was embedded further by many of the resort colleagues as I got to know them better, all spurred on by the General Manager, Helen. You can read here, a short segment from my TRIPADVISOR review.

 

Following my latest visit and after returning to the UK, I decided to utilise the name 'MR HANS' as a brand and also in the title of my new business venture, 'MR HANS'- Fresh Family Food’, producing, developing and writing recipes, many of which have been handed down to me by my parents, Jean & Willie."

 

So that’s 'MR HANS'. I hope you enjoy cooking some of my dishes. Feel free to CONTACT US, if you have any questions or queries about any recipes.

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With best regards - Hans Sprenkel

(MR HANS)