Cookbook Author and Content Creator Clare Andrews

Hi, my name is Clare Andrews. I'm a cookbook author and content creator, and every day is really very different for me on the self-employment route. 

I won the new to self-employment IPSE award back in 2023 and I was very new to self-employment then; I took the leap at the end of 2022 and I've not looked back since. It's honestly changed my life. 

Why did you become self-employed?

So I decided to go freelance, well the opportunity arose where I felt I couldn't, not really. I've worked in education for years, primary education, and then moved to online during Covid. 

During Covid, I started an online blog and Instagram accounts about air frying, cooking and just experimenting really, with this wondrous machine that was an air fryer. And I got approached by Penguin, Michael Joseph, to write a cookbook. So I thought, well, if I don't do it now, why not? So I took the leap, and I haven't regretted a day. It's been amazing. I'm now on my third cookbook, which is due to come out at the end of this year, and I don't regret a minute.

How has social media played a part in your success?

Social media played a big part in my self-employment journey. I started my Instagram account back in 2019 and it grew really quickly from there. It was a really safe space for me. I love the food community on Instagram. It's just such a great community to be a part of. I know social media has its ups and downs and its negatives, but I found it to be completely positive the whole time. And now, we've expanded to X, LinkedIn, Threads and we've got a Facebook group going now. 

I think the industry that I'm in, it's a really good community to share recipes and the hints and tips. Air frying, as you know, is really having a moment at the minute. So to have a community available for us all to kind of share, be together and enjoy food, I think that's that's one of the major things.

How did you grow your social media presence?

I know with my content creation, what it started as, to what it's grown into now, is completely different and I've just done that by watching lots of Instagram videos, reels, tiktoks, reading a lot online, and actually listening to the people that follow me. They're your best leads, in what it is that they want and they're looking for. 

I like to make everything really natural. I don't think there's any point in trying to fib or pull the wool over people's eyes or anything. I think the more natural, the more real, the better when it comes to anything with social media. I think people are looking for that now, and that's what I try and deliver.

How has your TV work benefitted you?

So I did five TV shows for Channel Five, and they all featured around air frying, cooking, the pros and cons of air fryers, and which one we should choose. I did a lot of cooking on there as well. I shared quite a few of my recipes, the simple ones, as well, and I found that so many people got so much out of that. I would love to do more TV work. I absolutely loved it. I felt so natural in there, and it made me so happy to be able to share my journey with others as well. 

I've worked with some really great brands, and I really enjoy it because they set you, almost like little challenges, and that for me is great. I'd also like to write for some magazines, maybe get some recipes, just particularly for certain magazines and newspapers. I think writing for me is kind of a therapy, and creating recipes. I couldn't even begin to imagine that I'd be doing this job. It's a dream really.

What have you found is a downside of freelancing?

Think one of the downsides of being self employed, which I know I didn't realize and I didn't really take into consideration when I started, was the self isolation. 

Now, I guess it depends on what role that you do in the self employed world. I know for me, if I was just writing, I would go days without seeing anybody. And I think that's where IPSE have been brilliant. The community that they have and the outreach that they have has just, been fantastic for me, and I think it's just great to use so you're not so alone. There is always someone to reach out to, or to just kind of vibe off or get advice. If I hadn't found IPSE, I think I probably would of struggled a little bit with being on my own so much and having so many of my own thoughts. 

How has being an IPSE member helped you?

Since becoming an IPSE member and going to lots of different events, I've really grown my network with like minded people. We've been able to keep in contact and probably share other networking opportunities and other kind of advice and hints and tips. 

A lot of the events that I go to, I'll probably go on my own, but it doesn't really matter, because there's always someone that you know from previous events or someone that you've touched base with online. And so they've been brilliant for me.

Any advice for those considering self-employment?

So I'm a woman in my 40s, and I never thought that I would ever be self-employed. I like the safety net of working for somebody. I like that safety net of my holidays and my timings. But, I can honestly say I would never go back to working for anybody else again. 

This has given me a new lease of life, a new lease self-worth. I think, don't write women off in their 40s! We've got so much to give. And I think if you are thinking of a career change, or wanted to explore it, my advice would be, just give it a go. Life is so short, and I know how I feel being self employed now, is a completely different woman. I'm so grateful every day that I decided to make that leap.