Co Antrim woman's passion for posting traditional cookery skills a hit on TikTok
While the social media platform was initially best known for showcasing dance moves, Cheryl Smyth has amassed millions of views from across the world whipping up local favourites in her kitchen in Carrickfergus.
Some of the 58-year-old's most popular videos include stew, roast dinners, braised steak, 'marry me' chicken and sausage rolls, and attract viewers from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and France as well as Northern Ireland.
Her bakes also include a chocolate cake inspired by the Roald Dahl book Matilda as well as traybakes, pineapple creams, scones, sticky toffee pudding, wheaten farls and treacle farls as well as old-school jam and coconut sponge and meringues.
Her channel Cheryl Bakes Cakes is growing by around 10,000 followers a month since she started in January 2024, going on to hit 100,000 by December, and now at almost 170,000.
One of her first videos was surviving a gale during Storm Isla in January 2024, but soon expanded to cooking with the encouragement of her children.
Cheryl told the PA news agency she is incredibly touched by and motivated by followers who tell her she has taught them things their own parents were not able to.
'I'm just a person next door type, but I do things they can all relate to, and I'm teaching them how to cook, and how to cook good traditional meals on a budget,' she said.
'You'll see my life going on in the background, my dogs, people walking in while I'm baking, my husband, it's just a real person in a real kitchen making real food.
'I actually had a message recently from a girl who said her mum had passed suddenly, how she missed her and that actually I was teaching her things her mum never got the chance to do.
'I've had lots of those comments, that I'm the mummy someone didn't have or the great aunt, and for me, that's my measure of success when someone says that to me.
'I'm so grateful that just being me seems to connect with people.'
Cheryl, originally from Larne, also lived in Zambia and Canada as a child before her family returned to Northern Ireland.
She worked as a personal assistant before becoming a full-time mother when her first son was born, and has since also raised her birth children and foster children for the last 31 years.
While many creators with growing followings on social media aim to make it their full-time job, Cheryl said she is focused on helping people develop their cooking skills.
She said she has also turned down scores of opportunities to collaborate with companies and sell products, which she says she has no plans to do.
'If you see me promoting a nice Chinese takeaway, I bought it. If I eat a nice Chinese takeaway I'll talk about it, but I stay away from the paid promotion,' she said.
'I am not doing this for money, it's just for enjoyment.
'Eating out is becoming a treat these days, so for me it's about showing people how to easily feed their family well with really nice food that's good for them, and saving your money to have a takeaway as a treat.
'That's just how I was brought up and now I do it too.
'I'm always being asked about doing a cook book, but I just say this is my living cookbook, and you get to ask me questions and I can reply to you. I'm just not financially motivated at all.'
She has recently started a new series focused on being able to feed your family for a fiver, and has even teamed up with a butcher in Ballymena to create a £25 meat pack to help people cook on a budget.
Cheryl also said she is adapting to being recognised when she goes out, from people asking for pictures with her to telling her that they cooked her various recipes with great success.
'Nobody wants a smashed avocado any more, and a hundred ways to do it, they want a piece of soda bread and nice slice of ham,' she said.
'Our breads are so easy to make, it's one bowl, no rising, no yeast, stirred with a knife, put in the oven or the griddle, and they're incredible.
But she stressed: 'I don't want anybody to think I am something that I'm not – I'm just a normal girl in a house who knows how to cook, who was taught by my granny and my mum, and now I do it too.
'For me, it's just good fun and I love what I'm doing.'
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Scottish Sun
13 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Hairdresser who left hubby & 3 kids for toyboy Masai warrior after Kenya holiday reveals how story ended
The strange couple's marriage fell apart soon after they moved to the UK 'MEAL TICKET' Hairdresser who left hubby & 3 kids for toyboy Masai warrior after Kenya holiday reveals how story ended A WOMAN who left her husband and three children for a Masai warrior "holiday husband" has revealed the regret she feels over her bizarre love affair. Decades after swapping her comfortable, suburban life on the Isle of Wight for a remote region of Kenya, Cheryl Thomasgood has spoken out on her disastrous marriage to a tribal Kenyan warrior. 9 Cheryl married her tribal toy boy Daniel in 1995 but the pair divorced just four years later Credit: Colin Shephard 9 Cheryl has now revealed why she believes the couples marriage broke down Credit: Youtube She explained how she felt she was used as a "meal ticket" by Masai warrior Daniel Lekimencho who she met at the Bamburi Beach Hotel in Mombasa, Kenya. Cheryl was just 34 when she became besotted with the tribesman who travelled to her hotel as part of a group that performed traditional Masai dancing for tourists. Within weeks of meeting the hunky warrior Cheryl had dumped her second husband, Mike Mason, and their three children to be with her new tribal toy boy. The 6ft 2-inch-tall Kenyan warrior was ten years younger than Cheryl when they met and struck up an intimate relationship. Shortly after meeting the dashing warrior Cheryl flew home briefly to tell her husband Mike that their marriage was over before jetting back to the Samburu region of Kenya to live with her new man. Cheryl and her new partner made headlines across the globe with people left gobsmacked at her decision to abandon the comfortable middle-class life for a new home and partner in rural Kenya. Cheryl's life now consisted of helping the warrior cook, clean and hunt, sleeping on goatskin and surviving on a diet of cow's blood and cabbage in a mud hut. Cheryl and Daniel eventually decided to leave the hardships of life in remote Kenya behind and planned to have children in the UK. The bizarre pair returned to the Isle of Wight in 1995 and married on Valentine's Day, both wore traditional Masai clothing to the ceremony. Their marriage produced a daughter, Mitsi, who is now 27-years-old, before it came to an abrupt end. Cheryl has spoken out for the first time, more than 30 years later, after the couple's relationship fell apart when her spiritual husband became obsessed with wealth. She describes feeling used as a "meal ticket" in an emotional interview with the MailOnline. Having reached an age where she wants to reflect on her life Cheryl chose to speak out about her "tormented" relationship with Masai warrior Daniel. She said: "I made a huge mistake, it was very wrong of me, and I have a lot of regrets, especially about how it damaged my children." 9 After marrying in 1995 they had a daughter together Credit: Youtube 9 The pair made headlines with their relationship Credit: Youtube Cheryl split with Daniel in 1999 just four years after they were married and one year after their daughter was born. Now, 65-year-old Cheryl lives alone in a seaside town in Somerset where she is well known among the local community. She has kept her controversial past hidden from the community with none of her friends aware of the bizarre relationship she once had with the Masai warrior. Cheryl has been doing a lot of thinking about her relationship and the damage it caused her and her family. She explained how her and her Masai lover became inseparable after meeting and would often discuss the Masai way of life, culture and focus on spiritual over material wealth. But Cheryl has now told how shortly after arriving in the UK Daniel became obsessed with material things and money. The odd couple lived in Newport on the Isle of Wight with Cheryl's three children after coming to the UK. Cheryl explained that Daniel quickly changed his outlook on life, becoming ever more obsessed with money and material gain, she described her warrior husband becoming a different person inf ront of her eyes. Cheryl believed she had met and married a spiritual warrior but described Daniel turning into more of a Victor Meldrew type character later in their relationship. She detailed how Daniel quickly became moody and miserable over the couples lot in life, wanting more money and more possessions, changed by life in the UK. The couple began to argue often with Cheryl seeing Daniel's spiritualism evaporating before the lure of middle-class living. Daniel reportedly began wanting for a bigger home, designer gear and cash to send home to Kenyan relatives. Cheryl recalled the only time Daniel being happy was when the Kenyan warrior was jumping around in the garden doing his traditional Masai dance. 9 Cheryl and Daniel eventually divorced in 1999 Credit: Youtube 9 The couple no longer keep in touch Credit: Youtube 9 Cheryl said Daniel changed shortly after arriving in the UK Credit: Youtube She added: "He would say that he was getting ready for battle and wanted to jump as high as an elephant. The kids loved it, but it got on my nerves after a while." Cheryl began to question Daniel's motives in being with her after witnessing his transformation and new obsession with material wealth. Cheryl doubted that Daniel loved her and felt as if she had been used by the Masai warrior for material gain, beginning to think Daniel saw her as an escape route from his tribal life in Kenya. Her doubts set in soon after the pair married in the UK but she chose to stick out their relationship to prove to the people who doubted them that it could work. Trying to pinpoint what went wrong in the peculiar relationship Cheryl blamed a slew of drastic cultural differences between her and her husband. She reportedly felt that adjusting to life in the UK was too tough for Daniel and his struggles assimilating, combined with the pressure on the pair to make their relationship work, led to the eventual end of their marriage. Cheryl admitted that she suffered sexual abuse as a young girl and spoke about the harrowing difficulties she faced growing up in a dysfunctional London household with alcoholic parents, she was reportedly contemplating suicide at the time she met Daniel. She revealed how she was urged to go on her Kenyan holiday by a friend who was in the same church choir as her, the pair went on the holiday that would change her life forever together. When Cheryl went to Kenya she was at a low point in her life she said, suffering with childhood trauma and stuck in an unhappy marriage to her second husband Mike. 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North Wales Chronicle
a day ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Co Antrim woman's passion for posting traditional cookery skills a hit on TikTok
While the social media platform was initially best known for showcasing dance moves, Cheryl Smyth has amassed millions of views from across the world whipping up local favourites in her kitchen in Carrickfergus. Some of the 58-year-old's most popular videos include stew, roast dinners, braised steak, 'marry me' chicken and sausage rolls, and attract viewers from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and France as well as Northern Ireland. Her bakes also include a chocolate cake inspired by the Roald Dahl book Matilda as well as traybakes, pineapple creams, scones, sticky toffee pudding, wheaten farls and treacle farls as well as old-school jam and coconut sponge and meringues. Her channel Cheryl Bakes Cakes is growing by around 10,000 followers a month since she started in January 2024, going on to hit 100,000 by December, and now at almost 170,000. One of her first videos was surviving a gale during Storm Isla in January 2024, but soon expanded to cooking with the encouragement of her children. Cheryl told the PA news agency she is incredibly touched by and motivated by followers who tell her she has taught them things their own parents were not able to. 'I'm just a person next door type, but I do things they can all relate to, and I'm teaching them how to cook, and how to cook good traditional meals on a budget,' she said. 'You'll see my life going on in the background, my dogs, people walking in while I'm baking, my husband, it's just a real person in a real kitchen making real food. 'I actually had a message recently from a girl who said her mum had passed suddenly, how she missed her and that actually I was teaching her things her mum never got the chance to do. 'I've had lots of those comments, that I'm the mummy someone didn't have or the great aunt, and for me, that's my measure of success when someone says that to me. 'I'm so grateful that just being me seems to connect with people.' Cheryl, originally from Larne, also lived in Zambia and Canada as a child before her family returned to Northern Ireland. She worked as a personal assistant before becoming a full-time mother when her first son was born, and has since also raised her birth children and foster children for the last 31 years. While many creators with growing followings on social media aim to make it their full-time job, Cheryl said she is focused on helping people develop their cooking skills. She said she has also turned down scores of opportunities to collaborate with companies and sell products, which she says she has no plans to do. 'If you see me promoting a nice Chinese takeaway, I bought it. If I eat a nice Chinese takeaway I'll talk about it, but I stay away from the paid promotion,' she said. 'I am not doing this for money, it's just for enjoyment. 'Eating out is becoming a treat these days, so for me it's about showing people how to easily feed their family well with really nice food that's good for them, and saving your money to have a takeaway as a treat. 'That's just how I was brought up and now I do it too. 'I'm always being asked about doing a cook book, but I just say this is my living cookbook, and you get to ask me questions and I can reply to you. I'm just not financially motivated at all.' She has recently started a new series focused on being able to feed your family for a fiver, and has even teamed up with a butcher in Ballymena to create a £25 meat pack to help people cook on a budget. Cheryl also said she is adapting to being recognised when she goes out, from people asking for pictures with her to telling her that they cooked her various recipes with great success. 'Nobody wants a smashed avocado any more, and a hundred ways to do it, they want a piece of soda bread and nice slice of ham,' she said. 'Our breads are so easy to make, it's one bowl, no rising, no yeast, stirred with a knife, put in the oven or the griddle, and they're incredible. But she stressed: 'I don't want anybody to think I am something that I'm not – I'm just a normal girl in a house who knows how to cook, who was taught by my granny and my mum, and now I do it too. 'For me, it's just good fun and I love what I'm doing.'
Powys County Times
a day ago
- Powys County Times
Co Antrim woman's passion for posting traditional cookery skills a hit on TikTok
A Co Antrim grandmother with more than three million likes on TikTok has spoken about her passion for keeping traditional cooking alive for the next generation. While the social media platform was initially best known for showcasing dance moves, Cheryl Smyth has amassed millions of views from across the world whipping up local favourites in her kitchen in Carrickfergus. Some of the 58-year-old's most popular videos include stew, roast dinners, braised steak, 'marry me' chicken and sausage rolls, and attract viewers from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and France as well as Northern Ireland. Her bakes also include a chocolate cake inspired by the Roald Dahl book Matilda as well as traybakes, pineapple creams, scones, sticky toffee pudding, wheaten farls and treacle farls as well as old-school jam and coconut sponge and meringues. Her channel Cheryl Bakes Cakes is growing by around 10,000 followers a month since she started in January 2024, going on to hit 100,000 by December, and now at almost 170,000. One of her first videos was surviving a gale during Storm Isla in January 2024, but soon expanded to cooking with the encouragement of her children. Cheryl told the PA news agency she is incredibly touched by and motivated by followers who tell her she has taught them things their own parents were not able to. 'I'm just a person next door type, but I do things they can all relate to, and I'm teaching them how to cook, and how to cook good traditional meals on a budget,' she said. 'You'll see my life going on in the background, my dogs, people walking in while I'm baking, my husband, it's just a real person in a real kitchen making real food. 'I actually had a message recently from a girl who said her mum had passed suddenly, how she missed her and that actually I was teaching her things her mum never got the chance to do. 'I've had lots of those comments, that I'm the mummy someone didn't have or the great aunt, and for me, that's my measure of success when someone says that to me. 'I'm so grateful that just being me seems to connect with people.' Cheryl, originally from Larne, also lived in Zambia and Canada as a child before her family returned to Northern Ireland. She worked as a personal assistant before becoming a full-time mother when her first son was born, and has since also raised her birth children and foster children for the last 31 years. While many creators with growing followings on social media aim to make it their full-time job, Cheryl said she is focused on helping people develop their cooking skills. She said she has also turned down scores of opportunities to collaborate with companies and sell products, which she says she has no plans to do. 'If you see me promoting a nice Chinese takeaway, I bought it. If I eat a nice Chinese takeaway I'll talk about it, but I stay away from the paid promotion,' she said. 'I am not doing this for money, it's just for enjoyment. 'Eating out is becoming a treat these days, so for me it's about showing people how to easily feed their family well with really nice food that's good for them, and saving your money to have a takeaway as a treat. 'That's just how I was brought up and now I do it too. 'I'm always being asked about doing a cook book, but I just say this is my living cookbook, and you get to ask me questions and I can reply to you. I'm just not financially motivated at all.' She has recently started a new series focused on being able to feed your family for a fiver, and has even teamed up with a butcher in Ballymena to create a £25 meat pack to help people cook on a budget. Cheryl also said she is adapting to being recognised when she goes out, from people asking for pictures with her to telling her that they cooked her various recipes with great success. 'Nobody wants a smashed avocado any more, and a hundred ways to do it, they want a piece of soda bread and nice slice of ham,' she said. 'Our breads are so easy to make, it's one bowl, no rising, no yeast, stirred with a knife, put in the oven or the griddle, and they're incredible. But she stressed: 'I don't want anybody to think I am something that I'm not – I'm just a normal girl in a house who knows how to cook, who was taught by my granny and my mum, and now I do it too. 'For me, it's just good fun and I love what I'm doing.'
