The world may be going to hell in a handcart, but Lurpak butter's latest epic spot suggests cooking might just save us.

Kim Gehrig directs the new ad from Wieden & Kennedy London in sumptuous style that has more than a suggestion of religious art about it. It starts with the tolling of a bell and the words: "The world...it could do with some good. But why throw eggs when you can scramble them?" as two kids hang on to their father's legs like demons in a medieval painting while he cooks breakfast.

In another prophetic scene (because surely the making of this ad predates the COVID-19 epidemic), the narrator, Swedish actor Mikael Persbrandt, also pronounces that "a cook can heal the sick" as a woman dishes something up for her partner blowing his nose in a bathrobe. Elsewhere, pancakes also "raise the dead" (a women recovering from a hangover) and feuds  (between sisters) are "settled with a frittata." It ends with the words: "The world needs more cooks...because where there are cooks, there is hope."

The spot will run across markets including the U.K., Australia, Greece and Scandinavia, and is supported by print, digital and social advertising.

"Lurpak's new campaign is bringing a much-needed sense of hope back into kitchens across the world," said Arla Foods' vice president Christian Fischer in a statement. "Families that cook are proven to have better relationships, cooks reduce food waste, they make healthy delicious, and can even cure the dreaded hangover. ‘Where There Are Cooks, There Is Hope’ celebrates how cooks can have a positive impact on the world around them and wants to inspire more people to cook."