One of the best things about the British summer is making the most of all the delicious seasonal ingredients. If you’re in need of some kitchen inspiration, a cookery course could be the perfect way to spend a day – or even a week. Whether you’re a novice cook or an experienced entertainer, we’ve found one to suit you
June 10
Good Cooking, Good Looking
Cook It @ Frogmary Green Farm, South Petherton, Somerset
01460 242775
www.cookitatfrogmary.co.uk
Healthy summer cookery is the focus of this fun, friendly one-day course (£140), which takes place on a working farm in the heart of Somerset. You’ll learn how to use locally grown, seasonal ingredients to create dishes such roasted cod with quinoa and beetroot, and Moroccan chicken with green bean salad, carrot and coriander fritters
June 14 and 27
BBQs
The Abinger Cookery School, near Dorking, Surrey
01306 730470
www.abingercookeryschool.com
Singed sausages will be a thing of the past once you’ve attended this one-day course at The Abinger Cookery School (£135). It covers everything from the basics of cooking meat over an open flame to the secrets of barbecuing fish and shellfish, smoking and slow-cooking. If you’d like to stay overnight, you can book one of the school’s four farmhouse-style bedrooms, which cost from £50 a night.
June 14
Summer Puddings
Leiths School of Food and Wine (above), London W12
020-8749 6400
www.leiths.com
Those with a sweet tooth will adore this Saturday course (£145), during which you’ll learn the secrets of making a range of divine summer desserts, from lemon and raspberry cheesecake sundae and fruit tartlets to Pimm’s sorbet. And of course, everything you make can be taken home with you.
Skills Courses
The Padstow Seafood School (above), Padstow, Cornwall
01841 532700
www.rickstein.com
If you’re down in Cornwall over the summer and fancy doing something a bit different, a half-day skills course (£95) at seafood maestro Rick Stein’s Padstow Seafood School might be just the thing. This July, you can choose from Far Eastern steaming and lobster and crab, both of which take place on the 9th. Or if you’re interested in a full-day course, Simply Fish (July 10, £198) will show you how to make the most of the freshest seafood.
August 18-22
Dudwell School (above), near Bath
07860 123827
www.dudwellschool.com
Instead
of going abroad for a week this summer, why not spend the time in the
Mendip Hills brushing up on your kitchen skills? Dudwell School, the
brainchild of Leiths founding principal Caroline Waldegrave, is the
place to go if you’re keen to broaden your repertoire. Students can
expect to leave having mastered everything from bruschetta and foccacia
to risottos, soufflés, profiteroles and ice creams. A week’s course
costs £850, and shorter courses can also be arranged for groups of
friends. Accommodation is available.
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