Specialist Classes

This half-day workshop is designed to introduce the enthusiastic amateur to knife skills. This session would suit a home cook who wants to learn which knife should be used for which task. Students will learn how to use large cooks' knives with confidence and learn the correct methods of chopping, slicing, dicing. Batons, julienne and chiffonade technique will be shown. In Knife Skills part 1, we will be concentrating on vegetable and fruit preparation. Perfect onion chopping and segmenting oranges will be among the skills taught.

Join us for 'A Tour of British Cheese'. A cheese tasting experience with Tom Badcock the well known Cheese Master from The Cheese Cellar company.

Recent years has seen a resurgence in the British Cheese industry and Tom will be exploring cheese making in the British Isles at the moment and the variety of home produced artisan cheeses now available. He will take you on a tour of British cheese sampling a delicious range from some classics to others that you may not have considered before and provide you with the information to help you choose the best cheese for any occasion.

Hosted by Silla Bijerrum, founder of the Feng Sushi restaurants, this course is an introduction to sushi making and simple Japanese cuisine. As well as the rolling, cutting, vegetable and fish preparation techniques required to make sushi, Silla will also teach a selection of simple dishes such as Miso marinated salmon and Soba noodle salad. Food made during the class will be eaten for lunch. Some food can be taken home

This half day workshop develops the vegetable and fruit knife skills covered in part one. The class will also introduce knife skills required to work with meat and fish.

Typical Skills covered: Jointing a chicken, Filleting and skinning a flat fish, Filleting round fish, Julienne, Slicing, Vegetable ribbons

This day will cover how to make sauces from the basics. Most methods of savoury saucemaking will be covered including flour-based, emulsion, reduction, cream and composite sauces. You will go home with a wealth of ideas which will enable you to entertain your friends.

This cooking class will start with a short demonstration. The lecturer will show some of the techniques to be used in the practical session and provide information on Italian food in general as well as preparing Italian dishes when entertaining at home. This workshop will cover the basics of Italian cooking and will include risotto, pizza, pasta and biscotti.

Designed for the enthusiastic amateur. The day will start with a demonstration on working with chocolate and truffle making. It willl include a brief introcdution to the origins and making of chocolate and instructions on how to temper chocolate . Students will then break into smaller groups to create their own chocolate creations to take home.

For those who have not cooked Thai food before, the classes will be both practical and demonstration. Covering the principle ingredients used in Thai cookery and some exciting new recipes such as Massaman curry with lamb, sticky pork salad with green pawpaw and chilli and lime dressing and the classic Phad Thai.

During this one day course we will cook several different types of fish from simple grilled plaice to more complex deep fried squid and salmon noisettes with dill and mustard. You will also learn to fillet flat and round fish.

This half-day workshop is designed to introduce the enthusiastic amateur to knife skills. This session would suit a home cook who wants to learn which knife should be used for which task. Students will learn how to use large cooks' knives with confidence and learn the correct methods of chopping, slicing, dicing. Batons, julienne and chiffonade technique will be shown. In Knife Skills part 1, we will be concentrating on vegetable and fruit preparation. Perfect onion chopping and segmenting oranges will be among the skills taught.

This half-day workshop is designed to introduce the enthusiastic amateur to knife skills. This session would suit a home cook who wants to learn which knife should be used for which task. Students will learn how to use large cooks' knives with confidence and learn the correct methods of chopping, slicing, dicing. Batons, julienne and chiffonade technique will be shown. In Knife Skills part 1, we will be concentrating on vegetable and fruit preparation. Perfect onion chopping and segmenting oranges will be among the skills taught.

This 8 week course is for all those wanting to explore the world of food journalism or to learn to write clear, professional recipes.

The course is run by Lulu Grimes, Deputy Editor of olive Magazine and author of numerous cookbooks. She and her special guest lecturers will guide you through the language of recipe writing, writing restaurant reviews and food and travel journalism. You will also cover how to approach an editor and get your work published.

Every week you will write alone or in groups while you learn how to
bring your writing to a professional standard. Refreshments will be
provided.

Following some simple guidelines, it is possible to change your eating habits for the better. In this one day class, students will learn how to cook healthy and delicious food so that the whole family can benefit. Visiting nutritionist Kate Cook will give a short talk on key areas such as balancing blood sugar and increasing energy levels. There will be a demonstration of healthy dishes incorporating ingredients such as quinoa, pulses, fresh herbs, spices and fish. A hands-on cookery session will be followed by a late lunch. The focus of this class will be on cooking healthy family food with minimum fuss and maximum flavour.

A new class run by Jane Nemazee one of Leiths favourite visiting teachers. Jane will share with you the dishes she encountered when she was first introduced to her husband’s large Persian globetrotting family.

Delicious, scented, spicy and bountiful, it draws on the cooking traditions of Persia, Turkey, India and Tunisia.

Imam Biyaldi, made of aubergines, tomatoes, cinnamon and olive oil, Pushpas south Indian dahl and a Tunisian orange cake are some of the recipes covered. Some food can be taken home.

A comprehensive workshop including a demonstration and lecture on the principles of gluten free baking. This course will be the first in a series and will look at the specifics of making gluten free breads and pastry. Using her knowledge and experience in baking, Adriana Rabinovich will be looking at innovative ways to get texture and flavour in goods such as breads, muffins and wraps. She will also guide you through ideas and techniques to help you build a repertoire of simple and delicious gluten free pastry.

This course will be invaluable for anyone who has to follow a gluten free diet as well as for parents, family and carers who look after someone with a restricted diet.

This course will be suitable for beginners and experienced cooks alike. A light lunch will be included.

This course will introduce the diverse food culture of the Middle East, including dishes from the Persian, Turkish and Lebanese cuisines. After a short introduction and demonstration, you will work in small groups to produce an array of dishes from mezze to dessert, making use of signature ingredients such as sumac, pistachios, pomegranate molasses and rose water. The day concludes with lunch (with wine). Some food can be taken home.

This Saturday Morning hands on cookery class (9.30am - 2pm) is designed for home cooks and will be taught by the teachers from Leiths School of Food and Wine and the Ottolenghi chefs. We welcome cooks of all standards!

The morning cooking session is busy but taught in a relaxed style. Students will work in pairs and then sit down and enjoy the food they have made with a glass of wine. Some people come with a friend, but most students come alone and enjoy the friendly atmosphere. The class will finish at approximately 2.00.

Sweet potato patties with cumin and coriander

Lamb and feta kebabs in tomato and mint sauce

Saffron couscous with butter and chervil

Crunchy cucumber and red onion salad

This half-day workshop is designed to introduce the enthusiastic amateur to knife skills. This session would suit a home cook who wants to learn which knife should be used for which task. Students will learn how to use large cooks' knives with confidence and learn the correct methods of chopping, slicing, dicing. Batons, julienne and chiffonade technique will be shown. In Knife Skills part 1, we will be concentrating on vegetable and fruit preparation. Perfect onion chopping and segmenting oranges will be among the skills taught.

Enjoy a glass of wine during this relaxed evening demonstration. We will cover the structure of meat and show you how to carve impressively at the table; it will cover carving of a leg, shoulder and saddle of lamb, a goose, ham, chicken, pork loin and turkey.

This workshop is designed to teach students how to use chefs' knives with confidence and learn the correct methods of chopping and slicing which will mean time saved at home in the kitchen.

There will be some cooking involved, but the knife skills are the main emphasis of the session.

Some skills covered in parts 1 and 2 will be practised and developed, although you do not need to have taken these courses to enrol on Part 3.

Typical Skills Covered: Boning poultry, Preparation of rack of lamb, Boning shoulder and leg of lamb, Turned vegetables.

This half-day workshop is designed to introduce the enthusiastic amateur to knife skills. This session would suit a home cook who wants to learn which knife should be used for which task. Students will learn how to use large cooks' knives with confidence and learn the correct methods of chopping, slicing, dicing. Batons, julienne and chiffonade technique will be shown. In Knife Skills part 1, we will be concentrating on vegetable and fruit preparation. Perfect onion chopping and segmenting oranges will be among the skills taught.

Marise Maddison and Sarah Kearns run many of the courses at the Vegetarian Society’s own school, and we are delighted to be working with them to bring you two workshops that will feature delicious dishes that can be enjoyed by vegetarians and meat eaters alike. This session will take inspiration from all round the world, such as Ramiro peppers with halloumi cheese and red rice, and red bean and beetroot cakes with a mint, coriander and mustard relish.

This session, with Sarah Kearns and Marise Maddison, will show you how to cook delicious recipes that will also help to keep you healthy. While the dishes cooked will all be vegetarian, healthy meat and fish cooking will also be discussed. Sarah has a degree in nutritional medicine and the tutors will give lots of tips throughout the class on how to use super foods without compromising on taste. Dishes will include a tian of avocado and smoky salsa, and Filo parcels filled with goats cheese, Brazil nuts and spinach.

This is a practical daytime course, 1 day a week for 4 weeks for beginners and for those who want to learn how to put together very easy meals with little effort but achieve maximum effect. Students will cook in pairs in a very relaxed environment. At the end of the session they will sit down and enjoy what they have cooked with a glass of wine. There will be few technical skills taught, but lots of handy tips and hints. The cost of the course includes a copy of Leiths Simple Cookery Bible.

Dates: 19 and 26 May, 2 and 9 June.

Please see Specialist Classes for details.

Learn to cook delicious seasonal French dishes that are ideal for home entertaining in this hands on class. The focus of the day's cooking is summer entertaining. After a short introduction and demonstration, you will work in groups to produce a delicious selection of dishes. The day concludes with lunch (with wine). Some food can be taken home.

This half day workshop develops the vegetable and fruit knife skills covered in part one. The class will also introduce knife skills required to work with meat and fish.

Typical Skills covered: Jointing a chicken, Filleting and skinning a flat fish, Filleting round fish, Julienne, Slicing, Vegetable ribbons

This half day workshop will show you how to make 5 mouth-watering cakes, including mini pistachio cakes with lemon drizzle icing and Vanilla cupcakes with chocolate buttercream. You will take home 3 different cakes you have made yourself, including a tray of our delicious Leiths chocolate brownies. Once we have shown you these methods, you will have the confidence to cook virtually any cake recipe you have always wanted to try.

A new class run by Jane Nemazee one of Leiths favourite visiting teachers. Jane will share with you the dishes she encountered when she was first introduced to her husband’s large Persian globetrotting family.

Delicious, scented, spicy and bountiful, it draws on the cooking traditions of Persia, Turkey, India and Tunisia.

Imam Biyaldi, made of aubergines, tomatoes, cinnamon and olive oil, Pushpas south Indian dahl and a Tunisian orange cake are some of the recipes covered. Some food can be taken home.

This exciting new workshop will reveal the secrets of Italian cooking with recipes from the different regions of Italy. This is our first collaboration with Silvia Maccari who has her own cooking school in Florence and writes wonderful books on Italian food. She will go into detail on the differences between Italian regions and give lots of practical tips. Some food can be taken home.

There is so much more to Italian food than pizza and tomatoes. Silvia Maccari, a born and bred Italian from Tuscany with her own cookery school in Florence, will show you how to cook delicious Italian dishes that will show a new side of Italian cuisine. This will be a great opportunity to learn about authentic Italian cooking. Some food can be taken home

This introductory course will cover the essential skills to making perfect pastry. We will teach you how to make shortcrust, choux and a French pastry. Using a food processor to create pastry takes minutes, costs a fraction of the price and tastes incomparably better.

We will cover the basics of breadmaking from soda bread leading up to the more complicated filled Italian breads. The day will include learning how to shape bread into plaits and rolls to ensure that whether you make bread for dinner parties or picnics, it will be impressive.

This half-day workshop is designed to introduce the enthusiastic amateur to knife skills. This session would suit a home cook who wants to learn which knife should be used for which task. Students will learn how to use large cooks' knives with confidence and learn the correct methods of chopping, slicing, dicing. Batons, julienne and chiffonade technique will be shown. In Knife Skills part 1, we will be concentrating on vegetable and fruit preparation. Perfect onion chopping and segmenting oranges will be among the skills taught.