Healthy option for DIY veggies
IT'S a strange fact that the deluge of cookery shows on TV has not encouraged more people to get busy in the kitchen. Unless, of course, you count piercing a plastic film and sticking a ready meal in the microwave.Yes, we love to watch programmes about food but when it comes to trying it at home it all seems, well, just a little bit too messy and bothersome.
Cooking from scratch is healthier, cheaper and sometimes even quicker than eating processed foods. However, without the basic skills it can be hard to know where to start.
From 2011 school cookery lessons will be compulsory for 11 to 14-year-olds as part of the government's new strategy to encourage sensible eating.
But what about the rest of us who left our teenage years behind long ago?
The idea of going to a cookery school as an adult can be a bit daunting. I imagined coming face-to-face with the competitive dinner party crowd - accomplished cooks after a few show-stopping dishes to keep ahead of the Joneses.
Thankfully, at the Cordon Vert School in Altrincham that wasn't the case. The school, established in 1982, is located in The Vegetarian Society's headquarters and is the only one of its kind in the world. It runs a wide range of one and two day workshops, which cater for everyone from the beginner to those wanting gourmet vegetarian cuisine.
The titles of the courses - including An Introduction to Vegetarian Cooking, Christmas Lunch Menu and Dairy Free and Delicious - are largely self-explanatory, with a good range of international flavours on offer to suit every palate.
There is no meat-eater bashing either. In fact, two out of the four people on my day workshop were not vegetarian, but simply wanted to learn more adventurous veggie options.
Professionals
The classes are not teaching you how to be a chef - there are separate courses at the school for professionals. However, as well as coming away with a few new dishes to try, you will hopefully leave with new skills as well as hints and tips on how to cook efficiently.
There are a maximum of nine students on any one course, which means help from the two tutors is always readily on hand.
The day starts with coffee in a comfortable sitting room of the large Victorian mansion, where you meet the other students and get some background on the school from tutors.
I signed up for the Route 66 workshop, an American- themed day with fusions of Native American, Spanish, Italian and North European foods.
Proving that US cuisine doesn't have to be all burgers and fries, tutors Marise Maddison and Sarah Kearns put together a varied range of dishes including, butternut squash and sweetcorn soup, pumpkin seed pesto and artichoke pasta and pine nut tartlets plus Cajun blackened tofu. We went into the newly refurbished kitchens for a demonstration. As well as preparing and cooking, the tutors also gave general advice on the foods, herbs and spices used.
The atmosphere was very relaxed with plenty of opportunity to ask questions.
Adapt
There were tips on how to store food, how to adapt recipes to suit your own palate, how to introduce flavours without overly using salt or strong spices and how to organise your time in the kitchen - all ways to be more confident, comfortable and hence more adventurous in the kitchen.
Following a quick coffee break and tasting session it's down to the nitty-gritty. We were split into teams of two, so with four recipes per team it meant I was responsible for two of the dishes - one of which included making my own pesto, very simple and easy to make but something I'd previously always used from a jar.
My partner in the kitchen got the task of baking a cake, something he had never done before and another girl made bite-sized pastry tarts. Although with a twist, these were simple, basic recipes of the kind that will be soon be being re-introduced in schools.
By 2pm it's all ready, the kitchen cleared and the finished dishes laid out for us to enjoy. It looks impressive and there is a good selection which can work from everyday meals to entertaining menus. What is nice about the day is that, whatever your previous level of knowledge, there are new ideas and skills to take away with you.
Head of the school, Christine Tilbury, says: "Whatever your ability you can come along and enjoy the day. The only workshops that require some cooking knowledge are the gourmet entertaining courses because the techniques used are slightly more advanced.
"For the very beginner our introduction to vegetarian catering goes through some of the basics like steaming, vegetable preparation and how to build a weekly balanced menu.
"It's healthy eating, but everything doesn't have to be wholemeal, it can be very gourmet. Most students leave us with the excitement they have discovered something new."
For more details of the Cordon Vert School, call 0161 925 2014 or visit cordonvert.co.uk.
Published: Thu, 07 August, 2008
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