Course Price: £185
Cooking Skills required: Zero
Calories Consumed: 2000
Calories burned from stress: 300,000
In a parallel universe there is a thinner, more polished version of me whipping up Mary Berry-esque meringues wearing a pretty pinny and a Stepford wife smile. In my dreams it’s all very Bree Vandercamp. However, in reality, I’ve successfully managed to avoid showcasing my cooking skills for 29 years. Questions about how you cook a poached egg frequently tumble out of my mouth and when my boyfriend leaves town, I fear I may starve. Thank God for takeaways. Anyhoo, last year my Mum sent me off to Bettys Cookery School to help me get to grips with the basics.
However, what my Mum thought was a basic cooking course was actually a Flavours of Italy course. *cries* As a result, I arrived at Bettys Cookery School at the spritely hour of 8.45 am, nervous and alone with absolutely no idea of what to expect. We were given a name tag and an apron upon arrival and a cup of Bettys tearoom blend was served while a nice lady ran through the order of events. We each got a little folder with cooking instructions (very posh) and after a lot of nervous glances, we were partnered up and shown to our work stations. The cookery school’s facilities are faultless and over the course of the day, I couldn’t help feeling like I was taking part in the GBBO.
We took our seats to watch the chef demonstrate how we were to cook the first thing on our Italian menu. Veal. *shiver* Not a basic soup or a boiled egg but an actual veal casserole. I don’t eat meat never mind cook it so handling a veal chop at 10am was an interesting experience.
After cooking both the meat and the vegetables in a pan, we put it all in the oven to bake. I took the finished product over to my Mum’s house for dinner as a little thank you for buying me the cookery school voucher and I can confirm she lived to tell the tale.
Over the course of the day, I made fresh tortellini (very labour intensive) with a carbonara sauce, 3 flavours of homemade ice cream, a creamy saffrom risotto and a veal casserole. Phew, not bad for a newbie.
With our veal casseroles safely in the oven, we sat down with a cup of Bettys tea and congratulated ourselves with spot of strawberry meringue. It was delicious and probably one of my favourite parts of the day. The next dish on our list was risotto. I was really excited to make this as it is one of my favourite meals and I always usually order one when I go out for an Italian meal. Unlike the casserole, this dish required speed and in under 13 minutes, we had made risotto! *smug face*
The best bit? We got to eat it for lunch! It was delightful even if I do say so myself. The lovely team at Bettys had made the most amazing tomato, mozzarella and avocado salad to accompany it. No sooner had we cleared our plates, we were back at our stations making ice cream from scratch.
We made strawberry and mascarpone ice cream, olive oil ice cream (surprising delicious) and another flavour that I can’t have liked as I can’t remember it. I wish I could show you my batch of strawberry and mascarpone ice cream but I got too giddy and ate it before I could take a photo. I have to say, I always thought that the cookery school vouchers were a tad pricey but after going on this course I can confirm that you get a lot for your money. The facilities are first class and the chefs are there every step of the way to assist you whether you are a seasoned cook or have absolutely no clue what you are doing. The course itself was over 7 hours long and in this time we made four dishes from scratch. The homemade pasta was my favourite. It was fiddly to start with and I’m probably never going to buy my own pasta maker but if you have the time, it is a lot of fun.
Voila! The perfect pasta starter…
There is a shop in the cookery school so you can buy all kinds of exciting cookery gadgets after you have finished the course. I bought wine as a reward for managing to cook actual food that was edible. If you are looking for a good gift, you can’t beat a Bettys Cookery School voucher. I had the most amazing day and would recommend it to anyone. You can find all of the cookery courses on offer here. It’s rather addictive, I’m already contemplating going back and doing a macaroon making course.
Have you been to Bettys Cookery School?
