Spanish

“Even if you have mastered the basics of paella making I really would like everyone to follow how I approach a non meat or fish paella. Let me show you the way to create a paella that isn’t bland or uninteresting, one that sits well beside the best”

“Where do we start with such an array of possibilities? Well we’ll start by talking about the different styles of Tapas and what suits the type of tapas party you might have in mind. I want to show you one or two of my favourites and those that guests always enjoy preparing”

“This is one of the most popular classes and I love teaching it!. I like the surprise when people come face to face with a non seafood paella for the first time and the verdict is always WOW! And cooking seafood tapas so close to the Med is always a joy”

“I spent 9 months down in Andalusia during the second lockdown and have brought back with me some great ideas and techniques. We’ll spend time frying little fish and cooking some regional tapas that you might be less familiar with”

“I always enjoy the challenge of putting together a selection of tapas and having a theme is a great guide. The secret here is to bring together very different tapas, each with some added heat. Great for a party”

“An essential stop in our culinary regional tour of Spain. Our Galician class is the result of many days spent discovering the true spirit and essence of cooking in this north western corner of the Iberian peninsula. Make the pilgrimage to join me and we’ll finish with the iconic Tarta de Santiago”

“The longer I have the pleasure of spending so much time in Spain I fall further in love with its amazing Pork. Love its jamon, of course, and also the way every single piece the pig is used, each to produce a great dish. But I increasingly appreciate the provenance of the meat, the breeds, the skills of the pork butcher. I’m at the stage now where I’m more likely to order a pork steak than a beef steak.”

”Don´t think for a moment that Spain doesn´t like its potatoes or its pasta, but it´s a land in love with its rice.  Spain is the second largest producer in Europe and its finest rice is in a pan everywhere, year-round. We’ll talk Paella, but we’ll go way beyond the best known dish in the land”

“Salt cod is often a bit scary to people, but really it shouldn’t be. You just need a little know-how and some inspiration. Salt cod is more than the cod it started out as”

“I love sharing large plates of small food. A meze table is the ultimate expression of this most sociable of dining modes. Here we move east along the Mediterranean and put together something special”

“I love eating in Mediterranean ports. Gutsy freshly prepared food for all times and budgets. Food fused close to the quayside with flavours and colours of another port on the Med shores”.

“ Like most of us I love pasta and really never tire of it. Don’t ask me which is my favourite sauce because I don’t know, but here I have narrowed it down with difficulty to 5 and I’m delighted to share my versions with you”

“Bread in the Med comes in so many forms and has so many uses throughout a sunny Mediterranean day. Even if you’ve made your own loaves and rolls before, this is something different, time to look at flatbreads from the Middle East and Italy’s amazing variety of breads”

“We’ll celebrate the magnificence of my favourite 5 composite pasta dishes where the relationship between the pasta and other components is the real biz! We’ll make some decent sized portions of two or three of them - so I’ll have cartons on hand for some takeaway portions!.”

“We all need food comfort from time to time. This is true slow food and we’ll take time to prepare, cook and enjoy some great Mediterranean dishes. With such an array of dishes to get underway, I’ll start a couple of them ahead and fully demonstrate how I got to the cooking stage”.

“I’ve long been a fan of keeping a store cupboard full of cans and boxes and jars not just for a rainy day, but for those times when you just need to put together a meal from what you have. It came into its own during lockdown,. Yes, sometimes you’ll mix and match with some items you find when you open the fridge or freezer door too, but this class is a celebration of cooking solely from a well stocked store cupboard”

“If I’d not spent so much of my life in Spain I think I can say that those days would probably have been spent in Italy. I’ve travelled extensively in regional Italy on many culinary tours and feel confident at putting an authentic Italian dish on the table. The most difficult thing is selecting a dish from the huge range of possibilities and in the northern regions this is no exception ”

“A little indulgence in my comfort food driven desire for hot sandwiches. It’s a passion that I want to share. So just for something different I’ve put together the next in our Ultimate 5 in celebration of - the Hot Sandwich”

“I love teaching this class because the kids are almost without exception interested in making food and showing off their cooking skills to their parents or grandparents. It’s great to see their faces light up when they can actually produce something that the family is eating half an hour later! I’m so enthusiastic…until I have to do the clearing up!”

“Here we celebrate the glorious savoury Pie! Pastry handling rules can seem a little strict, but the techniques are few and ingredients from one pastry to another more or less the same the world over. This is about getting to grips with flour + water + fat for an hour or two and then you’ll be the head pastry chef in your own kitchen!”