Cookery School
Rating: 5/5
This is great. Gill is a great teacher!
Four Days at River Cottage
Product Details
Our four-day practical cookery course is the perfect River Cottage experience, each day is based on the core elements of; Meat, Bread, Fish and Veg. This course is very much a hands-on approach to cookery.
You will leave this intensive course with the confidence, skills and enthusiasm to cook a range of delicious dishes at home for friends and family. Who knows, it might inspire you to become a chef yourself . . .
'The pace is just right, balancing heads-down cooking with downtime to savour your efforts and the magic of Britain's most filmed farmhouse' says Claire Hargreaves in the BBC Good Food magazine.
You can also expect Hugh to drop by at some stage during your four days with us.
Each day is divided across the four disciplines of bread, meat, veg and fish, each beginning with a demonstration by our tutors and chefs, after which you pick up the knife or whisk and have a go yourself.
Bread & Pastry
A chance to master the basic loaf, learn about flour varieties, pastry work and cake making, puds and sweets.
Meat
Covering meat preparation and cookery, we’ll look at a wide range of techniques and recipes, including learning about the forgotten cuts, offal, slow cooking and five minute suppers.
Fish and shellfish
Get to grips with basic fish preparation, gutting, scaling and filleting. Gain an insight in to the ethics and sustainability of fish cookery, arriving at some classic River Cottage fish dishes.
Veg
Our Head Gardener will take you on a pick and nibble session in the River Cottage garden, before our chefs show you how to turn your bountiful produce into a range of gratins, pestos, salads, soups and sauces.
The skills you'll leave with include (but are not limited too) . . .
• Stock making.
• Filleting and gutting fish.
• Meat preparation & essential knife skills.
• Working with shellfish.
• Home smoking, terrines and pates.
• Slow roasting and pan frying.
• Curing and marinating.
• Introducing offal
• Sauces, gravy,dressings and pesto.
• Soups, broths and stews.
• Sour dough and yeasted bread.
• Pastry, sponge and batters.
• Salads and cruditees.
• Gratins and roast vegetables.
• Sourcing and provenance of ingredients.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS
Location: This course is run from River Cottage HQ on the Dorset/Devon borders. Full address details of HQ will be provided once you have booked.
Wine/drink: We are a licensed venue. We have a wide selection of the finest organic wines.
ACCOMMODATION PACKAGE
We have teamed up with our friends at the Fairwater Head Hotel to offer you special rates for the Cookery School and accommodation packages for our January, February and March dates in 2012.
Whats on offer:
3-5 nights accommodation at the Fairwater Head Hotel
A delicious full English or continental style breakfast
A saving of upto £130 on booking separately
About Fairwater Head
Known for its warm and friendly atmosphere and stunning views over the Axe Valley the Fairwater Head Hotel makes the perfect base for your Cookery School, course or event with us at River Cottage. A short 10 minute drive from River Cottage HQ, the hotel has been recently refurbished to provide excellent facilities in this wonderful country house. Adam and Carrie are the perfect hosts, you will be provided with a delicious breakfast to kick start your day, you can enjoy locally sourced meals in the restaurant or a glass of River Cottage Stinger Beer in the evening.
Choose between a king sized double or twin room, all rooms are en-suite with tea and coffee facilities, flat screen televisions, soft white duvets and extra large Egyptian cotton bath towels.
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How do I book?
Book your course and accommodation with one easy click - simply select the number of nights accommodation required from the drop down at the top of the page, we will be in touch to confirm your booking.
Age: We would advise that this course is only really suitable for 12yrs of age and upwards. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult. We put these guidelines in place for the safety, comfort and enjoyment of all our guests.
Time: 10am - 4.00pm
Special offers: You’ll receive a 10% discount at our Local Produce Store in Axminster as well as our Canteens in Axminster & Bath. You’ll be able to pick up the makings of a sumptuous Every Day recipe there, so you can put your new-found know-how to great use.
Keep me informed
If you are interested in joining us at River Cottage for a course or event, please let us know. We will send you new dates when they become available, special offers on last minute tickets and let you know about the new courses we are developing. Just hit the button below and let us know what you're interested in.
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Customer Reviews
Write a Review
First Trainees!
Rating: 5/5
This course is first class! I learned a great deal and I am now more confident and ready to try more home cooking. The River Cottage staff were helpful, patient and very friendly, led as ever by the irrepressable Steve. Thanks guys - I'll be back - to try another course!
Added on by puffin
cook school
Rating: 5/5
This course is 1st class all staff great value for money is good steve is a star.
Added on by diane.brindley236
Amazing!!!
Rating: 5/5
It was a life-changing experience. The infectious enthusiasm of everybody involved meant that I spend the whole week grinning from ear-to-ear! AMAZING! - Andy Walker
Added on by River Cottage Reviews I
Gill is Brilliant!
Rating: 5/5
Wow. That's all I can say. WOW. I cannot believe how much we covered and all of the team are so enthusiastic it's infectious. I have well and truly caught the River Cottage bug!
Added on by River Cottage Reviews
Seduced by Sun, Food and Passion
Rating: 5/5
My expectations were high as I entered the wooden gates of RCHQ. I had flown more than 5,000 miles to connect with real food, passionate people and the beautiful British countryside. Away from American fast food culture, lack of critical food thinking and the accelerated rat-race. My 4 days at RCHQ and the surrounding countryside was noting short of magic: the early morning walks from Lume Regis, through hedgerows and public foot paths, to the awaiting cup of coffee and pre-cooking treat at the farm. The fantastic pleasure of spending all day cooking, eating and drinking really well and the walk back to my B&B to digest the food and that day's learnings as the warm spring sun descended on the green rolling hills. And that day's take-away from the farm - tarte, ciabatta, butterflied mackerel and pâté - became my humble dinner. The cookery school is more than a course, it's a new way of living, of looking at the world and nature with passion, love and empathy. It's a celebration of everything real and an enormous confidence booster in the pursuit of real happiness. The following day I flew to Nice and felt I just had to cook for my friends. Going to a local restaurant seemed wasteful in a region with so much fantastic produce. So I embraced their minimalist kitchen with gusto and sautéed asparagus, baked pasta and made pesta. All from scratch. And as soon as I got back home to San Francisco I went real food shopping and in half a day made ciabatta, pizza dough, tomato sauce, chorizo, müsli and pesto as well as planned for a squid lunch and a chicken curry dinner later in the week. Suffice to say, I'll return for an encore.
Added on by per
Stocked my culinary toolbox
Rating: 5/5
Changed my life. End of.
Added on by Sarah Servante
Like food? You'll love this course!
Rating: 5/5
If you have any interest in food whatsoever you'll love this course! River Cottage is fortunate to have such experienced and knowlegeable chefs in Gill and Neil, who pass on their wisdom in a way that is infectious and easy to understand. Because the course numbers are small there is plenty of opportunity for personal attention and the opportunity to ask loads of questions. I loved the basic butchery which has given me more confidence to hone my knife skills. The course puts you in touch with your food and encourages you to use ingredients and produce that you might not have otherwise used. Although I cook on a daily basis I came away with loads of hints, tips and ideas that I would never have thought of or found in a book. An excellent course for anyone who eats. Thanks, River Cottage!
Added on by Spillers Farm
Brilliant Course
Rating: 5/5
Brilliant course. I loved the range of products and techniques which we covered. Plus the fact that the in-house team prepped most of the ingredients for you which meant you could crack on with the exciting task of cooking and wasted minimum time on prep!- Caroline Scott
Added on by River Cottage Reviews III
It was just great!
Rating: 5/5
I was passionate about food before - now I am rather obsessed and I take Hugh's book with me everywhere constantly thinking about what I could make for dinner, breakfast, lunch...etc. I feel so inspired it's absolutely wonderful. Also, I don't feel so attached to recipes now but eager to explore new things based on what I've learned. The techniques that we've learned are incredibly valuable and exactly the sort of skills I was looking for - finally I feel confident buying whole fish and my general attitude towards fish has changed completely - I want to eat lots more of it but the right ones! I feel I've learned so much additionally about sourcing, growing and buying food that food shopping became a whole new experience after the course. Great to have a different chef teaching us every day according to what they are most passionate about. I could go on and on....it was just great!- Hanne Eis
Added on by rivercottagereviews4