It may have been drizzling as we pulled up to the beautiful Swinton Park Hotel but the atmosphere in the Swinton Park Cookery School, in a converted stable, was relaxed and cosy. Head of the cookery school, Robert Taylor and his sous chef Amanda made us feel like old friends that had just popped round to watch them cook.
Part of a group of twelve we sat round an island in the demonstration kitchen and watched as Robert and Amanda whipped up an array of canapes. We got to taste everything that they cooked and in some cases get up and have a go. We tasted quails eggs, confit duck, crab, sea bass, pigeon, salmon, rabbit and pheasant which were all sourced locally.
Amanda had recently been on a bread making course, although judging by her skills it was an exceptionally advanced course! As Robert and Amanda cooked for us two loaves of bread proved behind them. When baked the bread was delicious, certainly better than my ‘burnt cycling helmet’ attempts *cough*.
Our main course was Poached and Roasted Pheasant Breast, parma ham, stuffed with pear, cranberry and pork stuffing with celeriac puree, pomme puree, sprouts, chestnuts and a sage and shallot jus. The pomme puree took Amanda about an hour to make and was well worth it.
The cookery course was finished off with pear crumble with homemade vanilla ice cream washed down with a very nice glass of white wine.
We managed to pick up really basic tips, the most important for me being ‘never put oil in a cold pan’. The smoke alarm will be going off less in our house as a result.
The Husband’s thoughts;
- Robert is a great chef and had all the answers at the tip of his tongue. His knowledge, and that of Amanda the Sous-Chef, was first class.
- Style of food (canapés) was a surprise, but as it’s something I don’t do often was actually a great idea – especially with Christmas around the corner
- The hotel and surroundings were awesome. We will definitely try to get back there for a special occasion.
- I would certainly like to go back and try out the intermediate cookery course over a weekend. And the chef’s table.
- The type of food was great – local seasonal, cooked simply and quickly. Especially loved the pheasant, pomme puree and smoked salmon and sea bass starters. I will be trying a balatine asap!
- Atmosphere was laid back, but professional and we were made to feel the focus of attention
We were given a copy of the menu and recipes to take home with us along with a very satisfied feeling. The Husband is a keen chef so he was in heaven and although not a keen cook, but an avid eater, I too thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. I think we’ve found the perfect way to spend our wedding anniversary next year.
Thank you to www.ooh.com for letting us have the experience.
Ooh.com is a free site for listing and booking trips, courses, classes, accommodation and events. On Ooh.com you can book these exciting things to do directly from the people selling them.
Browsing around the site, you’ll find things going on locally and away from home. So, avoid run-of-the-mill tourist trails and use this site to find and book great local activities wherever you’re going.
Whether it’s next week or next month, locally or abroad, anyone can find and book new things to do.
