Cooking Classes in Britain
Consider a culinary course on your next trip across the pond, Road Trips Foodies. Here are some suggestions:
While wine and cheese are often happy culinary partners, the School of Artisan Food in Nottinghamshire (in the East Midlands area of England, about 3 hours by train from London) has launched a course on the more unusual collaboration of beer and cheese. Participants learn about British artisan cheeses paired with traditional ales from the Welbeck Abbey Brewery. And if you feel like working up your appetite first, the cooking school is situated in the heart of Sherwood Forest, famed for its association with Robin Hood and a great place to explore nature walks.
Master bread-baking or chocolate-making, four-course lavish meals or one-pot wonders at the cookery courses run by Betty’s famous Yorkshire tea rooms in the north of England. Courses such as “Baking with Chocolate”, “Effortless Entertaining”, or the “Chocolate Box” – where you can learn the delicate art of hand tempering, creating indulgent fillings, hand dipping and different finishes – are on offer.
No trip to Scotland is complete without a whisky tasting. Glengoyne Distillery – one of the few distilleries producing whisky in the southern Highlands of Scotland – goes a step further and offers a whisky Master Class. As well as a visit to the Glengoyne warehouses not open to the public, there are tastings of Glengoyne 12- and 18-year old Highland Single Malt, plus the chance to create your own blend. And as 2013 is the Year of Natural Scotland, there’s no better time to explore the natural landscapes, historic locations and wildlife that the Highlands afford.
If tea is more your tipple, the United Kingdom Tea Council has partnered with two of Britain’s tea experts to provide one-day seminars revealing the secrets behind Britain’s favorite drink. Held at the Chesterfield Hotel is London’s exclusive Mayfair, you’ll learn a cornucopia of tea facts, from the history of tea to its health benefits and the art of perfect brewing. The Chesterfield is just a few minutes’ walk away from the top shopping spots of Regent Street and Bond Street and well as the Royal Parks.
(Photo of the Windsor Crown courtesy of the School of Artisan Food)