Celebrity chefs, cookery shows and recipe books… everywhere we look there’s advice about what to eat and how to eat it and yet how often do we stop to listen? How often do we take the time to plan a meal, gather the ingredients and prepare them with love? And how often do we sit around the table with family, friends, or just by ourselves, and savour every mouthful?
All too often we find ourselves grabbing fast food, eating on the go, or opting for quick fix ready meals to fuel our busy lifestyles. Yet food is nourishment, not just for our bodies and minds, but for our souls too. So last week, in order to help us re-connect with food and rediscover our passion for learning, cooking, and eating, the Do What You Love team went to cookery school!
Back to class…
It felt great to be in Massa Ben’s kitchen at Brighton Cookery School, surrounded by fresh ingredients and cool culinary gadgets. With our pinnies on and a glass of Prosecco in hand (I know it was only 11am but it would have been rude not to!) we all set about cooking a three-course meal for our lunch. The menu? Homemade pasta and tomato sauce to start; rump of lamb with jus, roast potatoes and seasonal vegetables for main; and rhubarb fool for dessert.
Sharpening our knife skills: Massa Ben taught us how to chop like chefs
Ben was a master chef; he guided us through every step with energy and passion, and he took us back to basics explaining where each of our ingredients came from and how we could get the best out of them. It was a fascinating journey – and so much fun. Best of all, when we finished cooking, we got to sit down together and enjoy the fruits of our labour.
8 things that cookery school taught us…
1. It’s wonderful to create something from nothing: We started with flour, a pinch of salt and an egg and 10 minutes later we had fresh long strands of tagliatelle. Making pasta was so much easier than any of us thought it would be – and thoroughly enjoyable. Bring on the lasagne, spaghetti and ravioli!
Taking basic ingredients…
…mixing with a spoonful of knowledge
…to make pasta that Nonna would be proud of!
2. The possibilities are endless: When you have a number of basic ingredients and really take the time to think about what you could do with them you realise that the possibilities are endless. Imagine how interesting things would be if you applied this type of thinking to all aspects of your everyday life.
3. Good food doesn’t have to be complicated: As Massa Ben explained, too many ingredients and flavours can ruin a dish. So, to make our pasta sauce we just added garlic to chopped plum tomatoes and simmered for a couple of hours. We served it on top of our freshly cooked pasta, tossed in truffle oil, added a bit of black pepper, a sprinkling of Parmesan and a sprig of fresh basil and voila! Simple, rustic, delicious.
Vickie getting stuck in – preparing plum tomatoes for the pasta sauce
4. The pleasure is in the process, as well as the end product: As we chopped, sliced and stirred we were all fully present and in ‘the zone’. It felt so good to be mindful: to slow down and focus; to only think about one thing at a time; and above all, to enjoy the process. Everyone is busy and time is precious but we all said that we will try and make a couple of hours every so often to cook from scratch.
Beth making Chantilly cream with vanilla sugar
5. You can travel the world every day – without leaving the kitchen: Anyone can be a culinary adventurer! We toured Europe, experimenting with fresh flavours and new techniques, in order to cook up our three courses. It’s easy to spice up you repertoire if you’re willing to learn.
We coated one side of the lamb with breadcrumbs, mint and parsley
6. Your plate is your canvas! What you choose to eat – your ingredients, oils, and spices – and how you choose to prepare and serve it – your utensils and dishes – is all part of the bigger picture that is your creative mind, heart, and soul. Every decision you make is a work of art – a masterpiece.
The finished main course – delicious!
7. Eating mindfully makes you happy: We realised that you appreciate your food so much more when you eat more slowly and focus on all the textures and flavours in your mouth and how they interact.
8. The dinner table is a place of community and a place to connect: After cooking together we had the pleasure of eating together and celebrating our successes in the kitchen. We talked, we laughed and we shared stories. It was a million times better than eating lunch alone, at our desks, or in front of the TV! As Jonathan Safran Foer said: “Nothing – not a conversation, not a handshake or even a hug – establishes friendship so forcefully as eating together.”
There’s always space for dessert!
For more information about Brighton Cookery School visit the website.
How do you see food? How creative are you in the kitchen? What new skills would you like to learn? How will you be more mindful in the way you cook and eat? We’d love to hear your thoughts…
