Ashburton Cookery School - More Intermediate Cookery

This time last year, I was lucky to have been bought a week-long course at Ashburton Cookery School based here in Devon, by my husband Geoff. I had an amazing 5 day course there and really loved it, so you can imagine my delight when Geoff said he would buy me another week long course this year for my birthday. This time the ‘More Intermediate Cookery Course’. My birthday was on the 16th July (last Monday), and my course also commenced on this day too, so it seemed that this was meant just for me!

Although I won't be sharing the recipes via my blog (these are copyrighted to Ashburton Cookery School), I thought it would be fun to write a post for each of the 5 days that I was at the course, commencing here with day one:

Day One

On day one I arrived at the School and was introduced to everyone on the course, there were 8 of us, all doing the course for leisure purposes. Often this course is done by individuals wishing to make cooking a new career for them, for example chefing on yachts or setting up a new business from home for example.

My fellow members had come from a wide range of background, for example the armed forces, banking and publishing. One member lived in New York and was completing the course whilst in the UK on holiday. For me, I was there just for my own pleasure, and ultimately that of my friends and family!

Straight away, we all got along, with cooking our common interest, and commenced the course with an introduction from our Chef for Monday and Tuesday, Rob Dawe. Rob ran through health and safety and some techniques we would be using during the day, and then showed us through to the kitchen where we donned our aprons and got cracking.

I had met Rob earlier this year, at Exeter Festival of South West Food and Drink, where I asked him to sign my Ashburton Cookery School apron, you may remember from an earlier post, that Geoff had won this for me.

Our first dish on day one was a Red Mullet with Nicoise Salad. Gorgeous locally caught Red Mullet, with a salad of leaves and green beans, served with boiled quails eggs, potatoes with capers and anchovies and 'posh' tomatoes.

This dish was every bit as clean and fresh tasting as it looks here.

Next we created Chicken Ballotine with Cabbage Parcels and Potato Rosti. A technical dish, as we boned out the Chicken Leg and stuffed it with a Goats Cheese and walnut stuffing. I have done a fair bit of jointing meats, but this deboning was new for me and a great success.

Finally for dessert, a delicious Berry Mille-feuille - this beautiful dessert made from handmade shortcake biscuits, sandwiched with a vanilla cream and dressed with seasonal berries.

The berries I used were blueberries, strawberries and raspberries, garnished with a sprinkling of icing sugar and a sprig of mint to compliment the beautiful colours of this dish.