My cooking has always been a little hit and miss. W says it is because I don’t like to cook the same thing twice, butＩbelieve it is also due to a lack of understanding of the basics. So to even out my cooking skills and boost my confidence, I researched the major amateur cookery schools in England and booked myself a place on Ashburton Cookery School’s 5-day Intermediate course.

The school, with its cosy B&B across the road, is in an idyllic setting in the Devon countryside. Classes are held in a small, T-shaped kitchen (fully equipped, even with a ceiling-mounted demonstration mirror), while theory and meals are taken in a detached, glass-doored (and thankfully, heated) room, overlooking a vegetable and herb garden and vividly green hills. I cannot comment much on the town of Ashburton itself, as being November, I have only seen it in the dark – the Exeter Inn is quite good for a nightcap though.

With seasonal recipes devised around a list of core skills, the course provided a mix of structured theory and techniques, ‘dems’, hands-on cooking, ’secret’ chefs’ tips and of course, the most important part, good food. It was extremely well organised – the days ran smoothly and to timetable (despite our incessant questions); all 10 participants were food enthusiasts around the same level; the chefs were knowledgeable, clearly experienced in teaching and generously gave a little extra – like providing us with a second ‘chocolate tasting’ and straying from the recipe to demonstrate crispy pork crackling. It was certainly an advantage having a range of chefs teaching us, as each had a slightly different focus and background. To save time, Ingredients were measured out for us, just like on TV, and one of the best parts was that we wasted no time washing up.

Each day we worked towards lunch, then a 2 or 3 course dinner. Quite often, recipes involved ingredients prepared a day or two in advance, and there was a focus on preparing food in advance to reduce the stress of dinner parties. Even with my involvement, the food was amazing. It’s hard to tell how much of the taste can be attributed to our newly-developed skills and how much must be attributed to the fresh, organic ingredients we used. There was no pressure to continue this at home though, and we were encouraged to simply purchase the best ingredients we could afford.

With an obvious focus on taste, the course was lacking a little in the healthy eating department – not a day passed where we didn’t use double cream and there was very little for vegetarians. But as you can see, the extra kilos gained were well worth it…

The first day covered basic knife skills, stocks, smoking, risottos, infused oils, griddling, chicken butchery, chocolate and presentation.

Home Smoked Salmon, Saffron and Dill Risotto

Griddled Chicken Breast served with Paysanne Vegetables, Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Garlic and Basil Oil

Dark Chocolate Pot with Amaretti Biscuits

The second day we tackled bread, more stock, soups and sauces, mushrooms, lamb butchery, pralines, vegetable blanching and refreshing and the now not-so-elusive poached eggs. That night, we had my favourite meal of the week.

Vichyssoise Soup with White Bread Rolls

Roasted Best End of Lamb with Madeira Sauce and Wild Mushrooms, Dauphinoise Potato and Green Vegetables

Seasonal Fruit with Grand Marnier and Orange Sabayon topped with Praline

Wednesday saw us tackle the pig – pork tenderloins (in a bag), ham and belly pork. We also looked at pastries, sorbets and decoration for desserts.

Baked Smoked Haddock on a Bed of Buttered Spinach with Poached Egg, Melting Gruyere Cheese and Curry Oil

Pork Tenderloin En Papilotte with Shaved Fennel, Apples, Cider and Thyme served with Apple Mash and Roasted Honey Glazed Purple Carrots and Celeriac

Coconut Milk and Lemongrass Sorbet with Tuille Biscuits

After that on the fourth day, we moved onto cows, pasta, dressings, flavoured butters, deep frying, blowtorching and ‘luxury tarts’ (aka quiches renamed to be acceptable for males). Thursday was wine night – something we had been craving all week.

Local Ham and Mature Cheddar Tart served with Mixed Dressed Leaves

Goats Cheese and Red Pepper Tortelli with Fresh Pesto Sauce

Pan Fried Fillet Steak with Stilton Butter, Twice Roasted Chips, Balsamic Roasted Tomato and Stuffed Mushroom

Creme Brulee with Praline Biscuit

And our final day was dominated by seafood – round and flat fish filleting and scallops, incorporating ingredients we’d prepared earlier.

Plaice Sandwich Stuffed with Roasted Red Peppers and Sauted Scallop served with a Saffron and Shallot Sauce

Pan Fried Mackerel Fillet with Cannellini Bean and Tomato Stew, Crispy Belly Pork and Grain Mustard Sauce

Glazed Lemon Tart

I’ll be posting more details on these skills, as I attempt to replicate this at home…