Demonstrated by the Experts

Lyn and Dawn, two experienced cooks, demonstrate new seasonal recipes using glorious local ingredients. This takes place in Lyn’s cottage kitchen in Winchcombe where the atmosphere is welcoming, fun and friendly and the groups are small and like-minded.

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Both have taught cooking for years in the UK and across the world, and are still keen to share their enjoyment of cooking by providing delicious fail-safe recipes that are bound to inspire. Providing plenty of modern cooking techniques, hints, tips and treasures from their recipe collections, this enjoyable event lasts about four hours - from coffee, tea and home-made biscuits to a final sumptuous tasting of all the recipes. Whilst most of the cooking takes place on a large and roomy AGA, Dawn and Lyn are equally at home on gas and electric cookers. All recipes are annotated accordingly. One-to-one AGA clinics with Dawn, after the demonstration, are free.

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Whether you’re a complete beginner or a confident cook, an AGA-lover or not, there is something for you. By booking a place for only £45 you will also be supporting the work of the admirable charity, Kate’s Home Nursing.

Waste not, want not

Arancini are irresistible fried rice balls, sometimes made entirely from left-overs. Mix and squeeze left-over risotto into rounds, with some little cubes of mozzarella. Roll in flour, beaten egg and dried crumbs. Insert a filling of sun-dried tomato, or more cheese. Traditionally deep-fried, you may prefer to flatten them a bit and shallow-fry. Serve with drinks.

OUR DEMONSTRATIONS

Led by the seasons,

Spring

At last we are in February, the month of love. The very thought is a temptation to raise the spirits, as we slowly progress out of the residual days of winter wet in the Cotswolds. The birds are singing earlier and later, but perhaps are not quite up to building their nests and bearing their eggs as early as Valentine’s Day, invented by Chaucer in his poem, Parlement of Foules (1382) to mark the anniversary of a royal engagement.

It is a good time to put a spring in our step in our kitchens. Use a showery day to spring-clean the larder, to bake fresh loaves from flour which appears to be going out of date, use last year’s marmalade in cakes and this year’s Seville oranges in a tangy bitter orange Bigarade Sauce, delicious with duck. Freeze a few of these precious oranges for future use, as they will be out of season by the end of February.

Even by April, there will not be new, fresh ingredients in the greengrocers’. Best to relax and enjoy Chinese and South-East Asian recipes, where the store cupboard will help again with black beans, tamarind, palm sugar, coconut cream, milk and spices, allowing us to enjoy a full range of warming, arousing flavours to enhance humble winter staples like cabbage, carrots, pork, game and tofu.

Through windows, protected from that chilly breeze, we watch the primroses, daffodils and lambs appear, inviting us out. And then! The new garlic appears in the shops. It’s soft and creamy, the papery skin needs no peeling, it’s lilac and pale green, and the soft yielding bulbs assure us that nature is stirring, and young tender vegetables are not that far away.

FAVOURITE RECIPES

Quick Cider Bread

A real home-made loaf with its characteristic yeasty aroma. Made from cider, flour, baking powder and a smattering of cheese – Dawn mixes these quickly, tips them into loaf tin and bakes. After just 30 minutes, a splendid golden loaf is taken from the oven, ready to slice upon cooling - with butter, cheese and chutney.

"A treat for the dark months" 

Margaret Reid, Winchcombe