cookery school

KARL BATTERED AND
A LITTLE CONFUSED BUT NEVER HUNGRY IN DALE'S KITCHEN

Cooking has really taken off over the last decade or so. You can’t turn on the TV without seeing a faux-celebrity in their whites cremating a crème brulée.

There are even whole channels dedicated to the art of making meals. I must admit that it is something that has never interested me in the slightest.

Why spend hours slaving over a stove – or a fortune on ingredients – when you can put a meal in the microwave? So you can imagine how thrilled I was to learn I’d been signed up to a course at a cookery school in the Lake District.

LucyCooks is an off-shoot of the renowned Lucy’s restaurants, grocers, wine bars and caterers that have been feeding visitors to Ambleside for over 20 years.

Based in the old bobbin mill yard in Staveley, near Kendal, there is a picturesque setting to this culinary academy that promises to boost your kitchen prowess “whether you are nine or 90, novice or Nigella”.

I certainly fall in the ‘novice’ category. For the last few years, the smoke alarm has woken my housemates every time I’ve attempted a bacon butty. Even a salad is a stretch too far. The course that was forced upon me was called ‘Just For Men: Absolute Beginners’, so at least I wasn’t going to be too far out of my depth – I thought.

Walking into the workspace I was greeted by every piece of kit and every exotic utensil you could think of – some of which I couldn’t begin to guess what you do with.

Sharing the high-tech super kitchen with me were 13 equally apprehensive males, most of whom had been sent by their wives or girlfriends, probably fed up with eating burnt casseroles on every special occasion.

First on the menu was chicken satay. Obviously I had no idea what that was, but after watching head chef Dale Blacow’s demonstration on the big screen, it didn’t seem too difficult so I decided to give it my best shot.

Using ingredients I’d never encountered before – cumin, lemon grass and tamarind paste – the end result was something that resembled the model version. And with no injuries sustained from using the sharpest knives I’d ever seen, it put me in a confident mood to tackle the next dish – fish tacos. We started with a salsa as an accompaniment, which had sugar and salt, pineapple and chillies – combinations that couldn’t possibly work. Watching Dale dicing the fruit and veg was pretty terrifying, as I thought I would be dicing my digits. But his helpful tuition taught me a few new techniques that will spare the ends of my fingers should I ever need to cook in the future.

The fish part was slightly trickier. Battering the haddock was no problem, but frying it was less of a success. Turning it over too early results in the finely sliced fillets becoming a mushy mess. Mine was a mushy mess.

It tasted good though.

We had managed to make our own lunches, and everyone was in agreement that fish tacos were something we would consider making in the future.

In the afternoon we were confronted with a bobotie.

Again, I’d never heard of it, but I’m assured it is a popular South African dish made with either beef or lamb.

Most of the ingredients at LucyCooks are locally sourced – the lamb is so local that it comes from the field next door. Slightly put off by the fact that through the window I could see my meal running around and bleating, I opted for beef.

Again, there were no major problems.

I was reduced to tears at one point, however, but luckily it was as a result of chopping onions and nothing more serious.

The mixture of minced beef, mixed spices, apricots and tomatoes looked good enough to eat, and as it would be my evening meal, that was a relief.

As with any cookery course, you’d expect to end with a dessert. It was a stroke of luck that the sweet I would be learning to make is also my favourite – sticky toffee pudding.

Despite an in-depth demonstration from Dale and the step-by-step guide written out in front of me, I still managed to add the flour to the cake mixture much too early, and with the help of an electric whisk, a white cloud covered my workstation and my apron.

While the resulting concoction was in the oven, we were left to wash up. With all the top-of-the range equipment around, I thought there would be a dishwasher, but the philosophy of cookery is to clean as you go as a matter of hygiene. Just as washing up is usually a chore, before the course I had regarded anything that involved a wooden spoon or a whisk to be an arduous backbreaking task. But I enjoyed myself all day, and when I saw the mountain of food I’d made to take home, I realised the rewards of being able to cook. When I got home and tasted the results for myself, I knew why so many people tune in to find out the perfect recipe for poached salmon, for example. I’m already looking to see which course I’ll do next – sushi, tapas, Irish cuisine – LucyCooks has them all.

I’m not going to say it has turned me into a Master Chef contender – it would take a few more courses before I can invite people round to sample my wares – but it has given me an urge to take a wander down the herbs and spices aisle next time I go shopping.

Published in the North West Evening Mail, 6th February 2010