cookery school

WHAT'S COOKING WHEN
IT'S LASHING IN THE LAKES

Oldham Chronicle

MARINA BERRY finds out what else the Lake District has to offer aside from its scenic beauty

The Lake District in the rain is pretty much par for the course, but this year’s washout summer meant a whole week spent dodging relentless downpours which cut short my ideas for walking.

Now I am not a fine weather walker by any means, but I draw the line at five hours in torrential rain, and decided I would have a rare look at what the area had to offer aside from fabulous scenery and wonderful walking.

First on the agenda was a trip to the renowned Lucy’s of Ambleside, a teashop of unrivalled prowess, which caters for the pure decadence demanded of holidays.

Mulling over what to do while enjoying a cappuccino, I idly picked up a leaflet for LucyCooks, the latest in a line of seven food experiences on offer from the innovative business.

Inside were details of a new cookery school opened by company founder, Lucy — a woman known throughout Cumbria purely by her first name — in the South Lakeland village of Staveley.

Lucy, it turns out, is a woman with amazing drive, brought to the Lakes from her London home by love.

Unable to find an avenue for her talents in the record industry, she decided to open a deli, and besides bringing up four children with her landscape gardening husband has seen her business blossom beyond all proportion.

It all started from humble beginnings 20 years ago, but passion for food soon led Lucy to branch out and open a cafe, now turned into a restaurant by night “Lucy’s On a Plate,” followed by a Mediterranean style wine bar and bistro “Lucy4,” where people are encouraged to while away the evening with their favourite tipple and pick at tapas-style fare.

Mention an opportunity, and Lucy is there — be it home delivery of a champagne breakfast, preparation of a wedding buffet, or preparing a feast cooked by a top chef in your own home.

Last year, she jetted out to New York after being selected to represent Britain in a food fair and to explore a request to send Christmas cakes to America for festive celebrations.

My appetite whetted, I decided to check out LucyCooks to see what it was all about.

The day started with 10 of us, of both sexes, all ages and from all walks of life, sat around a table enjoying hot drinks, warm scones and the zestiest lemon curd I have ever come across.

Things were going well —then it was straight into the course “Fish — the Best Fast Food,” under the tutorship of Lucy’s head chef, Dale Blacow.

Demonstrations on how to do it were followed by us all making the same dishes in our smart black “LucyCooks and so do I” aprons.

We tucked into our creations at lunchtime — we couldn’t quite believe we had made them ourselves — and the rest we proudly took home to impress our friends and family.

The dishes were simple and easy to make, yet astonishingly turned out fit to serve at a dinner party — though I say so myself.

(images courtesy of the Oldham Chronicle)