The Cookery School Blog

 

Plastic-Free July: Easy swaps in your kitchen

Posted on

Plastic Free July is a fantastic initiative that aims to reduce plastic pollution, but can seem overwhelming on first glance! After all, plastic hides in many products, making swapping them out harder than first thought.

Luckily, there are many easy swaps to make in the kitchen. We have been running a single-use-plastic-free kitchen for over 12 years, so have found many solutions along our journey.

Lose the packaging

The UK suffers from excessive plastic packaging so reducing your consumption is an important first step.

Read More >

Category
How To Sustainability

Tags

Ros Rants: The ethics of chocolate

Posted on

I am an utter chocoholic and love the stuff but I always have one huge proviso – it has to be 100% slave free. The chocolate that I devour and that we use at Cookery School is always ethical.

In our chocolate making class, taught by the wonderful Jon Hogan from Rococo, we start the day with a tasting of a range of different ethical chocolates. Our students are always shocked to learn that the chocolates that they eat all the time aren’t free of controversy and ought to be given an enormously wide berth.  

Read More >

Category
Ingredients Ros Rants Sustainability

Tags

Solving the chef shortage with Cook’s Certificate

Posted on

One of the biggest ongoing challenges faced by restaurants in the UK is the shortage of chefs and the quality of new recruits into kitchens. The latest Office of National Statistics data demonstrates that hotels and restaurants are experiencing a consistently higher vacancy rate than other sectors – there are 4.1 vacancies per 100 jobs, in comparison to the average of 2.8 across the wider economy.

Read More >

Category
Cook's Certificate

Tags

RECIPE: Tempering chocolate

Posted on

July 7 marks World Chocolate Day, a fantastic excuse to get creative with cocoa in the kitchen! Tempering chocolate is an essential skill when working with chocolate – once you’ve got this down pat, the opportunities are endless.

Read More >

Category
Recipes

Tags

Ros Rants: A sprinkle of salt

Posted on

Salt is magic for me. Of all the ingredients that can be used to enhance the flavour of food, salt is the most effective when correctly used. The emphasis being on correct! I loathe food that is over-salted. It kills the taste of any dish, so it’s essential to find the right balance.

There is a hysteria surrounding the use of salt.  It is not unfounded if one is a fast food or ready meal addict.

Read More >

Category
Ingredients Ros Rants

Tags

The importance of sourcing sustainable fish

Posted on

Fishing continues to be one of the biggest issues facing the food industry. With over-fishing and dredging jeopardising fish stocks and sea bed ecology, it is more important than ever that we investigate where our fish is coming from and ensure the methods used are as sustainable as possible.

What does sustainable fish mean?

Sustainable fish is caught in ways that allow the long-term future and viability of species,

Read More >

Category
Ingredients Sustainability

Tags

The top three benefits of growing your own fruit and vegetables

Posted on

Nicky Roeber is the Online Horticultural Expert at Wyevale Garden Centres. Here, he shares the top three benefits of growing your own fruit and vegetables at home.

As we become more conscious of how our everyday choices and actions can affect the environment, many people are making the switch to growing their own fruit and vegetables. However, the benefits extend beyond just helping the planet: it can save you money and improve your health too.

Read More >

Category
Ingredients Sustainability

Tags

RECIPE: Banana bread

Posted on

 

Banana bread is almost a staple in Cookery School’s kitchen, as it’s a great way to use up bananas that are looking worse for wear. With no fancy ingredients, this banana bread recipe is perfect for a lazy afternoon of baking or last-minute dessert!

Read More >

Category
Recipes

Tags

World Meat-Free Week: Helping the planet through your plate

Posted on

17th-23rd June is World Meat-Free Week, a movement that aims to promote eating more plant-based foods. With experts saying that by 2050, the developed world will need to reduce their meat consumption by 50%, it’s becoming more important than ever for individuals and families to celebrate the humble vegetable. Here at Cookery School, we’re leading from the front, with plenty of vegetarian and vegan classes,

Read More >

Category
Ingredients Sustainability

Tags

Chef Spotlight: Freddy Gangemi

Posted on

Our fantastic team of chefs are the experts in all things cookery, leading the majority of our diverse classes. However, every now and then, we welcome a guest chef to share their specialist knowledge far and wide. Just one of these is Freddy Gangemi, an Italian native that leads our Roman and Sicilian classes. We sat down with Freddy to find out what he loves about cooking and the special draw to Italian flavours.

  1. Can you tell me a little about your culinary journey?

Read More >

Category
Classes We Love

Tags