Hot Dinners' baking efforts have, in the past, been varied to say the least. We may be able to bake a mean brownie - but could always do with some decent training. So we were particularly pleased to be invited to be among the first to try out the new Waitrose Cookery School on the Finchley Road.
Situated above an enormous Waitrose, we were immediately struck with how brand-spanking-new everything looked. This, of course, led to an instant attack of kitchen envy. The main teaching kitchen has everything a budding cook could need. Taking up to 20 people in pairs, each pair has their own oven, hob, fridge, sink, mixer and a host of kitchen gadgets. It was an impressive sight to behold - even more so since we were the first to use them.
So, aprons donned, we were introduced to our instructors - a seven piece team, many with Michelin-starred kitchen experience. Our task for the evening was to make macaroons - a useful skill for anyone who has parted with the plentiful cash required for one of Pierre Herme's own creations. Specifically, we were to make "Italian macaroons" - for which you should read "much, much easier than normal macaroons".
Indeed, with only a few ingredients to play around with, macaroons proved to be a surprisingly easy confection to make. While our piping skills could have done with some improvement, resembling the harried results of something off the Generation Game (for those of you old enough to remember it), the end results were someone we were happy to share with colleagues (or simply devour ourselves).
We also discovered a recipe for - frankly amazing - mulled wine macaroons that may well be making an appearance at Hot Dinners parties during the festive season. They also incorporated some "edible glitter" - something not yet available in Waitrose but coming in the New Year (the kitchen at tehe cookery school will often be used to test out some new additions to the supermarket's range).
During the evening - while waiting for the macaroons to cook, we also got to try our hand at the fully-stocked bar, which will be used for cocktail classes. Once again we learned a skill we shamefacedly did not possess - how to correctly use a cocktail shaker. And beyond the kitchen and bar, there's an area stuffed with books and an impressive theatre that will be used for demonstrations and tastings. Naturally, all the ingredients are on sale at Waitrose and all the equipment is available at John Lewis.
In all, we were extremely impressed with the evening (and deeply envious of the kitchen). We may well be back for a full day's course. The half-days and evenings are £105, while the full days start at what we feel is a relatively competitive £175. That might sound punchy, but it includes breakfast, lunch, matching wines, all the wine and ingredients and both demonstrations in the theatre and the opportunity to cook yourselves. Waitrose are kicking off 25 food and drink courses, which includes the odd festive selection to help you get armed for Christmas. For the full list of courses - check out their website.
{webgallery}
{/webgallery}
