Who teaches the cooking courses?
Your chef for the day....Sarah
I hold a certificate in Cordon Bleu Cuisine gained at the Manor School of Fine Cuisine. I taught my original Cooking with Chillies course at The Manor School until October 2006 when I decided to run my Cooking with Chillies cookery course and a host of other new cookery courses from my own home kitchen.
I have recently trained in baking - in particular breadmaking, with Richard Bertinet [author of the fabulous books "Dough" and "Crust"] - and I now incorporate some of Richard's wonderful recipes for French-style rustic breadsticks, Italian Grissini, and other amazing breads into my courses. Where we are not baking bread on your course there will still be a French Baguette or Fougasse lurking somewhere on the table - thanks to Monsieur Bertinet's excellent training. I hope to convince more people to bake their own bread in the future.
I also hold a City and Guilds Certificate in "Delivering Learning" gained at Castle College in Nottingham - where I have also undertaken cookery demonstration lessons for teenagers and other students. Prior to working in cooking I had a number of senior managerial jobs in training and development and project management - so I have been able to transfer these skills to developing cookery courses and teaching cookery.
My own home kitchen is the venue for these cooking classes and the business is now called "Courses for Cooks".
My enthusiasm for cooking with unusual ingredients began when I attended two cookery schools while I was on holiday in New Orleans. I have undertaken a course at a UK chocolate academy, several courses at Rick Stein's Seafood School and I have attended a cookery school in Marrakesh to gain a better understanding of authentic Moroccan cuisine. I have developed a range of new courses using the skills gained from this training.
Most recently I have been developing seasonal eating courses including "how to use a veg box". These are designed to help people who want to have an organic veg box each week but are not sure how to cope with menu planning and using the veg box in the most effective way. I am also developing new Chilli and Indian courses and also running outdoor cooking classes at a local organic farm. Alongside this I have developed a series of "Learn To Cook" courses for students and teenagers.
I occasionally work as a freelance writer, specialising in travel, food, and articles with an environmental slant. I have contributed to a number of national and local magazines.
You will find a relevant example of my travel writing in the October 2006 issue of Destination France Magazine - page 20 displays my article about a Chilli Festival that takes place every year in the French Pyrenees! I have also written for Holiday Cottages Magazine, Adventure Travel Magazine and an in-flight magazine.
If you are local to Notitngham then you may also have seen my work in Living for Tomorrow - a local sustainability magazine produced by Nottinghamshire County Council.
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