For those looking for a hands-on experience, I provide bespoke lessons in my Wimbledon kitchen, where I will help you create simple, delicious, thrifty dishes, using sustainable and seasonal produce where possible. I offer a a two-hour lesson, a half-day lesson and a full-day lesson.
TWO-HOUR LESSON FOR ONE TO FOUR PEOPLE
£260 PER SESSION (INCLUDES INGREDIENTS, LEARNING MATERIALS & REFRESHMENTS)
10AM - 12PM
Using two ingredients which you are really interested in exploring from Menu A below, plus others which I have available for use on the day, you will decide what to cook and prepare a minimum of two meals from scratch, without referring to recipes.
I will cover:
. what's 'good to eat now'
· which ingredients can be prepared in advance, and how to handle them
· key know-how to help you reproduce and adapt the dishes without using recipes
If there is more than one of you attending the session, you will need to agree as a group which ingredients to select, and you will share the workload. We will be tasting the food during the lesson – if there is any left you can argue over who gets to take it home! (Containers are provided).
Menu A ingredients: Pearl barley; buckwheat flour; bulgar wheat; couscous; wholemeal couscous; brown rice; white basmati rice; dried rice noodles; rice paper wrappers; wheat flatbreads (e.g. pitta or wraps); dried wheat noodles; dried spaghetti; dried shaped pasta; dried lasagne sheets; filo pastry; ready-made puff pastry; maincrop potatoes; new potatoes; sweet potatoes; wholegrain spelt; blue cheese; feta; goats cheese; halloumi; ricotta; eggs; chicken breasts; chicken thighs; gammon steaks; lamb leg steaks; turkey mince; white fish; smoked white fish; mussels; prawns; tinned anchovies; tinned tuna; tinned salmon; tinned sardines; tinned black beans; tinned butter beans; tinned cannellini beans; tinned flageolet beans; tinned haricot beans; dried red lentils; dried green lentils; dried Puy lentils; tinned chickpeas; chickpea flour; chorizo; cucumber; lamb mince; pork mince; salami; beetroot (if in season); butternut squash (if in season); red cabbage (if in season); white or green cabbage; carrots; cauliflower; celeriac (if in season); seasonal leafy greens; seasonal salad leaves; leeks; mushrooms; onions; spring onions.
Half-day LESSON FOR one to four PEOPLE
£400 PER SESSION (INCLUDES INGREDIENTS, LEARNING MATERIALS & lunch)
10AM - 2PM
Using three ingredients which you are really interested in exploring from Menu B below, plus others which I have available for use on the day, you will decide what to cook and prepare a minimum of three meals from scratch, without referring to recipes.
I will cover:
. what's 'good to eat now'
· how to shop using the concept of the 'capsule larder'
· how to decide what to cook
· which ingredients can be prepared in advance and how to handle them
· key know-how to help you reproduce and adapt the dishes without recipes
If there is more than one of you attending the session, you will need to agree as a group which ingredients to select, and you will share the workload. We will be tasting the food during the lesson – if there is any left you can argue over who gets to take it home! (Containers are provided).
Menu B ingredients: Anything from Menu A plus masa harina (for tortillas); rye flour; plain spelt wheat flour (for making pastry, dumplings, batter; flatbreads); wholemeal spelt wheat flour (for making wholemeal pastry); beef mince; lamb chump chops; lamb neck fillet.
Full-day LESSON FOR ONE TO FOUR PEOPLE
£500 PER SESSION (INCLUDES INGREDIENTS, LEARNING MATERIALS & lunch)
10AM - 4PM
Using five ingredients which you are really interested in exploring from Menu C below, plus others which I have available for use on the day, you will decide what to cook and prepare a minimum of five meals from scratch, without referring to recipes.
I will cover:
. what's 'good to eat now'
· how to shop using the concept of the 'capsule larder'
· how to decide what to cook
· which ingredients can be prepared in advance and how to handle them
· key know-how to help you reproduce and adapt the dishes without recipes
If there is more than one of you attending the session, you will need to agree as a group which ingredients to select, and you will share the workload. We will be tasting the food during the lesson – if there is any left you can argue over who gets to take it home! (Containers are provided).
Menu C ingredients: Anything from Menu B plus dried split peas; ham hock; lamb shanks; lamp shoulder chops; beef shin; beef chuck; beef featherblade; beef topside joint; beef silverside joint; pork shoulder.
HOW TO BOOK
Please drop me a line at info@thebooklesscook.co.uk, letting me know which lesson you are interested in (two hour/ half-day/ full-day) and which days of the week suit you best. I'm not usually available on weekends or evenings, but can occasionally make exceptions. Once we've agreed a mutually convenient date and time, I will email you a questionnaire to capture the details I need to help me plan your lesson. Upon receipt of your completed questionnaire, I will send you a link to enable payment via the Eventbrite website. You will have one week to complete the questionnaire and make payment before your chosen date is released.
Testimonials
“I particularly enjoyed the careful hand-holding and thoughtfulness in the course. I feel that it’s taken me from being very limited in what I can do to begin to be confident trying things out myself. ”
“Mel gave me added confidence to try out new things in the kitchen and a new understanding of how different flavours, textures and colours all go together. Mel made the afternoon so much fun and hanging out in her lovely kitchen is a delight! ”
“Thank you so much for the time, thought and care you’ve given to my cooking master-class. I’ve really enjoyed it! It has been fascinating to learn about new foods and how they work with each other. ”
“Having just had my first lesson with Mel, I already feel like I am so much more confident in the kitchen. Perfectly balancing the science behind good food with getting stuck in with some hands-on cooking, she helped me understand how dishes are built up. Having had very little experience with cooking, the basics were where we started, but throughout the day, with hints and tips, suddenly creating delicious meals no longer seemed miles away. With bags of knowledge, a selection of essential documents and great conversation, Mel created a superb atmosphere for learning but also having fun and experimenting with foods you might never consider buying before. Working on a basis of affordable but tasty ingredients, I was shown how one doesn’t need expensive brands or variations to have tasty food, and no longer limited by the dusty recipe books in my family cupboards, knowing what works with what opens thousands of possibilities to widen your repertoire of meals. I look forward to using my new-found skills in the kitchen soon.”