evening cookery classes - how does this sound to you?

apprentice_tycoon · 3 February 2007 at 2:58PM

A few years ago I used to teach an evening class, it was dinner party cookery and was a 'watch, taste and drink' class where I cooked and prattled on for 90 minutes, the class just watched, ate the results, drank a little wine and washed up.

I gave up a while back but the money would come in handy again and I've been spurred on by threads from newbies here and from the general feel in the country that people in their 20's and 30's didn't have 'proper' cookery lessons at school and maybe could do with some help to wean them off the ready made food and get them cooking good, wholesome meals.

I can't decide if I should run the class as a 'watch and taste' or 'watch me do it and you do it yourself next week' kind of lesson, I could get more dishes cooked if I did it all myself but there is no substitution for hands on learning

I will need to pitch this idea to the education department but I'd like to know if the idea is a goer, will there be a demand for this sort of beginners class or should I go back to the dinner party classes?

thriftlady_2 · 3 February 2007 at 3:14PM

I think there is definitely a demand for 'beginner' type classes if the questions on this board are anything to go by. People seem genuinely interested in learning to cook from scratch. I've often thought about getting involved in teaching budget cooking. Maybe you could do a Budget Cooking for Beginners class ? or perhaps a 'Make your own ready meals' class - cheaper and better than supermarket ones ?

thriftlady_2 · 3 February 2007 at 3:21PM

My mum used to teach cookery evening classes. I watched a few. I think what she did was a pretty rapid demo, then the pupils made their own dish and she circulated helping as she went.

bobsa1 · 3 February 2007 at 3:22PM

I've started to go to a family cooking class with my two older dd's. It is very much how I remember home economics from years ago and the girls are loving it.

First week was purely a demo of rubbing in method, soda bread and rock cakes, second week was making the above two items and a demo of meatballs in a ragu, third week, made meatballs and demo of fruit cobbler, fourth week make fruit cobbler and demo of fish pie

Next week we are making fish pie and demo of a fruit cake by melting method etc.

These classes are free in our area, but one aimed at adults sounds great.

crawley_girl · 3 February 2007 at 3:28PM

apprentice_tycoon wrote:

I gave up a while back but the money would come in handy again and I've been spurred on by threads from newbies here and from the general feel in the country that people in their 20's and 30's didn't have 'proper' cookery lessons at school and maybe could do with some help to wean them off the ready made food and get them cooking good, wholesome meals.

Being someone in their late 20s, I had about 4 home economics cooking lessons which of course I use on a weekly basis - NOT!

I for one, would sign up for the beginner's cooking especially if it was hands on and I got to make it and take it home...

Sounds like a plan tycoon... good luck

:heartpuls CG :heartpuls

lex · 3 February 2007 at 3:43PM

Wow sounds like an excellent idea!

Personally I'd prefer to have some hands on element, as just watching wouldn't keep my interest - and until you have a go, beginners especially might think it was too difficult.

I went on a cookery course as a birthday present last year, and we cooked things as a group. For example when we made profiteroles, a couple of people were making the pastry, some others were making the sauce, whilst all listening to the teacher explaining each process etc. When we made bread, we made it in pairs, but each pair did a different type of bread and then we tried them all etc. Maybe this would work, then you could still get through more material, and people would be part of the process, but maybe not all of it.

Good luck!! Sounds great!

lex

Raspberry_Swirl · 3 February 2007 at 3:48PM

the college is work for runs adult educations classes and a really popular one at the moment is "cooking the healthy eating way"

the tutor does a demo and then everyone cooks that dish, so i would definately go for that approach, rather than just you cooking.

furndire · 3 February 2007 at 4:22PM

We went to Chinese cookery classes, tutor made item one week, and you tried it, and the following week you could ingredients to make from the week before, and she made something different. You could decide for yourself if you wanted to cook or not - we tended to taste and watch - occasionally opting to cook.

Simba_25 · 3 February 2007 at 4:34PM

We have a program here run by Sure Start, where a qualified chef that works for them runs these kind of classes. It is for a small group (usually about 6/8 of us) and the chef cooks alongside us, teaching us as we go along. We are then allowed to take home what we make. He also asks us if there is anythign we want to learn to make. Also in the run up to xmas we make xmas dinner (a little bit a week) and freeze it all, then its all either done on the day or we can take it home each week but it gives us the knowlege of how to do it again on the day.

It's called Cook and Eat, it is really popular but as it is a sure start thing it is limited to parents of children under 4. A program that is open to the wider community i think would go down a storm! It is definatly something i would be interesed in thats for sure.

Good luck with it!

r.mac_2 · 3 February 2007 at 4:42PM

i have been to a cookery demonstration by Mary Contini and also by the Hairy Bikers.

Each time it was a watch then taste situation, and they were fairly advanced recipes.

I would love to find some cookery slasses in my area.

A-T i think that it is a great idea, but just work out what market you want to cater for first. i.e. beginers or budget or more advanced and go from there.

PS - I know there is a a market for all three in Edinburgh

apprentice_tycoon · 3 February 2007 at 4:52PM

Thanks for all the feedback! the evening classes in our area seem to be costing around £60 for 10 (for a full fee paying student) so the class has to be compelling - you can get a lot of cookery books for £60! and the TV is swimming with cookery programmes too so I agree that a hands-on class is the way to go, you can't get that out of a book or by watching the TV.

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

evening cookery classes - how does this sound to you?

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