Dining Clubs

BRISTOL POSSE
Tel: 0789 195 0550
Informal, free-to-join group for gay, lesbian and bi people in Bristol and the surrounding area. Gets together once a month for coffee (or something stronger) and a meal in non-gay venues in the city.

DINNER CLUB
Tel: 01244 350537, web: www.thedinnerclubuk.com
Established in the UK in 1987, and now with over 5,000 members nationwide, this is a dining and social events group for professional/business/executive singletons aged 30+. Social events are organised weekly throughout much of the UK, including dinner parties, black-tie balls, holidays and weekends away. The group is currently looking for hosts in the Bath and Bristol area.

SUPPER CLUB
Email: info@bristolsupperclub.org.uk, web: www.bristolsupperclub.org.uk
Informal, non-profit club established in 1991 and run by its members. Enjoy fine dining and weekly events like walks and meals in Bristol and the surrounding area. All ages welcome.

TABLE FOR SIX
Tel: 01934 712617, web: www.table-forsix.co.uk
Local dining club for single people. They arrange dinner at quality restaurants (mainly in Bristol and Bath), for small groups (usually three men and three women), interviewing new members to get to know them as individuals. A simple yet fantastically successful idea, with membership growing rapidly as more people join for the social benefits. Not an introduction agency per se, this is an opportunity to extend your social circle, with friendly conversation, fine dining and the chance to meet new friends in the Bath, Bristol and Somerset areas.

Cookery Schools

ASHBURTON
Hare’s Lane Cottage, 76 East St, Ashburton, TQ13 7AX
Tel: 01364 652784, web: www.ashburtoncookeryschool.co.uk
Situated on the edge of Dartmoor, and founded by Stella West-Harling, the school has been voted Best for Skills by BBC Good Food, Waitrose and the Daily Mail magazines. Everything they do is underpinned by a desire to promote food that’s been grown in a way that’s sustainable, environmentally sensitive, ethical and supportive of local business. Run short courses for individuals, from beginners to a four-week professional diploma. Are also responsible for the Regional Training Centre for the School Food Trust for Devon and Cornwall, training school cooks and offering courses to the whole community.

BERTINET KITCHEN
12 St Andrews Terrace, Bath, BA1 2QR
Tel: 01225 445531, web: www.thebertinetkitchen.com
Purpose-built cookery school opened in September 2005, owned and run by French chef and baker Richard Bertinet. A range of fun, relaxed courses for food lovers of all abilities. Recently the winner of the Best Tourism Experience award in the South West Tourism Excellence Awards. Popular classes include Breadmaking, Fish & Seafood, French Country Cooking, Italian or Indian Entertaining, Pastry, Patisserie and classes with guest chefs – including, for 2009, Atul Kochhar, Stuart Gillies, Henry Harris, Darina Allen, Valentina Harris and many more.

COOKERY AT THE GRANGE
The Grange, Whatley, Frome, Somerset, BA11 3JU
Tel: 01373 836579, web: www.cookeryatthegrange.co.uk
Established in 1981, The Grange has a renowned reputation worldwide for its residential cookery courses. William and Jane Averill work together to create a warm, friendly atmosphere in a beautiful rural environment, and their team of knowledgeable staff will enthuse you with their passion for food and inspirational cooking using a wonderful diversity of fresh, natural ingredients.

COOKERY SCHOOL AT BORDEAUX QUAY
V-Shed, Canons Way, Bristol, BS1 5UH
Tel: 0117 904 6679, web: www.bordeaux-quay.co.uk
Offers a full range of courses to suit all standards and requirements. Operates on a not-for-profit basis, making classes as inclusive as possible. Kids aged 7+ get to learn about the journey of food from soil to plate, creating an appreciation and lifelong passion for good food. Courses and workshops for adults involve hands-on cooking, demos and plenty of tasting in a real, working environment; the three-day All about Meat course is highly recommended. If you’re short of time, Lunch Dates offers one or two recipes based around a couple of seasonal ingredients: demo, lunch, glass of wine, and back at your desk in just over an hour. For the keen cook, the school runs a year-long How to Cook with Confidence course, comprising three 10-week terms (book for one, two or all three) offering the interested amateur or potential professional a complete education in all things culinary. New this year is a programme of cookery demos featuring a different celebrity chef every month. See website for more details.

NEW
COOKING FOR HEALTH
Tel: 01458 224606, web: www.cookingforhealth-uk.com
Nutrition expert Jane Philpott’s classes (held at the Village Hall, Keinton Mandeville near Somerton, and at Nine Springs Natural Health Centre, Yeovil) concentrate on linking food and nutrition, cooking without dairy, wheat, or refined sugar but with lots of fish, fruit and vegetables and gluten-free grain. Day courses (for around seven people) cover topics like Cooking with Natural Wholefoods, Healthy Party Cooking and Healthy Cooking for Your Children. Also offers courses on combating specific complaints using good food.

DINE WITH STYLE
Unit 19, Enterprise Centre, Brassmill Lane, Bath, BA1 3JN
Tel: 01225 461670, web: www.dinewithstyle.co.uk
Learn to improve your cooking skills with lessons from a professional chef. Cooking classes available every Tue eve for up to four people, in your own kitchen.

GABLES SCHOOL OF COOKERY
Pipers Lodge, Bristol Rd, Falfield, South Glos, GL12 8DF
Tel: 01454 260444, web: www.thegablesschoolofcookery.co.uk
Everything from one-day courses in dinner party, Thai, Italian and Indian cooking through to intensive four-week restaurant-standard cookery courses. Qualified staff will guide both the novice and the aspiring chef through the essential skills necessary to create fabulous cuisine. Specialise in yacht and ski chalet cookery; residential and non-residential options available.

LA CUIZINE
Tel: 0117 907 1827, web: www.lacuizine.co.uk
Bristol-based French chef Isabelle (Iza) Redon set up La Cuizine to take the misery and mystery out of ordering from French menus, and now runs a series of cooking demos and workshops which combine language tuition with cooking and wine tasting. Although a basic level of French is required for the workshops, they’re specifically designed to enable people with different levels of ability to brush up their language skills while getting more familiar with food-oriented French in a very practical manner. Alongside engaging participants in easy-to-follow language activities, Iza demonstrates several traditional, rustic French dishes. Classes consist of no more than 12 people, so tuition is personalised, and copies of the recipes in both French and English are included.

NEW
MYRISTICA COOKERY SCHOOL
14 King St, Bristol, BS1 4EF
Tel: 0117 927 2277, web: www.myristica.co.uk
One of Bristol’s top Indian eateries recently launched its very own cookery school, teaching the mysteries of the east to Myristica fans. Under the expert guidance of head chef Bhaskar Pillai you can discover how to identify and prepare herbs, spices and marinades, make classic Indian starters and two of the restaurant’s most popular curries (classic chicken tikka masala and prawn chettinad) along with a side dish of taka dahl. Find out how to make authentic naan bread (baked in the tandoor) and chocolate samosas (another Myristica speciality). Round off the session with a sit-down meal, enjoying the dishes you’ve prepared earlier. Classes usually held on Sat but can also be booked midweek. Pre-booking essential.

NATURAL FOOD SCHOOL
Tel: 01363 82794, web: www.naturalfoodschool.co.uk
The Natural Food School brings together two nutrition experts Carol Kenward (of Bath-based wholefood specialist Natural Vitality) and Carol Lee, who share a passion to help people enjoy the benefits and amazing tastes of good food. It’s an informal atmosphere, with courses run over evenings, whole days or weekends. Nutrition and cooking courses are currently held in the professionally equipped kitchen of Carol Lee’s 400-year-old cottage in a village near Crediton, Devon, in small informal groups. Later in the year further classes will be held more locally.

PLUM COOKING COMPANY
105 Princess Victoria St, Bristol, BS8 4DD
Tel: 0117 973 9421, email: jenny@plumcooking.co.uk, web: www.plumcooking.co.uk
Food writer and author of several books on Spanish cuisine, Jenny Chandler runs informal demos and participation classes for groups of eight or so. The emphasis, Jenny says, is on “fresh ingredients, simple ideas and, above all, having fun in the kitchen”, with participants encouraged to sit and share their lunch or dinner creations with their colleagues after lessons.

RAW FOOD SCHOOL
Tel: 0798 645 8863, email: info@therawfoodschool.com, web: www.therawfoodschool.com
Husband-and-wife team Andrew and Angela Davis run this unique no-cook cookery school, which aims to transform raw food from a faddy diet into a gastronomic experience. They believe that raw food should be delicious, innovative and fun, mixing complementary and contrasting flavours, textures and colours to create mouth-watering dishes and recipes that would be at home on any contemporary restaurant menu. Whether you’re a novice keen to discover more, or an old hand looking for inspiration, they have classes (held in Glastonbury and London) for everyone.

ST WERBURGHS CITY FARM CAFE
Watercress Rd, St Werburghs, Bristol, BS2 9YJ
Tel: 0117 908 0798, email: cityfarmcafe@yahoo.co.uk
The wonderful staff at this excellent cafe run a series of cookery schools throughout the year for kids aged 6-11, with subsidised places available for the children of local residents on low incomes. “Children are very much part of the cafe,” says owner Leona Williamson. “They love the food here, and to get them even more interested in where it comes from and how it’s prepared is really good. And it’s enjoyable for us, too!”

SUNISLE HOLIDAYS
Maxet House, 28 Baldwin St. Bristol BS1 1NG
Tel: 0800 091 1601; web: www.sunisle.co.uk
This established holiday company, specialising in villa holidays in Greece, also have cookery schools on Kefalonia and Crete that run regular 1-day, 3-day and week-long courses. Not all of your party have to go back to school, of course, but guided local market tours on most of the Greek islands and the food festivals on Paxos and Lesbos offer broad appeal to sunseekers and foodies alike.

TEOHS
28-34 Lower Ashley Rd, St Agnes, Bristol, BS2 9NP
Tel: 0117 907 1191, web: www.teohs.net
Learn how to prepare and cook dishes from five different Asian cuisines (Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian, Thai, Indonesian) during the day, then, in the evening, sit down with your fellow chefs and eat your hard-earned delicacies. Popular with team-building companies, Far Eastern food enthusiasts and competent chefs who want to extend their repertoires. Classes are small, typically 12-15 people. Booking essential.

VANILLA & SPICE
Tel: 01934 824584, email: jan@vanillaandspice.co.uk, web: www.vanillaandspice.co.uk
Banwell-based Jan Maggs has a passion for cooking and would love to share it with you! New is the baking course, where a group of up to four makes biscuits, scones, muffins, teacakes, sponges and Chelsea buns. Plus courses giving practical tips and recipes for easy entertaining, fish and seafood, and the popular Taste of Italy. Bespoke courses for smaller or larger groups can be arranged at her kitchen near Bristol or at other venues.

VEGETARIAN COOKERY SCHOOL
30 Belgrave Crescent, Bath, BA1 5JU
Tel: 01225 789682/427938 (office), email: us@vegetariancookeryschool.com, web: www.vegetariancookeryschool.com
Run by renowned vegetarian restaurateur and food writer Rachel Demuth, owner of Bath’s Demuths restaurant, these courses teach all aspects of creating fabulous vegetarian cuisine, experimenting with unusual herbs, spices and ingredients to concoct stunning dishes. New classes this year include Far Eastern Asian Feast and Exotic Flavours of India, and the most popular courses fill up fast: World Street Food, No Time to Cook: Fast & Delicious, Moroccan & Spanish. One-day courses cost £115.

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