The award winning River Cottage Cookery School is set in 65 acres of organic farm land overlooking the Axe Vale, in the wonderful county of Devon and just a stone's throw from the beautiful Jurassic Coast and Broadchurch cliffs. The school is renowned for its keen sense of seasonality, sustainability and championing the best local producers and ingredients which make it a foodie hub where you can learn, dine and be inspired.
Whether you are an amateur cook, food enthusiast or a full-blown smallholder, there's a course for you which will leave you armed with the skill, confidence and motivation to cook delicious food at home.
The two stand-out courses for aspiring domestic Gods and Goddesses are also the most popular culinary courses which are either spread over four consecutive days or concentrated into two fact packed days full of practical tutorial.
On the Four Days at River Cottage guests experience immersive cooking, learning and eating, taking them on a culinary journey through all the main principles of food such as meat, fish, bread and baking as well as vegetables. The courses are run by a dedicated team of chef tutors who bring the passion back into cooking and will look after you every step of the way from baking your own sourdough to learning the principles of butchery and offal as well as both sourcing and saucing ingredients. You might make pâté, rustle up a good gravy, fillet, cure and smoke fish; knock up fantastic vegetarian recipes and indulge your sweet tooth with cakes, pastries and desserts. Your four days will cover a huge range of basic and advanced kitchen skills – and you'll get to taste all the results too.
The Two Day course leaves no ingredient or cooking method unturned however the pace of the day is driven to giving the most authentic and comprehensive two cooking days without leaving anyone behind. Working away at cooking stations in small groups being lead and guided by the chef tutors from the front creates an energy which is infectious and although each individual works on their own dish each session feels collaborative and ends with a celebratory communal lunch or dinner. The pace is just right, balancing heads-down cooking with downtime to savour your efforts with the magic of Britain's most filmed farmhouse as a backdrop and stunning views surrounding River Cottage HQ.
'Learnt so much, my head is bursting with information that I need to put in to practice. Andy was an excellent tutor, he pitched it just right, sharing hints and tips all the time. It's amazing that we covered such a wide variety of food, cooking and techniques in just two days and all of it will be used in my kitchen.' Ann Hunt, 7th March 2014
