Leeds Cookery School: the cookery school with a conscience.

Want to learn how to cook? If you would like a career in cookery, or even if you just love cooking for sheer enjoyment as a hobby, you need to book a course at Leeds Cookery School.

Across a range of classes, courses and events at Leeds Cookery School, teachers promote and talk about seasonal ingredients, local sourcing and the importance of eating ethically and sustainably.

Ingredients are sourced from Yorkshire wherever possible and they always use sustainable seafood and free range eggs. By ordering small quantities to minimise wastage, they consider the food miles travelled by their ingredients, mentioning local food producers during each class and where possible displaying where produce is from. They endeavour to run seasonal classes based on maximum use of fresh local ingredients and discuss alternatives.

Leeds Cookery School also endeavours to minimise plastic usage and source recycled sundry products where available.

By donating 100% of its profit to Zest, a local Leeds charity supporting people living in disadvantaged areas of the city, they are supporting the local community with some great initiatives. Zest carries out a large number of projects including running social clubs, helping families to access food in the school holidays, developing cooking skills and lots more in between!

As well as donating profits to Zest, Leeds Cookery School has committed to running affordable cooking activity throughout the year, in partnership with Jamie’s Ministry of Food Leeds and Zest’s Community Development Team. These sessions enable low-income families and vulnerable people to access basic cookery skills and cookery clubs which address social isolation.

Looking for a unique team build activity? Corporate Days for businesses are a great away day with a difference. Just roll up your sleeves, grab an apron and join the team in the kitchen to learn a whole host of new skills and techniques with your colleagues.

The kitchen is available for hire and is ideal for team building sessions, workplace health sessions, hen, stag and birthday cookery parties. Chefs can design a tailor-made cooking experience to meet your requirements, from healthy cookery to pizza making or more indulgent workshops making chocolate truffles or cakes.

Packages are half or full day, please get in touch for further details. In the meantime, here is one of their fabulous recipes.

Poached Pears

Ingredients

• 2 Conference Pears
• 200ml Water
• 50g Sugar
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• Zest of 1 lemon

Method

1. Boil all the ingredients for the cooking liquid together.
2. Peel the pears and tunnel out the cores with half of the stalk left intact.
3. Gently poach the pears in the cooking liquid covered with greaseproof paper.
4. Poach for around 15 minutes, don’t overcook the pears – a knife should just pierce them easily.

Sweet pastry

Ingredients

• 200g Plain flour
• 50g Caster sugar
• 60g Unsalted butter
• 60g Margarine
• 1 Egg

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 5.
2. Mix the butter, sugar and flour into a crumbly mixture.
3. Add the eggs. Mix gently by hand, bind together but do not overwork.
4. Keep refrigerated at least 30 minutes before using.
5. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pastry to a circle large enough to line a 7 inch flan ring. Don’t worry if it breaks up, as this is a very short, crumbly pastry – you can just patch it together in the tin and mould it up the sides, making sure it is even all over. Trim off any excess pastry and blind bake for 15 mins.

Top tip resting you pastry for 30 minutes after rolling in the fridge will reduce shrinkage

Frangipane

• 120g Unsalted butter
• 120g Caster sugar
• 120g Ground almonds
• 120g Eggs
•  20g Plain flour

Method:

1. Beat the soft butter with the sugar and ground almonds (sieved together), until the mix becomes light in colour and consistency.
2. Add the beaten eggs little by little. Make sure to scrape down the side of the bowl whilst incorporating the eggs then the flour. Reserve in the fridge until needed.

Assembly:

1. Use half of the frangipane in the bottom of the baked shell and spread out evenly.
2. Cut pears into slices then lift onto your knife and push down on the pears slightly to fan them out. Lift into the first layer of frangipane and arrange in a circle. Fill in the gaps between each pear half with a few more slices and arrange some in the centre, top with the other half of the frangipane mix and a sprinkle of flaked almonds.
3. Bake for 30 minutes to 35 minutes, until the pastry is golden and the filling is set. Cool in the ring slightly, then remove and transfer to a wire rack.
4. Serve warm or at room temperature with a dollop of crème fraiche.