Dining Clubs

DINNER CLUB
Tel: 01244 350537, web: www.thedinnerclubuk.com
● The long-running (20 years) Dinner Club is a group for professional, business and executive singletons over 30. Events happen every weekend all over the UK in selected restaurants and hotels, though black-tie balls, holidays and weekends away are also organised for members. Nothing in the pipeline for the South West as yet, but they’re looking for hosts in the Bristol and Bath area.

SUPPER CLUB
Email: info@bristolsupperclub.org.uk, web: www.bristolsupperclub.org.uk
● Not-for-profit social club run by and for its members, with anyone over 18 welcome to join. Roughly one event is organised a week, subject to members being available to put it together. Meals usually fall in the £20-£30 range.

TABLE FOR SIX
Tel: 01934 712617, web: www.table-forsix.co.uk
● Organise evenings of good food and wine for singletons in groups of six - usually three men and three women. Restaurants are carefully selected to suit an evening of relaxed conversation and excellent food. Diners billed individually.

Cookery Schools

ASHBURTON
Hare’s Lane Cottage, 76 East St, Ashburton, Newton Abbot, Devon, TQ13 7AX
Tel: 01364 652784, web: www.ashburtoncookeryschool.co.uk
● Hands-on cookery training with fresh, local and organic produce. Named Best Cookery School for Skills by the BBC Good Food Magazine. Run shorter courses for beginners looking to brush up their skills, through to a four-week programme resulting in a professional diploma. Tutors are qualified, highly regarded catering professionals.

BERTINET KITCHEN
12 St Andrews Terrace, Bath, BA1 2QR
Tel: 01225 445531, web: www.thebertinetkitchen.com
● The cookery school of French chef and backer Richard Bertinet, purpose-built in 2005 to provide relaxed, fun courses for foodies of all ability levels. Classes include bread making, bistro cuisine and festive fish, as well as a ‘Parent and Child’ course aimed at mums, dads and kids cooking together. Also host classes run by guest chefs and food writers of national renown.

COOKERY AT THE GRANGE
The Grange, Whatley, Frome, Somerset, BA11 3JU
Tel: 01272 836579, web: www.cookeryatthegrange.co.uk
● Operating since 1988 under the guidance of Jane and Australian husband Will. Courses, combining classic flavours and contemporary style, include ‘Food with Flair’ (a relaxed holiday course for non-professionals looking to improve their culinary abilities) and ‘Essential Cooking Course’ - for ambitious would-be chefs looking for a route into cooking professionally.

COOKERY SCHOOL AT BORDEAUX QUAY
V-Shed, Canons Way, Bristol, BS1 5UH
Tel: 0117 904 6679, web: www.bordeaux-quay.co.uk
● Bristol’s premier cookery school, with an extensive programme to suit all levels of ability. Run on a not-for-profit basis, keeping classes as inclusive as possible. BQ are committed to developing links with local organisations for eco-friendly, responsible, sustainable sourcing of produce. Hands-on courses offer plenty of opportunities for tasting; examples include ‘All about Meat’ and ‘Back to Basics’ (six-week programme building functional cookery skills from the ground up). Shorter workshops on offer, too, covering areas such as bread, seasonal greens, fish, quick food and how to serve up the ultimate Christmas dinner (forego turkey and sprouts for Alsace onion tart, home-cured salmon and Seville oranges with hot chocolate sauce). Host cookery demos from some of the UK’s best-known chefs, which can also be combined with a lunch or dinner date. Range of courses for children, to illustrate the journey of food from soil to plate and instill a love of good food.

COOKING FOR HEALTH
Tel: 01458 224606, web: www.cookingforhealth-uk.com
● Courses run by Jane Philpott, a PhD-level nutrition expert, geared towards preparing delicious, nutritious and balanced food. Classes are held in Keinton Mandeville (five miles from Glastonbury) and the Nine Springs Natural Health Centre in Yeovil. Dairy, wheat and refined sugar are out; fish, fruit, veg and gluten-free grain are in. Topics include naturally managing your weight and balancing your hormones, healthy cooking for children, and how to cook healthy food on a budget and in a hurry.

GABLES SCHOOL OF COOKERY
Pipers Lodge, Bristol Rd, Falfield, South Glos, GL12 8DF
Tel: 01454 260444, web: Cookery School - Cookery Courses
Everything from one-day courses in Easy 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 Chalet Cookery Courses; residential and non-residential options available.

LA CUIZINE
Tel: 0117 907 182, web: www.lacuizine.co.uk
● Brought up by restaurateurs in Paris, Bristol-based French chef Isabelle Redon runs courses aimed at taking the mystery out of French cooking. All abilities are catered for, on a one-to-one or group basis. She also runs ‘Cookery and French Conversation’ workshops for groups of up to 12. Each workshop includes a cooking demo of traditional rustic French dishes, tasters, wine and a recipe booklet – the opportunity for French conversation is optional. Gift vouchers make the workshops a great pressie idea, too.

MYRISTICA
51 Welsh Back, BS1 4AN
Tel: 0117 927 2277, web: www.myristica.co.uk
● This popular restaurant serving top-quality Indian nosh also runs a cookery school. Curries no longer need be a bafflingly complex combination of herbs and spices – head chef Bhaskar Pillai teaches you how to identify and prepare herbs, spices and marinades – get your head round some authentic, classic Indian starters, curries and side dishes. The tandoor is employed for baking handmade naan, and at the end of the session you get to sit down and eat it all. Pre-booking essential.

NATURAL FOOD SCHOOL
Tel: 01363 82794, web: www.naturalfoodschool.co.uk
● Run courses aimed at anyone seeking to feel healthier, stronger and more energetic through a simple change of diet. Headed by two nutrition experts and held in both the professionally equipped kitchen of a 400-year-old cottage near Crediton, Devon and the kitchen of Natural Vitality near Bath. Courses range from pure and simple nutrition to more hands-on cookery courses, and take place on evenings, whole days or over weekends. Vast majority of food prepared is vegetarian or vegan, and all abilities are welcome.

PLUM COOKING COMPANY
105 Princess Victoria St, Bristol, BS8 4DD
Tel: 0117 973 9421, web: www.plumcooking.co.uk
● Food writer and Spanish food enthusiast Jenny Chandler hosts informal demos and classes for groups of around eight. The classes don’t just focus on Spanish cuisine, though: expect English, oriental and Mediterranean cooking, too, with an emphasis on enjoying your time in the kitchen. Classes include a three-course lunch or dinner, wine, and a recipe pack to take home.

RAW FOOD SCHOOL
Tel: 07986 458863, web: www.therawfoodschool.com
● Cookery without the cooking – the Raw Food School aims to turn raw food into a gastronomic experience. They cater for everyone, from those utterly new to raw food preparation to seasoned veterans, proving that it can be delicious, innovative and fun. Vegan friendly, too, as no meat, fish, eggs or dairy are included in a raw food diet. Hold classes in Glastonbury and London.

ROCKFISH GRILL & SEAFOOD MARKET
128 Whiteladies Rd, Bristol, BS8 2RS
Tel: 0117 973 7384, web: www.rockfishgrill.co.uk
● Cooking fish is a true art and one that very few master, but this lot can offer some valuable advice on how to prepare the perfect fish dish. At their full-day course (10am-4pm, £175) you get a demonstration from highly experienced fish chef Neil followed by a hands-on attempt at matching his prowess, plus invaluable tips on how and where to buy the best quality fish, all in a relaxed and fun environment. Plenty of tasters and wine tasting along the way.

ST WERBURGHS CITY FARM CAFE
Watercress Rd, St Werburghs, Bristol, BS2 9YJ
Tel: 0117 908 0798, email: cityfarmcafe@yahoo.co.uk
● The rather marvellous St Werburghs City Farm run hands-on cookery courses for children aged 6-11 during the summer holidays.

TEOHS
28-34 Lower Ashley Rd, St Agnes, Bristol, BS2 9NP
Tel: 0117 907 1191, web: www.teohs.net
● Courses in Malaysian, Japanese, Chinese, Indonesian and Thai food. Classes usually comprise 12-15 people, getting hands-on experience of cooking eastern food in a relaxed and fun environment. Once you’ve worked up an appetite preparing your meals, you get to sit down with your classmates and enjoy them. Teoh himself runs the events, and all tastes – meat, vegetarian, seafood – are accommodated.

VEGETARIAN COOKERY SCHOOL
30 Belgrave Crescent, Bath, BA1 5JU
Tel: 01225 789682, web: www.vegetariancookeryschool.com
● Rachel Demuth (owner of Bath’s Demuths restaurant) runs classes for mixed abilities, specialising in unpretentious and uncomplicated vegetarian food. But uncomplicated doesn’t have to mean boring: there are classes in Middle Eastern mezze, northern Indian baltis, southern Indian thalis and North African cooking. Classes adopt a mixed approach of demonstrations, tips and hands-on preparation, and participants cook and eat together, with plenty of time allowed for enjoying the fruits of your labours.

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