Duke of Edinburgh cooking skills course -Introduction to Classic cuisine.

This DofE cooking skills course will enable you to understand some of the different methods of cooking and produce a variety of consistent dishes. You will acquire the excellent culinary skills to last a lifetime and also be shown how to work using hygienic and safe procedures.

French omelette – time and heat management

This classic recipe is what every inspiring chef should have in their repertoire. It is quick, nutritious and straightforward. The main skill of heat management can be transferred across a multitude of recipes.

Choice of fillings is up to you!

Tomato soup and croutons

Comfort in a bowl.  use of blender, croutons, knife skills, heat management

This nutritious tomato soup uses fresh ingredients to capture the taste and flavour of Italy.

There is an optional extra here; making croutons, on making once you will never go back to buying them!

Mayonnaise and prawn cocktail

homemade mayo, vegetable preparation, knife skills, serving skills, making an emulsion sauce, separating eggs, estimating.

The optional extra video will include preparing a prawn cocktail.

Meringues and cream

weighing, whipping, shaping, egg separating, use of foam and oven management.

This is my fathers’ recipe. An ideal use of egg whites following on from the mayonnaise recipe. You can choose to pipe the meringues or go for a more rustic feel. Perfect for a range of desserts and will keep in an airtight tin for 2 weeks.

Mini Roast

vegetable preparation and evidence of multi tasking, knife skills, time management, oven and hob management, safe handling of raw meat.

Help your parents out with this Sunday favourite. Your choice of meat and if you want to make it vegetarian you can.

Mac and Cheese

Skills - weighing, making a roux, pasta making, oven and hob management, use of food processor, grating, cooking pasta

A student favourite; learning to make a white sauce and cooking pasta both of which are versatile and used in a wide range of recipes.

Gingerbread

Skills - weighing, melting method of cake making, oven and hob management.

This classic cake, a Delia Smith recipe, produces a deliciously moist gingery sponge which gets better the day after it is baked.

Fish pie

Skills - weighing, vegetable preparation, knife skills, mashing potatoes, white sauce, oven and hob management

We will show you how to make a lump free mashed potato and an easy fish base.  Students often adapt the fish used to suit personal preferences.

Spaghetti Bolognese

Skills - vegetable preparation, knife skills, frying, hygiene and safety with raw meat.

This is a classic meat sauce which, when mastered, students can adapt and use in other dishes; eg Moussaka, Lasagne or Chilli con carne.

Quiche

Skills - weighing, rubbing in method, pastry making, oven management, vegetable preparation, handling of meat

You may have only tasted shop-bought quiche, homemade quiche is on another level. Again an adaptable recipe, vegetarians can use roasted vegetables, a range of cheeses can also be incorporated.

Lemon Tart

Skills - weighing, use of eggs, enriched short crust pastry, oven management, zesting.

A special treat in which students will use their pastry skills to make this very lemony classic dish.

Eclairs

Skills - weighing, choux pastry, piping, oven and hob management, melting chocolate and accuracy.

In this recipe students will learn a huge array of skills which will stand them in good stead for other recipes alongside creating a sumptuous treat. This recipe can also be adapted to create profiteroles instead.

Coming soon - Toad in the hole

Skills - weighing, use of dairy and eggs, making a batter, oven management.

This recipe can be made vegetarian friendly by using veggie sausages.  The batter used in this method can also be used to make Yorkshire puddings.