Edinburgh New Town Cookery School (ENTCS) has launched its always popular 2018 Christmas courses.
Whether it’s to get tips for festive entertaining or to learn a new skill, the range is ideal for cooking up a merry little Christmas.
This year’s December courses include everything from a Christmas canapes demonstration over a glass of fizz, to the always popular children’s baking morning and afternoons. Other featured courses which bring a sparkle to Christmas entertaining include the ‘Festive Fizz’ event: ideal to give as a gift or to enjoy with friends, tasting a range of Prosecco, Champagne, Cava and New World wines.
Lovers of beer can explore how food and beer work together using top quality Scottish produce, at the ‘Beer and Food Matching’ – a great course for couples, friends, or fathers and sons.
For those keen to take the stress out of Christmas, there are also opportunities to learn ‘Easy Entertaining’ from the experts with the Christmas demonstration and lunch, which is always a good way to catch up with friends ahead of the season. Also during December will be the much-loved Curries From Around the World course as well as Thai Cuisine.
Fiona Burrell, principal of ENTCS, comments:
For those looking for the ideal present for a foodie, why not give gift voucher for any of ENTCS courses, redeemable in 2019? Whether it’s to allow a foody to learn a new skill, help a friend to fall back in love with cooking, or encourage teenagers to learn their way around the kitchen, a voucher just lets them choose. ENTCS offers courses for everyone. Other Christmas ideas can be found in the school’s display cabinets, as ENTCS also stocks a small selection of kitchen items, aprons, tea towels and books which are perfect stocking fillers. Olive oil from the Extramadura region of western Spain would make a great gift for a cook or as a thank you present to a host.
Boys Eat Scotland Visited in 2018
We went along to the ENTCS Vietnamese Cookery day course earlier this year and had a fantastic time. If you aren’t sure what happens at their classes then check out our blog here.
Festive courses this December include:
Christmas Baking. Saturday 1 December and Wednesday 5 December, 0945 – 1600
Get into the spirit of Christmas and get your Christmas baking done on this 1-day course. Recipes include Christmas Cake with a ‘chocolate’ difference, stollen, mince pies, cinnamon shortbread stars and pear, pecan and cranberry muffins. You will end the day full of festive spirit and laden with wonderful baking for you, your family and friends to enjoy.
Cost: £155
Three-day Essentials. Wednesday 5 December until Friday 7 December, 0945 – 1600
This three-day course is intended for complete beginners and teaches the basic cookery skills which are essential and particularly relevant in the run-up to Christmas. Each day attendees cook a variety of dishes some of which they will eat for lunch and the rest they can take home. As the days progress everyone’s confidence increases and by the third day they will leave with new recipes and new skills. Techniques covered will include knife skills; browning meat; pastry making; cooking with eggs; cake making; bread making; roasting; fish cookery; and cooking vegetables.
Cost: £450
Festive Fizz. Wednesday 5 December 1830 – 2100
Come and join us for an evening full of festive fizz and learn of the many ingenious ways man has sought to put bubbles in wine. By comparing proseccos, champagnes, cavas and New World sparklers, you will discover the fizz for you. This will be a fun and sociable evening and would be the ideal opportunity to get together with friends an alternative to a Christmas meal or an evening at the theatre.
Cost:£40
Christmas Entertaining, Demonstration and Lunch. Thursday 6 December 1330 – 1330
It is always useful to have a few easy and tasty recipes up your sleeve, especially at Christmas time. Learn a few simple but delicious recipes for starters, mains and puddings at our Christmas Entertaining demonstration. You will be able to taste all the recipes made on the day and the demonstration will be followed by lunch and a glass of wine.
Cost: £55
Christmas Canapes Demonstration. Friday 7 December 1030 – 1230
Learn how to make several festive savoury and sweet canapes on this demonstration morning while enjoying a coffee and some of our delicious shortbread. At the end of the demonstration, you will be able to taste the canapes with a glass of prosecco. This will be a fun and sociable morning and would be a perfect early Christmas present.
Cost: £45
Beer and Food Matching. Monday 10 December 1830 – 2030
Drinks writer, Tom Bruce Gardyne explores beer and food matching using top quality Scottish produce to bring together the best of both worlds. By mixing and matching a diverse selection of ales from Innis & Gunn, William’s Bros and Stewarts among others, with foods from top Scottish producers and suppliers
Cost: £40
Easy Entertaining. Saturday 22 December, 0945 – 1430
Get ready for the party season and make a great impression on your guests by learning to cook easy but impressive dishes. The day starts with coffee or tea and a short demonstration and introduction to the day’s recipes, which are smoked trout and cucumber pickle bruschetta, pan fried lamb gigot steak with roasted roots and mint salsa verde, and cranberry brandy puddings with toffee sauce. The day ends between 2 – 2.30pm – leaving plenty of time for Christmas shopping.
Cost: £100
Children’s Baking Morning or Afternoon. Thursday 20 December and Friday 21 December
For children who love baking, and for parents who are looking for a different way to entertain their children during the holidays these December half day courses are the perfect antidote to winter holiday boredom. Children learn how to make delicious cakes and biscuits which they can pack up and take home. They may turn out to be the perfect Christmas present for Granny!
Cost: £45
Full details of the Christmas courses, and a flavour of the 2018 programme, are available on the Edinburgh New Town Cookery School website – http://www.entcs.co.uk/calendar