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You don’t need to be a Jamie Oliver, Phil Vickery or even Mary Berry to take part in this class, just ask Laura and I. (More about that later.) In fact if you can boil an egg or even make beans on toast but haven’t had the confidence to progress further then this could be for you. If you’ve given up on cooking for one because it isn’t fun anymore and just pop a frozen meal in the microwave then these classes could be for you. Even if you love cooking and just want to learn some new recipes then Let’s Get Cooking could be just what you are looking for.
What does this involve I hear you ask? Well, you cook the recipes you are given each week with other people whilst socialising at the same time and have a bit fun too. At the end of the cooking session you sit down together and eat what you’ve made which in most cases ends up like a three course meal. All for £3.50. Great value for money isn’t it?
The first ‘Let’s Get Cooking’ class took place on Monday 4th April. Jack Hann is the man who runs the classes and he was not phased by an audience that arrived that morning, the Over 50’s Forum. He took everything in his stride and captured his audience. Laura Burchett from LinkAge was his glamorous assistant for that morning only, on hand to help out if needed.
The mature students in the class choose which recipes they would make and on the menu that day was Thai Green Chicken Curry, Jasmine Rice, Prawn Sesame Toast and Mango Sponge Pudding with Coconut Custard. There was some interaction with ‘the audience’ with plenty of questions answered, some watched the cooking up close and one or two helped out here and there with the recipes and even helped with the washing up!
Somehow I was persuaded by Laura to help her with making the Mango Sponge Pudding with Coconut Custard – and I was only there to take the photos!. Neither of us are experts at cooking and with the Mango Sponge Pudding we had to improvise and get a bit creative because the recipe went a little bit awry. Not to worry. The cake mix may not have stayed balanced on top the mango fruit puree, but what does Laura do? Mix it all together and voila, a new sponge pudding recipe has been created. Even small mistakes come out well in the end.
Norah was impressed by what she saw overall. “It was very good, quite efficient, I’d give everyone A1. I enjoyed it very much.”
Jean had been persuaded to help out with the Coconut Custard. “Everybody was very good. Jacques was most encouraging and very helpful.”
Meanwhile Barbara appears to have become a bit of a fan. “Jacques was brilliant with his instruction and very helpful. It was an enjoyable morning.”
By the end of the session all recipes had been cooked and were ready to eat. Veronica from the Lawrence Weston Community Bus Service joined us all as official taste tester. Well, someone has to do it and she summed up the meal in six words. “Very tasty, ten out of ten”. The cooking class couldn’t ask for better recommendation.
Jacques Hann summed up the morning in Lawrence Weston. “It’s been another rewarding and fun cooking session. Our new group in Lawrence Weston stepped up to the challenge of making a Thai dinner. We converted the hall into a restaurant and made Prawn Sesame Toast, Thai Green Chicken Curry with Jasmine Rice and Mango Sponge Surprise with Coconut Custard. The best part of the session was sitting down to eat with everyone. Clean plates all round. Yum!”
So, have you been persuaded to join in? With the answer being ‘yes’ your next step is to contact Laura Burchett at Linkage on 07930 559 293 or 0117 353 3042 for more details about joining in.
Classes are taking place Monday morning from 10am – 12 noon at The Rock, Next to St.Peter’s Church, Ridingleaze, Lawrence Weston, Bristol. Cost is £3.50 per session.
Kathryn Courtney.