Easter Holiday Cooking Classes for all ages and abilities.

We have a fabulous choice of classes to choose from in this school break here in our state of the art kitchen at Just Cook. For example, if you haven’t tried one of our fun-filled fresh Pasta making classes before, now’s your chance to make Super Spaghetti as tall as yourself, or roll out some Ravioli and rich scrumptious sauces in our ‘Italian Class’

For something different you can celebrate Chinese Year of the Dragon and create a lipsmacking Oriental Feast in the ‘Chinese Class’. Learn about new and exciting flavours, strange fruits, roll up some Spring Rolls and slurp down some noodles. It will be fast, delicious and fun.

Our very popular Junior Chef classes are also back for those of you who want the challenge of creating and taking home the supper. Cook up a fabulous feast and beam with pride as you share your hard work with the rest of your family.

Calling all messy spoon-lickers! Book up the Easter Baking and Chocolate course for some traditional Easter treats and take home some lovely gifts for the ones you love too.

Also some of the above classes are added as extra family and child classes due to great demand. For a chance spend some time doing something completely different together, try our new ‘Big Cook and Little Cook’ class where you create a two-course meal and some Easter treats; or have loads of fun getting sticky with dough and making miles of tagliatelle in the ‘Grandi et Piccolo’ Italian class.

I look forward to seeing our regular chefs and look forward to meeting many new ones. I hope we have given you something to get your teeth into this holiday. Check the website under ‘Shop’ for more details and booking information. See you in the kitchen soon!

Maxine x

]]> http://www.just-cook.com/2012/02/easter-holiday-cooking-classes-for-all-budding-masterchefs/feed/ 0 http://www.just-cook.com/2012/01/february-half-term-cookery-classes/ http://www.just-cook.com/2012/01/february-half-term-cookery-classes/#comments Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:28:08 +0000 timryan http://www.just-cook.com/?p=214 finish reading February Half-Term Cookery Classes]]> Chocolate and Craft, Junior Chefs and Brilliant Baking

At Just Cook Cookery School we open our doors for more delicious half-term cooking workshops for children of all ages.

Chocolate and Craft is a totally chocolate-based session designed for children 6 years and up. They will have fun creating treats such as Rocky Road, or Chocolate Fridge Cake, and a decorated box of hand-made chocolates for someone special.

Junior Chef class is a slightly more advanced, hands-on classes for budding masterchefs where they will cook a delicious two-course meal to take home for the family. Using free-range and locally sourced ingredients where possible, they will learn about creating and enjoying nutritious food, with lots of tasting along the way.

Brilliant Baking will be a fast paced lesson, learning to cook different types of breads, cakes, muffins and cookies……enough to fill a table at a Mad Hatters tea-party! Everything they have lovingly cooked will be packed up and brought home in a goody-bag.

For our regulars you’ll know how much fun they have whilst acquiring important cooking skills to inspire all mini Masterchefs. If you are new to the school, take advantage of a few spare hours of free time in delightful Saffron Walden while your sons or daughters prepare some treats or even dinner for you!

See under the individual titles for further information.
Looking forward to seeing you.

Ghouls and Boys from ages 5 – 10 are invited for some wicked kitchen fun. Conjure up some Spiderweb Pumpkin Soup, Witches Fingers, a frightfully delicious dessert, and creepy cookies to take home.

Your little monsters will be fully hands on while being encouraged to enjoy, taste and cook food with the emphasis on fun. Scary mess is expected and ghoulish refreshments are provided.

This will be the first of our new Children’s Cookery Classes run by Maxine Quinn..In keeping with the Just Cook philosophy our children’s classes are fully hands on encouraging them to touch, taste and enjoy all types of food whilst being creative. With the emphasis on fun we endeavour to educate and create excitement about all types of cuisine that will inspire them for future years. They get to take home whatever they have created for you to see, that is if they haven’t eaten it all already! Refreshments, aprons and chef hats are also provided. Extras such as kid’s cookery equipment, present ideas and chef outfits will be available shortly in JustCook:Shop which can be ordered online. Individual Children’s Cooking Parties are also available at our school ..

 We certainly don’t have the energy to create a family meal from scratch. It’s hardly a surprise then, that the sales of ready meals in the UK have trebled in the last 10 years (source: The Guardian, 05/01/08), or that we rarely eat together (when we do, it is usually in the lounge, with the TV on).

 But, increasingly, studies show that eating together as a family has a host of benefits. A report in Time magazine said that “the more often families eat together, the less likely kids are to smoke, drink, do drugs, get depressed, develop eating disorders and consider suicide, and the more likely they are to do well in school, delay having sex, eat their vegetables, learn big words and know which fork to use.”

 Why should this be? If you think about it, it’s logical. If we can eat our meals independently of others, at any time that seems convenient to us, we learn to satisfy our hunger instantly, with snacks and convenience foods, rather than cook from scratch or wait for mealtimes. If we continue to teach our children to eat selfishly, we can hardly complain if they also live and act selfishly.

 Regular, family meal times bring stability to the daily routine, offer time for all the family to be together and bond over conversations about the everyday. Parents can display an interest in their children’s lives outside of home; the children instinctively pick up on it and feel nurtured, valued and loved. Children begin to learn the art of conversation, of listening and responding to others, which surely, is the foundation of respect. Through conversation, parents will gain a better understanding of their children’s viewpoint and can be more sympathetic to what otherwise might seem to be an insignificant, childish concern. The child will be more likely to air their worries if they feel secure that they won’t be mocked, dismissed or belittled.

 It is clear that the time spent together is more important than the food, but serving a home made meal may bring other benefits: 

• Home cooking is cheaper than serving ready made food.
• Children can help with the preparation and cooking. They will learn new skills, are more likely to try different foods if they helped to cook them and it’s fun!
• Home cooked meals are usually more nutritious and healthy, with less added fats, salt and sugar.
• You can use local seasonal produce. It’s tastier, supports your community and it’s more environmentally friendly.
• Cooking doesn’t need to be time consuming. You can get a casserole underway in minutes and get on with other things while it slow cooks its way towards a delicious dinner time.

 So, if it’s cheaper, tastier, healthier, quicker and better for your family to cook at home, why don’t we? I believe it is because we have forgotten how to or haven’t been taught in the first place. And that’s probably the best reason why we should start learning – so we can start teaching.