Lancashire Life’s Sue Riley road tested Lancashire’s luxurious cookery school and came away with almost everything she ‘kneaded’ to know.
Michael Vanheste led the inaugural beginner’s bread making course and as head tutor he will take most of the sessions at the new cookery school at Langho, with chef patron Nigel Haworth and executive chef Lisa Allen also running occasional masterclasses.
During the day I learnt about flour and its protein content (look for 12-14% if making bread); that fresh yeast can be bought cheaply or sometimes given away free at supermarkets; kneading by hand or in a machine takes exactly the same amount of time and that the first proving of a dough is all about the flavour. But that was just the theory. The emphasis was on practical techniques, so Michael quickly embarked on a demonstration of how to make a wholemeal Coburg loaf. Then to our workstations to make our own.
As the day progressed we made white bread rolls, hot muffins and a tasty Lancashire cheese tear and share bread. Michael and his assistant, pastry chef Jenny Livesey, were always on hand to help and advise. With so many distractions - the state of-the-art kitchen, (which doubles as a gourmet chef’s table) looks out on the Michelin Starred kitchen - and as lunch service began you could see the Northcote chefs led by Lisa Allen swing into action.
You can take from the course exactly what you want, after all it is a fun and luxurious day out. Yet it was also quite intensive as we raced against the clock to finish our breads and make time to eat the two course lunch in the restaurant. The life of a bread chef is exhausting.
Find out more about food & drink in Lancashire in the 2015 Visitor guide 'Welcome to Lancashire'
This article was taken from a feature origionally published in
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