LET’S COOK
THE MASTERS’ CLASSES
Looking to learn some speedy cooking tips from top chefs during lockdown? Head to Cambridge’s Parkers Tavern Instagram account @parkers_tavern every Thursday at 6pm to watch chef Tristan Welch run a virtual cooking class via live stream. Recent dishes have included creamy herb risotto and Tristan’s famous croque monsieur. Meanwhile, Jason Atherton has shown he’s ‘social’ in both restaurant name and nature with a collection of easy-to-follow video recipes on his Instagram @_jasonatherton. Our favourite has been his Japanese-style mackerel with pickled cucumbers and shiitake mushrooms. Dreaming of Italian feasts? The sunshine-filled Modena backdrop might leave you green with envy, but Massimo Bottura’s @massimobottura high-energy Instagram how-to videos can help provide a little Italian sunshine in your kitchen – try his leftovers ragù dish to clear out your fridge.
NOW SCREENING
It’s never been easier to step inside the kitchen classrooms of the UK’s best cookery schools – albeit in the virtual sense. Teaching operations have been moved online, with dinner ideas and top tips landing in video format on Facebook pages. Last year’s Food and Travel Award-winner Yorkshire Wolds Cookery School yorkshirewoldscookeryschool.co.uk is regularly uploading recipe videos – head to the school’s Facebook page to try your hand at some delectable beetroot tarte tatins. Already mastered their flourless orange cake? Jump to WhitePepper Cookery School white-pepper.co.uk to learn easy bread recipes. On Thursdays, The Avenue Cookery School theavenuecookeryschool.com is running a kids’ cooking live stream at 12pm, to keep little ones entertained. Still hungry for culinary knowledge? Join a virtual cookery demonstration with The Kent Cookery School kentcookeryschool.co.uk for just £6.99. Or plug into the Life is for Cooking podcast from Greenwich Pantry greenwichpantry.com (available on Spotify and other platforms) for further inspiration.
KITCHEN AIDS
Get older kids learning a life skill with Leith’s leiths.com new virtual cooking class. The six-week course, which covers knife skills and kitchen hygiene, as well as cooking a full menu each week, will see wannabe Wareings and mini Hartnetts whipping up pavlovas, simmering Mexican chillis and baking classic fish pies to perfection under the guidance of the school’s professional chefs for three hours every week via an online learning platform.