MAKING BEEF WELLINGTON

WANDSWORTH, LONDON • THEAVENUECOOKERYSCHOOL.COM

LEARNING HOW TO MAKE THIS CLASSIC HEARTY DISH IS THE QUINTESSENTIAL WINTER COOKING EXPERIENCE

It’s a fillet of beef wrapped in pastry; it’s named after a duke who was once prime minister and scourge of Napoleon; and Gordon Ramsay likes it so much, he’d choose it for his last supper. That’s the sum of my knowledge when it comes to beef wellington, a dish I’ve never tried, let alone cooked — but here, at

The Avenue Cookery School in Wandsworth, south London, I’m about to do both.

The beef wellington class, which involves bottomless wine, a cookery lesson and a sitdown dinner with dessert, is led by 28-yearold chef Richard Horsford. As I walk in, I’m comforted by the smell of roast potatoes.

Gold bunting and fairy lights hang from the ceiling, while wall-to-wall shelves are stacked with cookbooks, vinegars, olive oils, a mishmash of crockery and every herb and spice imaginable. It’s very much a family affair — Richard’s mum Diana and sister Sophie are part of the team, and between them they offer around 85 different classes.

Richard kicks things off by showing us how to prepare the trimmings — rustic potatoes, leeks, onions and carrots — in between sharing tips on the most efficient way to chop an onion, or his favourite ovens on the market. We then move on to the beef, the star of the show, which is sourced from Dovecote Farm in North Yorkshire.

“The quicker you sear the meat, the better,” explains Richard, stressing that we should only caramelise the sides of the fillet for a few seconds. With mine done, it’s time to roll out the pastry. It turns out I’m by far the slowest roller, but Richard uses the time to walk around and make sure everyone’s happy.

“Not many things bring people together

[like food], and the kitchen has always been the heart of our home,” he says, when I ask him what he loves most about cooking.

Next, it’s time for the beef to be dressed.

First, we spread Grey Poupon Dijon mustard all over it, followed by the pre-prepared duxelles (a mix of finely chopped mushroom, shallots, cream and truffle oil). Then, I carefully tuck the dressed beef into the rolled pastry — the better I am at wrapping presents, the better I’ll be at wrapping a wellington, Richard says. I place a few decorative diamond-shaped pieces of pastry on top before putting it in the oven at 220C.

After 25 minutes, the fruits of my labour are removed from the oven. I toast a glass of red wine with my fellow classmates and tuck in. My beef wellington is a huge, rich parcel of joy, and the duxelles that smother it add a strong, almost piquant element to the meat. The rustic potatoes and leeks complement the flavour of the beef beautifully. Just one slice leaves me feeling like an overindulged manatee, so I put the rest in a box to take home. Much like Napoleon, tonight, I, too, have been defeated by wellington.

The two-and-a-half-hour beef wellington class costs £90 for one person and £170 for two. Farida Zeynalova