Each October for the last three years my very good friend Sam and I would begin to plan our stall for the school Christmas fare. Long evenings fueled largely by sparkling wine and accompanied by endless conversation produced copious creative ideas and a solid friendship. In Year One we made dozens of beautiful pocket money gifts armed with nothing more than fabric, hair slides and a hot glue gun. We designed and hand sewed personalised Gym bags and other fabric gifts to sell to happy customers but most of all we baked. In Year Two, now settled into a happy rhythm ,we produced hundreds of giant Gingerbread Men which were an instant sell-out. So successful in fact that Year Three was all about the Gingerbread Men thanks in part to many requests from parents at school. It was really special to have such a project with a friend and we both found a real love for baking thanks to these events.
This year was always going to be different as Sam returned home in the Spring and our Danish partnership very sadly came to an end. Gratefully, her husband very kindly provided us with an opportunity to spend time together again and a couple of weeks ago he dispatched us down to Dorset, England, for a bread making course at The River Cottage. After dinner at The River Cottage Canteen we retired to our Bed and Breakfast for a solid nights sleep thanks to the incredibly comfortable atmosphere at Spillers Farm, a wonderful home from home and the provider's of much missed traditional English breakfast.
At 9 a.m on Sunday we made our way into the depths of the countryside feeling slightly nervous as to what to expect but equally excited about the contents of our day at The River Cottage, the beating heart of the very successful River Cottage food empire built by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and his team.You may have seen one of their various TV series or, of course, bought one of the numerous recipe books that have enhanced our own repertoire greatly over the years. Our car safely parked at the top of the hill we were chauffeured down to the farm on a trailer attached to a tractor and welcomed warmly onto the farm by staff waiting to receive us with a warm cup of coffee and a beetroot brownie. I could easily have moved into the welcome yurt, it was so cosy and very Danish with its 'hygglig' atmosphere, inside we made conversation with our fellow trainees before we were called into the barn eager to begin.
Our tutor for the day was Aidan Chapman, a baker of 22 years pedigree with an enthusiasm so infectious he immediately held our attention and we were gratefully relieved by his down to earth approach to teaching. We listened as Aidan shared some of his knowledge and gave us invaluable hints, some of which I have already put into practice at home. The barn we were in is laid out for teaching, therefore at one end a large mirror is suspended from the ceiling above the work station so that we could observe from our seats by looking up. At the other, three stainless steel tables ready and waiting for practical lessons. Above, beautiful empty glass bottles with the base removed served as a culinary light fittings.
First of all we were shown how to make a basic white dough mix that became flatbread's, our amazing snack served mid morning, accompanied by three delicious River Cottage vegetable dips. It then became the basis for our lunch of pizza, created individually in the courtyard of the farm and baked to perfection in the wood burning oven.
As instructed we took our lunch into a cosy marquee to the rear of the barn, Sam and I listened as fellow bread makers told amusing stories to accompany our food, a fun way for me to reconnect with life in the UK. There followed a delicious chocolate and plum roulade to finish our meal and with appetites more than sated our afternoon began in earnest.
During the course of the day we learnt how to make a basic bread dough, a whole meal loaf, a ciabatta and the most amazing olive oil soaked foccacia I have ever eaten. Our fellow cooks oo-ing and ahh-ing as the breads we created emerged spectacular from their hot ovens.
So memorable was the smell wafting over in a welcome wave of deliciousness each time the oven doors opened, that neither of us could wait to try and recreate the recipe's at home. We had a great day and I would thoroughly recommend a trip to River Cottage to anyone interested in creating amazing dishes using ingredients as close to nature as possible. As well as bread making, there are numerous other courses available, I would love to return for another in the future.
Sam and I were very excited to hear that our baker, Aidan, had written a book in which he shares recipes and invaluable techniques gathered during the course of his career. It is due out at Christmas, I can't wait to get to know the pages of the book and welcome new recipes into my kitchen. The Phoenix Bakery also offers courses and a selection of bread and cakes to order online, if only it were possible to post eccles cakes to Denmark. A girl can dream!
The day over and our journey back to Windsor complete it was time for Sam and I to bid each other farewell once again. We may not be meeting up weekly, clutching fabrics, icing bags and sparkling wine in the build up to Christmas this year but we have a new experience to remember fondly together instead. One indeed to refer back to in the years to come as a great adventure in the journey of our friendship.
You can find 'River Cottage' books at Books and Company, Hellerup. I hope that very soon you will also find 'Bread from the Phoenix Bakery' there too!
www.rivercottage.net
www.phoenixbakery.co.uk
www.booksandcompany.dk
This year was always going to be different as Sam returned home in the Spring and our Danish partnership very sadly came to an end. Gratefully, her husband very kindly provided us with an opportunity to spend time together again and a couple of weeks ago he dispatched us down to Dorset, England, for a bread making course at The River Cottage. After dinner at The River Cottage Canteen we retired to our Bed and Breakfast for a solid nights sleep thanks to the incredibly comfortable atmosphere at Spillers Farm, a wonderful home from home and the provider's of much missed traditional English breakfast.
At 9 a.m on Sunday we made our way into the depths of the countryside feeling slightly nervous as to what to expect but equally excited about the contents of our day at The River Cottage, the beating heart of the very successful River Cottage food empire built by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and his team.You may have seen one of their various TV series or, of course, bought one of the numerous recipe books that have enhanced our own repertoire greatly over the years. Our car safely parked at the top of the hill we were chauffeured down to the farm on a trailer attached to a tractor and welcomed warmly onto the farm by staff waiting to receive us with a warm cup of coffee and a beetroot brownie. I could easily have moved into the welcome yurt, it was so cosy and very Danish with its 'hygglig' atmosphere, inside we made conversation with our fellow trainees before we were called into the barn eager to begin.
Our tutor for the day was Aidan Chapman, a baker of 22 years pedigree with an enthusiasm so infectious he immediately held our attention and we were gratefully relieved by his down to earth approach to teaching. We listened as Aidan shared some of his knowledge and gave us invaluable hints, some of which I have already put into practice at home. The barn we were in is laid out for teaching, therefore at one end a large mirror is suspended from the ceiling above the work station so that we could observe from our seats by looking up. At the other, three stainless steel tables ready and waiting for practical lessons. Above, beautiful empty glass bottles with the base removed served as a culinary light fittings.
First of all we were shown how to make a basic white dough mix that became flatbread's, our amazing snack served mid morning, accompanied by three delicious River Cottage vegetable dips. It then became the basis for our lunch of pizza, created individually in the courtyard of the farm and baked to perfection in the wood burning oven.
As instructed we took our lunch into a cosy marquee to the rear of the barn, Sam and I listened as fellow bread makers told amusing stories to accompany our food, a fun way for me to reconnect with life in the UK. There followed a delicious chocolate and plum roulade to finish our meal and with appetites more than sated our afternoon began in earnest.
During the course of the day we learnt how to make a basic bread dough, a whole meal loaf, a ciabatta and the most amazing olive oil soaked foccacia I have ever eaten. Our fellow cooks oo-ing and ahh-ing as the breads we created emerged spectacular from their hot ovens.
So memorable was the smell wafting over in a welcome wave of deliciousness each time the oven doors opened, that neither of us could wait to try and recreate the recipe's at home. We had a great day and I would thoroughly recommend a trip to River Cottage to anyone interested in creating amazing dishes using ingredients as close to nature as possible. As well as bread making, there are numerous other courses available, I would love to return for another in the future.
Sam and I were very excited to hear that our baker, Aidan, had written a book in which he shares recipes and invaluable techniques gathered during the course of his career. It is due out at Christmas, I can't wait to get to know the pages of the book and welcome new recipes into my kitchen. The Phoenix Bakery also offers courses and a selection of bread and cakes to order online, if only it were possible to post eccles cakes to Denmark. A girl can dream!
The day over and our journey back to Windsor complete it was time for Sam and I to bid each other farewell once again. We may not be meeting up weekly, clutching fabrics, icing bags and sparkling wine in the build up to Christmas this year but we have a new experience to remember fondly together instead. One indeed to refer back to in the years to come as a great adventure in the journey of our friendship.
You can find 'River Cottage' books at Books and Company, Hellerup. I hope that very soon you will also find 'Bread from the Phoenix Bakery' there too!
www.rivercottage.net
www.phoenixbakery.co.uk
www.booksandcompany.dk
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