CLOCKWISE (from top
left):students at River
Cottage forage for
wild ingredients;
preparing beans;
rhubarb goes under
the knife; the grounds
ofTheSchoolof
Artisan Food.
OPPOSITE:ripe,
red tomatoes ready
to be turned into
a finished dish.EXPERIENTIAL TRAVEL,wheremaking
memories comes with a side of valuable
life skills (in this case, cookery-related
ones), has never been more popular.
Whetheryouyearntomakeyourown
cheese,forageforwildgreensorbutchera
beast, there’s a cookery school out there
toteachyou,andmanyofthebestcanbe
foundinsomeofthemostbeautifuland
interesting parts of the UK and Ireland.
RIVERCOTTAGE,DEVON,ENGLAND
Theheadquartersofthisacclaimed
sustainable-food empire is nestled on the
Devon-Dorset border, where it’s run by
Hugh-Fearnley Whittingstall ofRiver
CottageTVshowfame.Thefunbegins
withatractorridedowntotheschool
overrollinggreenhills,passinglocal
heritage breed livestock that supplies
thecottage.Dependingontheclassyou
choose, a forage in the garden and farm
maybeinorder.Onceinthekitchen,
you’lldonyourapron,learnallabout
qualityingredientsandenjoylunch
cooked by the HQ chefs using produce
fromthefarmandsurroundingregion.
Coursesofferedrangefromthebasics
of making bread and cheese, to more
specialist subjects such as bee-keeping,
foraging, meat-curing and cider-making.
rivercottage.net
THESCHOOLOFARTISANFOOD,
NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND
Locatedin19th-centurystablesonthe
stunningWelbeckEstateintheheartof
Sherwood Forest, the School of Artisan
Food is a not-for-profit organisation
dedicatedtoteachingthemanyaspects
ofartisanfoodproduction.Courses–from
baking,brewingandbutcherytocuring,
foragingandpreserving–suitallskill
levels and range from half-day tasters
through to week-long masterclasses.
As well as learning how to prepare
exceptionalmeals,guestsareencouraged
toquestionwhyfoodisproducedtheway
it is, and examine the entire food chain,
not just the ingredients in front of them.
schoolofartisanfood.org