Demuths Cookery School – Bath Review
Posted on: 2017-04-12
Our rating:
Admire the views of Bath while you cook up a vegetarian storm
Demuths Cookery School is well known in the industry because it is run by one of the leading vegetarian chefs in the world, Rachel Demuth. Rachel owned Demuths Restaurant for 26 years, which won several awards, before she decided to venture off into teaching others how to cook. Demuths Cookery School therefore became all about vegetarian cooking and they offer a huge range of courses, cookery days, evening classes and even diplomas. We went along to their recent Low Carb High Veg cookery day to see what it’s all about.
I know Bath inside and out so I was surprised to realise I didn’t know where Demuths cookery school was. Once I found it I felt like I could be forgiven for not having ever seen it before because it is quite hidden from public view! Opposite the Parade Gardens where the old Island Club sign is, there is a door in between shops that you could easily miss, but once you’re let in and head upstairs to the kitchen you get some amazing views of the Parade Gardens and the Bath Abbey.
The day started at 9.50am for welcome coffee and tea, there were seven other women there so it was very female-centric as can usually be expected at vegetarian cookery classes. We were handed a list of the meals we were going to make and the ones that made me salivate were the Leek, Spinach and Ricotta Lasagne and the Mango Lime Chia Parfait. As we wandered into the kitchen to begin our day, at about 10am, I was pleasantly surprised by how large, bright and airy the kitchen was. I noticed the views straight away and it was a pleasure to be able to cook while looking out onto the streets of Bath and people having picnics in Parade Gardens.
Our teacher Erin is from California, and she ran a vegan restaurant there before deciding to move to the UK and settle down here. As she has been a chef for decades her wealth of knowledge about food is valuable and we all picked her brains on everything from different types of coconut milk, to vegan substitutes for ingredients. She was so lovely, calm and delightfully friendly that it made the whole day fun and she made sure we were all confident in the dishes we were preparing so that we could make them at home.
We had a break at about 12pm and had a mini feast of the food we had made including Cheesy Kale Crisps, Broccoli Pizza, Celeriac Chips and Spinach Omelette Wraps with freshly made guacamole. We weren’t rushed at all, we were given time to sit and have a little chat while we ate and I think we were all surprised at how good it all tasted as it was so healthy. Full and ready for our next round, we embarked on making a second feast.
After chopping, mixing and frying, in pairs we made Cauliflower Fried Rice with Tofu, that mouth-watering Leek, Spinach and Ricotta Lasagne with fresh Wild Garlic Pesto, and Thai Peanut Veg Noodles. Erin would show us how to do it first, and let us try it for taste as we went along, before letting us loose with the cooking and our own creativity when it came to presentation of the food. We were then invited to have a little drink break, with offerings of Cava, elderflower and Root Beer. It was so hot (it reached 25 degrees outside) that it was a refreshing break, though water was always on tap throughout our class and so was tea and coffee!
It was about 3pm by the time we had finished and all the food was cooked, so we sat down to tuck into the low carb high veg spread of delicious dishes. My instinct was right and my favourite was the creamy lasagna, even though the pasta sheets were substituted for cabbage leaves it was still filling and tasty. Erin had prepared the Mango Lime Chia Parfait at the beginning of the class, so we tucked into that sweet little treat aswell which was a wonderfully healthy dessert I will no doubt make at home.
We finished the day with a chat about food (of course) and Erin answering any other questions we had. It was a lovely way to end the day and at 3.30pm I walked out with a full stomach and a box of my leftover lasagna. Perfect.
You can find the full list of cookery courses available on the Demuths website here.
Article by:
Born in Bath, Safia has lived on the outskirts of the city her whole life. After studying journalism in Bristol she now spends a lot of her time searching for new things to see in Bath and soaking up the beautiful culture. You're most likely to find her sipping a soya latte in a lovely little independent cafe! Call Safia on 07468 516375 or email editor@365Bath.com.
