Vegetarian Cookery Course at Foodworks

Red lentils with coconut cauliflower on the vegetarian cookery course

Do you like the idea of eating less meat in your diet? Whilst I am not a vegetarian, I have definitely been cutting down on my meat intake over the last few months, so I was keen to learn some new recipes. Read on to find out about the Vegetarian Cookery Course offered by The Foodworks Cookery School, near Cheltenham.

Foodworks Cookery School is located in a converted barn, on the edge of the Colesbourne Park Estate in the Cotswolds, between  Cheltenham and Cirencester. Our vegetarian cookery course took place on a Saturday from 10am to 3.30pm.

The Foodworks Vegetarian Cookery Course

I took my friend Jackie with me. Jackie is a long-standing vegetarian, but fancied getting some new recipe ideas. There were eight of us in our group and we got the chance to chat over tea, coffee and homemade biscuits before we were set to work. Not everyone was vegetarian, but we all wanted to take away some new inspiration to revitalize our cooking.

Our chef for this vegetarian cookery course was Erin Baker. She is American born and bred and ran an award-winning vegetarian restaurant in California. I’m not sure why she decided to switch sunny California for not-so-sunny Gloucestershire, but she became Head Chef at Woodruff’s Café in Stroud – the first vegetarian café in the country. Erin now runs her own business – the Natural Cookery School.

Chef Erin Baker on the Vegetarian Cookery Course at Foodworks
Chef Erin Baker on the Vegetarian Cookery Course at Foodworks

Erin explained to us, “I’m going to show you dishes that are veg-centric. Where the vegetable is the star of the show.” I loved the fact that she’d stopped en route to our class and foraged some early wild garlic, as well as primrose flowers, to add to the array of shop-bought goods we’d be cooking with.

It sounded like we had a lot to get through, but I was thrilled to discover we’d be eating not just one, but two lunches. Erin set about her first job of making a vegetable stock. Now, I’d never thought about making my own. I’ve always reached for the Marigold bouillon. But perhaps I’ll give this a go myself now. Our chef left her stock to gently bubble for an hour and a half.

Making vegetable stock at Foodworks Cookery School Vegetarian Cookery Course
Making vegetable stock at Foodworks Cookery School

Erin next turned her attention to the prep for a warm pear and spinach salad. She cubed tofu (an ingredient, which I’m afraid I’ve never been keen on) and added it, along with sliced pear, to a marinade of sesame oil, cider vinegar and maple syrup. While this roasted for 30 minutes in the oven, she whizzed up a soy ginger dressing.

I was excited to hear we’d be making Vietnamese spring rolls. The kind that aren’t deep-fried, but have a soft translucent skin revealing the fresh herbs and vegetables within. Erin showed us how to properly cut carrot julienne-style. We soaked our rice paper in water for 30 seconds to soften it, before layering with Thai basil, mint, coriander, lettuce, carrot, avocado, bean sprouts and rice noodles. The trick was to get the rice paper soft enough to roll, but not too soft that it went overly sticky.

Ingredients for the Vietnamese spring rolls
Ingredients for the Vietnamese spring rolls
Making the spring rolls
Making the spring rolls

It was now our turn to take over the reigns of the pear and spinach salad. Jackie and I had a hob to ourselves, but each took care of our own dish. We tossed the tofu and pear into the dressing to warm through. Next, adding the spinach, just long enough to wilt. We finished the dish with a sprinkling of maple-toasted walnuts that Erin had made earlier.

Our first lunch on our vegetarian cookery course began with the Vietnamese spring rolls. A neat presentation trick is to slice the spring roll in half on the diagonal. They tasted so fresh and vibrant, accompanied by a lime, chilli and soy dipping sauce. The spinach salad was delicious with the sweet, warm pears, but I’m afraid tofu is still not for me. As those that know me well would appreciate, it’s a texture thing!

My Vietnamese spring rolls
My Vietnamese spring rolls
Warm pear and spinach salad on the Vegetarian Cookery Course
Warm pear and spinach salad on the Vegetarian Cookery Course

After lunch one, Erin showed us how to make the components of a spinach and tomato polenta stack with herbed ricotta. We each constructed our own stack and topped it with roasted asparagus and radish (who knew you could roast a radish?) in a spring onion vinaigrette. She then divided up her foraged wild garlic and, in pairs, we made a fragrant wild garlic and cashew pesto to go with it.

Constructing the polenta stacks on the vegetarian cookery course
Constructing the polenta stacks

For the next dish, it was time to practice our knife skills. We each picked a different ingredient. Erin demonstrated how to cut an onion properly, as well as how best to prepare garlic, ginger and chilli. I was amazed to learn the trick of peeling ginger with a teaspoon, and to massage a lime to get more juice. Down one end of the table, we carried on chopping. While down the other, they dredged cauliflower florets in flour, egg and desiccated coconut, before oven roasting. Our combined ingredients made a tasty one-pot red lentil dish, topped with the coconut cauliflower.

Erin with our coconut roasted cauliflower on the vegetarian cookery course
Erin with our coconut roasted cauliflower

In pairs, we set about making a kale and goats cheese soufflé. I made the white sauce, while Jackie combined the cheese with egg yolks, and whipped up the egg whites. The big question: Would it rise?

Our final task of the vegetarian cookery course was to make a Mexican lasagne. Instead of layering with pasta, this one would be layered with soft tortilla wraps. And instead of making a white sauce, it would just be layered with grated cheese. We began chopping the onion, red pepper and garlic. This was combined with chopped tomatoes, herbs, spices, sweetcorn and black beans. The secret ingredient here was chipotle paste, which I’d never heard of. It gave a smoky, chilli flavour to the dish.

We made a Mexican slaw to accompany the lasagne. Along with the usual suspects, it included Cholula hot sauce, chopped coriander, lime juice and toasted cumin seeds.

Mexican lasagne and Mexican slaw
Mexican lasagne and Mexican slaw

We sat down for our second and final lunch, with a well-earned glass of wine. The warming red lentil dish was unusually served in a teacup and topped with a coconut cauliflower floret. Fragrant with spices, lime and coconut milk, it reminded me of Thailand.

Our polenta stacks had an air of the Mediterranean and came accompanied by the wild garlic pesto. We were amazed to discover our kale and goats cheese soufflés had risen. While I was pleased at our accomplishment, these weren’t my favourite, but I’m not a big fan of egg. Finally, we polished off the Mexican lasagne with the tasty slaw.

Red lentils with coconut cauliflower on the vegetarian cookery course
Red lentils with coconut cauliflower
Polenta stack with wild garlic pesto
Polenta stack with wild garlic pesto
Kale and goats cheese souffles on the Vegetarian Cookery Course
Kale and goats cheese souffles on the Vegetarian Cookery Course

I really enjoyed the Foodworks vegetarian cookery course. We had learned dinner party dishes, along with everyday-style cooking. As well as gaining some new recipe ideas, I learned loads of useful tips from Erin, which I can use at home. My highlights of the day were the wild garlic pesto, the red lentil dish and the Mexican lasagne and slaw – all of which I will definitely be cooking up in my own kitchen! As for Jackie, she hot-footed it straight to the nearest supermarket to buy the ingredients to whip up a pear and spinach salad.

The Foodworks Cookery School kindly offered me the chance to participate in this course at a reduced cost. However all opinions are most definitely my own! They offer a whole range of plant based cookery courses (as well as meat ones) from Asian Streetfood to Cooking for Dinner Parties. There’s some lovely accommodation options nearby if you want to make a whole weekend of it and enjoy exploring the Cotswolds.

Have you tried a cookery course? I’d love to hear about it.

 


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8 Comments

  • Jamie Sutton-Jennings

    March 22, 2017

    Looks like you had a great day! And the food looks delicious!

    Reply
    • Skylark

      March 22, 2017

      Thanks for reading Jamie. It was a fab day and the food was indeed delicious. I have already cooked up the lentil dish and the Mexican lasagne and enjoyed it at home!

      Reply
  • Roseann

    March 22, 2017

    Those souffles look delicious! This course sounds great and I was interested to see if you ended up liking tofu, but no?! We have only had it a couple of times but have never experimented at home, so it’s something I want to include in a dish soon. Perhaps you can share the recipe with me. I am booked on to the Asian street food course here in June so after reading your post I’m looking forward to it even more now!

    Reply
    • Skylark

      March 22, 2017

      Hi Roseann. Thank you for reading my post. I remember Erin saying there are different qualities of tofu. We used the firm kind for this recipe, which she wrapped in a tea towel and pressed under a weight to remove the moisture. I’d be happy to share the recipe with you! I’m sure you’ll love the Asian street food course. Look forward to hearing about it.

      Reply
  • Lucy

    March 24, 2017

    This looks like such a good idea! My mother-in-law is veggie and I always struggle with interesting ideas of what to cook for her.

    Reply
    • Skylark

      March 24, 2017

      Hi Lucy. Yes, it was a really great way to learn some new ideas and gain some interesting tips! I’ve already cooked up a few of the recipes at home.

      Reply
  • Jane Hanson

    June 14, 2017

    I loved reading this! I am a vegetarian and once again, no idea this was available in my area! Will have to keep eyes peeled for the next one.

    Reply
    • Skylark

      June 20, 2017

      Hi Jane. Thanks for reading. It’s a fantastic way to gain some new inspiration!

      Reply

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