How not to cheat

11:05am Tuesday 1st April 2008

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Learning to cook is hot stuff, reports Maxine Gordon.

DELIA may be busy telling us how to cheat in the kitchen, but more and more people are after the real deal.

In the past decade, the number of cookery courses in the UK has increased by 70 per cent. Sales of cook books are rocketing too, with Amazon reporting a 56 per cent rise last year.

With cookery shows and celebrity chefs still clogging up the TV schedules, and fears of an obesity epidemic gripping the nation, perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that we are flocking back to the kitchen.

York cook Hilary Finney launched her own cookery school last year and offers courses for women, men, business people, children and teens.

Hilary, who runs the Harmony House Cookery School from her home-cum-B&B at Stillingfleet, said: "People say they haven't the time to cook, but often they just haven't been taught that it's easy."

She said cookery shows on TV can be self defeating. "I'm not knocking the TV chefs, but sometimes they use so many ingredients and the recipes are so long, that it can be off-putting.

"I want to use local produce and show people that it's not as onerous as they think and that they can knock up a meal in a few minutes. I have some recipes that are just three lines long."

Hilary, a trained Cordon Bleu chef who has taught adult education cookery courses in York and Selby for many years, believes we have a duty to learn to cook - not just for ourselves and our families, but for the environment.

"We are a lot more health conscious," she said. "We have gone through the phase of microwave meals which have given us health problems such as obesity and now we need to be able to eat healthily and keep our diets in check. We also need to shop locally and support our local industries and reduce air miles.

"We also need to show our children how to cook, and that's not happening because the generation who are parents now were not taught how to cook."

Student numbers are up year on year at Bettys Cookery School, in Harrogate. The school, which opened in 2001, was set up originally to train staff in Bettys tearooms as well offer courses to members of the public.

"We started off doing one course a week and now we sometimes run two a week and over both days at the weekend," said Emma Cockayne of the cookery school. "We are busier now than we have ever been."

Courses cover a range of culinary topics from baking and chocolate to Swiss specialities and Mediterranean cooking.

"For the first time this year, we are branching out into different sorts of cuisine by running a spice course," said Emma.

Also new for this year are shorter, evening practical sessions and weekend courses for teenagers.

"We're running something called Flash In The Pan, aimed at people who want a hands-on course but can't come at the weekend," said Emma. "It will run on an evening and people will learn to cook one or two dishes that would be ideal for a mid-week healthy, but tasty, dinner.

"The course for teenagers is aimed at young people who are about to flee the nest. It runs over two days and will teach them basic kitchen skills and some recipes that they can develop and expand upon."

Twice a year, in April and September, the school also runs a two-week course, where students get a thorough culinary work-out.

"They cook breakfasts, lunches and main courses and learn a series of different skills," said Emma. "We get a mix of people coming on that course, from people who really want to learn how to cook to people who are thinking about setting up their own tearoom or a bed and breakfast."

York chef Mark Innes makes a living from our reluctance to cook. He runs an upmarket takeaway, I Eat T, in Gladstone Street, Acomb (www.i-eat-t.co.uk), where you are more likely to find crab cannelloni on the menu than doner kebab.

"I set up in 2002 with the aim of selling good pub food. Everything I make is made from fresh produce, the only frozen things are the peas and puff pastry," he said.

New additions for the spring menu include, chicken, spinach and butternut squash risotto and salmon, crab and asparagus cannelloni. Prices range from £5-£9.

Sunday is one of his busiest days, says Mark, when he sells roast dinners, carvery-style, with all the meat and veg bought from York market.

Ironically, Mark says his tasty takeaways have encouraged some regulars to pick up their pots and pans.

"My customers tend to be young couples or singles, but quite a few have said that they have tried us for a month, then picked up a cookery book they got for Christmas and tried to cook something for themselves. I'm quite proud that I've encouraged them to give cooking a go."

Another option for keen cooks is to enrol in an adult education cookery class. The courses often run over a series of weeks, from seven to ten, and are much cheaper than private cookery courses, with prices ranging from £56 to £75, with discounts for concessions. A full day at Bettys Cookery School, pictured, can cost £155.

Adult education cookery courses cover a range of topics too, including Food For Entertaining, to Indian and Mediterranean cuisine. You can even learn to cook and speak Italian on one course. For more details, see panel on the right.

Hilary Finney suggests trying these easy recipes at home:

Seafood pasta

300g Penne Pasta
150g smoked salmon, or prawns or fresh salmon
200g tub crème fraiche
a few sprigs dill finely choppedCook pasta in boiling water for 12 minutes or until al dente' (to the bite). Place all other ingredients in a medium frying pan and heat thoroughly.

Drain pasta and rinse in boiling water. Add seafood, season with salt and black pepper and serve with salad and Parmesan cheese.

Chicken with orange honey and ginger

4 chicken breasts
250ml orange juice (fresh)
2 tablespoons clear honey
1 tsp chopped fresh ginger or 1 tbs orange marmalade
100g streaky bacon (optional)
1 tbs corn flour dissolved in a little water
1 tsp chicken stock granulesWrap chicken breasts in bacon and place in ovenproof dish (if no bacon used, ensure all chicken is covered with liquid while cooking). Mix together ginger/marmalade, stock granules and honey and pour over chicken.

Cook in moderate oven 160C/350F until cooked (30-45 minutes). Dissolve corn flour in a little water and gradually add to chicken at the end until the sauce has thickened.

Chocolate mousse

250gm plain chocolate
1/2 pt (300ml) whipping cream
1 tin (400g) ready-made custardMelt chocolate carefully in the microwave (short bursts of 30 secs) or in a glass bowl over a pan of hot water. Whip cream until stiff and add custard. Add melted chocolate and stir.

Alternatives: add orange, brandy or liqueur to chocolate; use half white and half dark chocolate and create two mousses marbled together; place a layer of biscotti, amaretti biscuits or choc chip cookies soaked in brandy in middle of mousse.