Then you maybe a fantastic pastry maker – its a well known fact!

If there is one culinary challenge that sends shivers down the spine it is making pastry. However practice does make perfect.

There is definitely a knack to it – you may be lucky and get it right first time, but for many people it takes a few attempts before they master the technique.

On Saturday 12 June we will be running a perfect pastry course, to help you make and bake perfect pastry. You will learn how to produce fabulous puff pastry, crisp light sweet pastry, choux pastry and easy short crust pastry.

In the meantime, if  you are baking at home, here are a five top tips to get you started.

1.The basic principle to making pastry is a ratio of half fat (butter) to flour, with just enough water to bind it together. However, the more fat you can work into your pastry the richer and flakier it becomes.
2. Ensure your hands are not too warm – rinse under cold water if necessary. 
3.Try to lift the flour and butter up out of the bowl as you work, allowing the air to get in to the pastry. It is important to do this quickly and thoroughly. If you “work” the pastry too much it will cause the gluten strands in the flour to toughen and this in turn will cause the pastry to shrink during cooking.
4. Try to keep this dusting light, too much flour will affect the quality of the pastry.
5. Every time the pastry is handled allow it rest for at least an hour, after making, rolling etc. This
allows the gluten strands to relax again, as each time you handle the pastry you stretch them out.

On Saturday 17 April a number of students joined chef Richard Curtis on our famous Artisan bread course. During the day the team learnt all the skills associated with this specialist baking skill, culminating with the students taking home arms full of fresh tasty bread.

Date for your diary – on 15 May will be running a pastry day – details being published soon

For the students a recipe – as promised by Richard 

If you are looking for a unique Mother’s Day gift then Shires has the answer.

On Saturday 13 March we are running our popular
Artisan Bread course, there are just four places
remaining. We are delighted to offer these places to your special Mum at just £65, that’s £20 off the usual student rate of £85. When booking enter RH5 on the discount code page. 

Alternatively if you would like to purchase a gift voucher they start from £25 up to £100, are packaged with a beautiful greeting card and can be mailed direct to your special Mum or relative.
Email info@shirescookeryschool.com and we will contact you to discuss your requirements.

Northamptonshire’s tastiest success story has launched
its programme for 2010

Following its Caribbean feast and Italian Christmas cookery classes, Shires is announcing a new menu for the New Year. More Italian follows with Mangiamo! – a celebration of the warm Mediterranean on February 27.  This is followed by a spicy twist from Thailand, on 24 April.

Shires founder Wendy Carter said: ‘We set out to make good food accessible to everyone, and our first year of classes has exceeded all expectations.

‘We were overwhelmed by the response from the classes – everyone really enjoyed themselves, but most importantly they took away lots of new foodie skills.’ We are also delighted to announce that we are teaming up with Tipu Rahman awarding winning chef from The Tamarind restaurant to  run a series of two hour workshops giving an insight to the fabulous flavour of Indian cookery. 

Here at Shires we are delighted to announce that we will be running a
Thai cookery day on Saturday 24 April.

Like all the world’s great cuisines, Thai food is a conglomerate of several distinct regional traditions. But one thing they all have in common is a passion for fresh ingredients and the subtle blending of spices and aromatics.

This indigenous heritage is enriched by Thailand’s tropical neighbours – each bringing its own addition to the rich, spicy mix.

So you get lots of Malaysian-style coconut milk and turmeric dishes in the south, with the Lao-reminiscent lime flavours of the north-east. Predominant is the influence of China – especially in the use of the wok with its deep and shallow frying dishes based on rice and noodles.

 Fish and all kinds of seafood appear everywhere – usually freshly caught but also in the universally famous Thai fermented fish sauce which adds a piquant twist to favourite dishes. Add to this lemon grass, galangal and ginger, kaffir lime leaves and coriander, and you have the authentic taste of Thailand in a nutmeg shell.

 But to many in the west Thai food has a harmonious freshness, lightness and integrity of flavour unequalled in other eastern culinary traditions. These days it is eaten with a spoon and fork rather than the fingers – chopsticks have never been part of its etiquette – and generous hospitality is the name of the game.

 Dishes are designed to be shared, so when you plan your Thai meal bring out all your biggest platters and serving dishes – more is definitely more here. You will also need lots of little dishes for the sauces and spicy condiments that are an essential accompaniment. Fish and sweet chilli sauces, sugar, peppers, cucumbers and garlic are all staples of the dinner table, along with the essential sticky rice and noodles of every shape and style.

 The flavours, textures and aromas of Thai cookery have a timeless appeal – and with its heavy-on-fresh, light-on-fat ingredients, full of vegetables, fish and fruit you can’t go wrong.

Come along and join us for what promises to be a healthy, flavoursome and aromatic day.

One simple word that encapsulates all that we love about the Italian way of life. ‘Let’s eat’ – how better to experience this generous-hearted and hospitable country’s heritage than through the rich diversity of its food.

Italy is a country of many distinct communities, each with its own culinary traditions based on the seasonal produce of the local land and sea. But when you see that the whole country sticks out into the middle of the Mediterranean – and enjoys its enviable year-round climate – you realise this diversity comes from its unique and ancient mix of sun, sea, mountains and sweet-scented, herb-strewn, fertile land.

Italians take huge pride in their local traditions – the wines, the cheeses, breads, sausages and pastas which vary from region to region, even village to village. Recipes are jealously guarded and handed down through the generations.

Staples such as pasta and rice appear in a multitude of taste-tingling combinations – flavoured with mushrooms, seafood, onions, garlic, olive oil or butter, tomatoes, herbs, smoked, fresh or dried meats and a cornucopia of fresh vegetables. Regionally, you can go from the rich, buttery cooking of northern Italy with its boiled meats, soft egg noodles and creamy risotto to Neapolitan mozzarella pizzas and the hard spaghetti and spicy north African influences of Sicily and the southern lands of Reggio Calabria and Apulia.

Italian cookery is universally loved and revered among the great cuisines of the world. To learn more about the exciting flavours and recipes come along and join us on Saturday 27 February for our Italian Cookery course. During the day you will experience a taste of the real Italy and take away with you some of the skills you need to recreate it at home.

We are delighted to announce our fabulous new Italian Christmas Cookery course
taking place on Saturday 12 December. If you are looking for something different for your Christmas Day
celebrations this year then come along and join us.

Lunch, il pranzo, on Christmas Day is the most important of all the Christmas feasts and is a lengthy affair. 

The menu we have put together is a mixture of Christmas Eve and Christmas day. It is designed so that you can prepare much of the in advance, so you have time to relax and enjoy Christmas day.

Your menu
Risotto ai Funghi e Prezzemolo (Roasted mushroom risotto) 
Insalata Tipica delle Sagre (Festival mixed salad)
Salmone scottato con cozze e Tagliatelle (Seared salmon with tagliatelle

Tiramisu  (traditional delicious sweet)

Students joined chef Richard Curtis at our Caribbean Day held at Northampton College.  During the day students recreated the fabulous tastes of the Caribbean with sticky spicy ribs, jerk chicken, fruit curry, traditional rice and peas. Followed up with lime chili panacotta and mango jelly. The students also gained lots of tips on choosing and preping fresh fruit and the correct use of spices to create those unique Caribbean flavours. 

We are limbering up for our Caribbean class taking place this coming Saturday, if you haven’t booked your place yet, you are going to miss out on a great day.

Your chef will be taking you through  some fabulous Caribbean recipes. You will prepare and cook jerk chicken, tasty spicy ribs and to round up the main course , authentic rice and peas.

With lots of Caribbean cooking tips and recipe ideas thrown in – this will be a day to remember.

There are just two spaces left on the course – so please click through and reserve your place now.

In the meantime just to get you in the mood –

RUM PUNCH
Splash of lemon juice
2 measures of light rum
2 liters ginger ale
1 qt. fruit punch
1 qt. orange juice or pineapple juice
Ice cubes
Pour into punch bowl. Stir well. To serve: pour over one ice cube in each glass.

You might find that getting a table at some of the county’s finest food venues has just got a little bit tougher after the winners in the dining categories of the inaugural Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards were finally announced!The awards, devised by Northamptonshire Enterprise Ltd, were aimed at celebrating excellence among the county’s eateries and to give a public pat on the back to those owners, managers and landlords who strive to offer their customers the perfect dining experience. 

The title of ‘Restaurant of the Year’ went to The Vine House Hotel and Restaurant in Paulerspury and Yvette Jones, who accepted the trophy on behalf of owners Marcus and Julie Springett, said they were delighted. “Marcus and Julie are absolutely passionate about what they do – it is their life! The food, the people, the service – they’re the key ingredients in running a successful restaurant and receiving this award is proof that they’re getting it right. They’re absolutely thrilled and are looking forward to celebrating with the people of Northamptonshire!”

Meanwhile The White Swan at Harrringworth was named ‘Pub or Bar Restaurant of the Year’, and its owners, husband and wife team Adam and Gina Longden, were almost speechless after hearing their names announced. “It’s amazing” said Adam. “We often work seven days a week and this is real reward for all that effort, especially looking after three kids as well!” Added Gina “Whether we’ve got two people or fifty-two people in the pub, we’d like to think we give them the service they deserve and perhaps that’s what the judges recognised when they came to visit – we’re just delighted!”

The results were announced by double Michelin-starred chef Marcus Wareing to an expectant audience of more than 400 guests at last night’s ‘Celebration of Northamptonshire’ dinner at Althorp (Friday 9^th October). Marcus, whose latest book ‘Nutmeg and Custard’ has just been published, said he was honoured to be part of the competition “I’m really very impressed with what’s being achieved here in Northamptonshire. I’ve always been keen on sourcing local and supporting local and these awards are a great way of promoting what’s on offer here. In fact, I’m thinking I should take the idea back to my home county of Lancashire to get them to do the same!”

The three judges who were charged with difficult but rather enjoyable task of ‘mystery shopping’ the ten finalists were celebrity chef and former Northamptonshire resident Sophie Grigson, food journalist Joanna Roughton and Duncan Taylor, whose The Bluebell Inn in Henley-in-Arden was the winner of the Best Dining Pub/Inn in the Coventry and Warwickshire Food and Drink Awards in both 2008 and 2009, so a man perfectly placed to judge what makes for a successful food pub. Said Duncan “Winning our award has been incredibly positive for us – great recognition for all the team, not to mention a huge boost to our business, as I’m sure it will be for the winners of these inaugural awards. I hope that a moment in the spotlight at such a glitzy affair, complete with celebrity chefs and local dignitaries, is fitting tribute to those whose work so often goes unrewarded.” Joanna’s praise was for the south Northamptonshire winners but she also commended all those who took part. “The Vine House are indeed worthy of their title but I should like to add that it was an extremely difficult task because the standard of all the finalists was so high. I was really very impressed with the quality of cooking and of the use of local ingredients and I hope these awards bring them all greater recognition. They certainly deserve it!” And Sophie added her particular commendation for the team at the White Swan “ This place is everything a pub-restaurant should be; warm and welcoming and serving local produce at its best.”

The results for the two categories are:

‘Restaurant of the Year’:
The Vine House Hotel and Restaurant, Paulerspury – winner
Oundle Mill, Oundle – runner-up

Other finalists (in alphabetical order):
Greens Restaurant and Bar, Northampton
Murrays at Whittlebury Hall, Whittlebury
The Church Restaurant, Northampton 

‘Pub or Bar Restaurant of the Year’:
The White Swan, Harringworth – winner
The Saracen’s Head, Little Brington – runner-up

Other finalists (in alphabetical order):
The Olde Red Lion, Kislingbury
The Red Lion, Sibbertoft
The Walnut Tree Inn, Blisworth

The competition’s co-ordinator, Rachel Mallows of ‘Rachel Mallows Services to Business’ said that the announcement of the winners was an exciting culmination to the whole awards “I’m absolutely delighted for those who’ve been successful and indeed for all those who have taken part. I think it’s only right that we should reward all those hard working chefs and restaurateurs for the excellence they achieve and it makes me proud to think that we have the kind of fine dining venues here in Northamptonshire to rival any in the country. I hope that the county’s many food lovers will now show their support by trying out the venues for themselves, if only to see if the judges made the right decisions!”

Meanwhile Kate Dent, Head of Tourism at Northamptonshire Enterprise Ltd, said “What a fantastic climax to what has been such an exciting project for all of us, last night’s awards presentations really were the icing on the cake! We extend our huge congratulations to all the finalists and a special well done to the winners along with a vote of thanks to all the team at Rachel Mallows Services to Business for their invaluable coordination of these awards. All the businesses involved have impressed us with the excellent high standard of quality and service, what a perfect excuse for people to get out and about in Northamptonshire and try them out for themselves!”