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It can be quite tricky to decide which cookery course is
suitable for your needs.
This page should help you make an informed decision:
What skill level is required for our one and two-day
courses?
With the exception of our Beginners cookery course, all our cookery courses are designed for enthusiastic amateurs.
We define an enthusiastic amateur as someone who cooks regularly at home, who loves food and cooking but who
may not necessarily have ever been taught formally.
Willingness to learn is far more important than any particular skill – we teach you everything from scratch, from how
to chop an onion to how to bake bread (for example). We will never ask you to go away and, for example, make a
hollandaise without showing you how to do it first - we assume no level of knowledge, but we do expect a certain
amount of familiarity with food, cooking and the kitchen.
How do I know if I'm a Beginner?
It’s very difficult to gauge skill level over the phone and therefore we have to trust in our students’ judgement
of their own abilities.
It’s all about what you feel comfortable with. Our Beginners’ cookery courses run at a very gentle pace, slower than
our other courses, and start with a very basic level of tuition and build upon that.
Confidence level is important – we want you to feel
encouraged and inspired, not out of your depth. If you are
less
confident in the kitchen then perhaps try a Beginners course
first.
I'm interested in Chef Skills but I'm worried it's
just for professionals
Far from it – as we’ve said above, all our one and two day courses are aimed at enthusiastic amateurs.
We do get chefs attending our courses in order to get new ideas or to enhance their skills in certain areas
such as seafood and fish etc but our tuition is designed to teach at a level accessible to most home cooks.
Chef Skills is a fairly demanding course but we have yet
to have anyone attend the course who felt it was
too much for them.
I'm an experienced cook and I'm concerned that the
courses will be too basic for me
We have yet to have a student leave us feeling that they had learned nothing – 99% of our feedback is
overwhelmingly positive. Our courses balance classical and contemporary styles and our tutors are always
learning new skills and techniques to pass on. We also have a number of specialist courses such as Thai,
Chillies and Moorish that are full of new ideas and new techniques – and we’re constantly on the look out
for new teachers in specialist areas.
For more experience cooks we’d also recommend Chef
Skills, Seafood and Pressure Cooks Advanced
– they are more demanding in terms of the pace and
amount of work covered.
I'm not sure whether I should do Pressure Cooks
or Pressure Cooks Advanced
We frequently get asked this question. They are companion courses rather than being aimed at two distinct
levels of experienced – we’ve even considered renaming them Pressure Cooks 1 and Pressure Cooks 2.
Most people go for Pressure Cooks in the first instance – it covers more familiar areas such as pork, lamb,
beef and chicken as well as breads, sauces, stocks, puddings and desserts. Pressure Cooks Advanced
takes things further by introducing shellfish, game, soufflés, home curing, pasta and other skills.
There is very little overlap between the Pressure Cooks and Pressure Cooks Advanced course
- while most students take Pressure Cooks before going on to the Advanced course it is entirely
possible to do them the other way round.
In general, if you are in any doubt, do the Pressure Cooks course first. Another good way of deciding
is to look at the itineraries for each course and see what you already know how to do!
Pressure
Cooks itinerary - Click here
Pressure
Cooks Advanced itinerary - Click here
I'm looking to do a ski season/work on a yacht/take
a gap year – which course is best for me?
We recommend our Pressure Cooks and Pressure Cooks Advanced cookery courses for staff intending to
work a ski season or onboard a yacht and have already had several people complete courses who have
successfully gained employment for ski tour operators and on-board private yachts.
For those who already work in resorts or on board, it’s a great opportunity to freshen up your cookery
skills to deal with the culinary demands of yacht owners or chalet guests – the Pressure Cooks Advanced
course in particular seems to be popular for this reason.
These cookery courses provide students with an excellent grounding in essential cookery skills as well as
a rolling menu that can provide a strong basis for day to day cooking.
For anyone contemplating a gap year abroad our longer courses provide a good way of training intensively
for working abroad – there are always jobs in catering available on your travels.
We are contacted regularly by Ski Tour operators looking for catering staff. Please see our jobs pages for a list of contacts.
Jobs noticeboard
- Click here
I'm in the Armed Forces and would like to use my
resettlement grant to take a course.
Since we started, on average we have had at least one member of the Armed Forces on each of our Pressure Cooks,
Pressure Cooks Advanced and Basic Cookery Diploma courses. It’s a popular way of using the resettlement grant
and we are familiar with all the paperwork required.
If you want to know how the courses can help you in a career in the catering industry see below.
I want to become a chef – what course should I do?
First of all, if you’ve never cooked before you need to do a Beginners course – the five-day course provides
the best grounding.
Pressure Cooks, Pressure Cooks Advanced and the Basic Cookery Diploma are designed for those who
want to learn key skills in a short space of time.
They are ideal for those who only have a little time to spare in already busy lives, who don’t want to commit to
spending two or three years in an NVQ program and who want to do a course with a like-minded people who
are all motivated and enthusiastic. We have small group sizes (which means there’s a lot of individual work)
and use top quality ingredients that you will be hard pushed to find at any public colleges.
These are the kind of reasons people give on our feedback forms for coming on our longer courses:
I need a change of direction
I want to work a ski season
I want to work on a private boat/yacht
I run a B&B and want to offer evening meals
I'm already a chef and need some new ideas
I've just bought/already run a catering business and want
to…
… train my chefs to cook more complex food
… gain an understanding of what my chefs are doing
in the kitchen
… improve my own cooking skills so I can cook for
customers
I've always dreamed of opening a restaurant
I love cooking but I've never had any formal training
And finally… I want to become a chef
OK, if the last one is your reason for coming on a cookery course then you might have a few more questions. Read on…
What qualifications do you offer?
For our 5-day courses we offer a certificate of completion of the course. For our Basic Cookery Diploma we
present a Diploma certificate along with a form assessing your abilities in a number of key skills areas.
This assessment should be familiar to most chefs – it’s similar to the NVQ assessment and this, along
with our reference, will give a potential employer a good idea of your abilities.
We are not accredited by any government body – that is to say that by doing our courses you do not receive a
recognised qualification, although we are rapidly gaining a reputation in the industry for delivering quality training.
What we do offer is:
The ability to learn practical cookery skills in a short space of time.
Courses that are almost entirely hands-on.
A large percentage of individual and pair work on longer courses (see below).
Small class sizes where everyone is motivated to learn.
Premium quality ingredients.
Highly experienced and professional staff.
Meals included in the course price (see course details).
Help with finding work placements after a course.
References – written or phone references.
I've done cookery courses before and haven't actually
done much cooking
– how much practical work will I be doing?
All of courses are totally hands-on – it’s
one of the most important factors in what we do. And when
we say hands-on, we mean it - on a normal day you will be
involved in cooking almost from the moment of your arrival
until you sit down to eat what you have prepared.
There are many cookery courses out there which are demonstrations
followed by lunch, there are also cookery courses out there
where theory forms a large part of the day. Our courses
are not like either of these.
Our courses are approximately 95% practical work which
means chopping, peeling, kneading, frying, rolling, boning,
filleting and all the other things that make cooking so
interesting.
We’ve kept class sizes deliberately small so that
there is time for individual and pair work – in fact
we are working toward maximizing the amount of individual
and pair work on all our courses.
We find the most effective way for you to learn is by doing
it yourself. Out of necessity, there will always be an element
of group work – for example, it's not practical for
everyone to make an individual venison casserole.
Our concept of individual work does not mean skimping on
ingredients – we feel it's important that you have
access to the best available so, for example, you prepare
a lobster each on our Pressure Cooks Advanced course.
What type of people come on your courses?
The courses are very mixed. Ages tend to range from mid-20s
to mid-60s on the shorter courses, and from 18 to mid-50s
on the five-day and Diploma courses.
The longer courses attract more people who are in or intending
to enter the catering industry, but we do get chefs and
other professionals on the one-day and weekend courses too.
We get a fairly even spread of men and women apart from
the Gentleman's Relish course which is just for men.
MORE FAQs...
Where is Ashburton?
We are in a small town on the edge of Dartmoor just off the A38, about 20 minutes south of Exeter.
See the back of the brochure for more information. Click here to download the brochure
How much cookery experience do I need?
All our courses with the exception of the Beginners course
are designed for people with some cooking experience. If
you cook regularly at home then you should be able to cope
with our courses.
What should I wear?
You need to wear sensible footwear with non-slip soles and
covered toes. Long hair needs to be tied back; we advise
wearing comfortable clothes and not your best outfit. We
also recommend wearing trousers.
What equipment do I need?
You don't need to bring anything with you, we supply aprons, and all the equipment you'll be using.
What else is there to do in the area?
The town is on the edge of Dartmoor, which is great for walking; numerous outdoor pursuits from horse riding to golf are available nearby. We're half an hour or so from Totnes, Dartmouth and Exeter, and of course there are several lovely beaches within driving distance. Devon is blessed with some great restaurants - if you're staying in town we'd particularly recommend Moorish and Agaric.
Can I visit the school before I attend a course?
Yes, give us a call and we'll be happy to arrange a time when you can come and have a look around.
Further information
If you need any further information please phone us and
we can arrange an interview with one of our chefs.
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