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confess to being a bit of
I a James Martin fan . In particular , his puddings . In fact , I selected one of his desserts ; coffee ‘ mushrooms ’ with cardamom and chocolate , to serve at my very first dinner party as a teenager – it ’ s a flavour combination which has remained among my favourites to this day . I was , therefore , more than a little excited to be invited to be one of the first to experience The Kitchen , his new cookery school at the luxurious Chewton Glen hotel just over in Hampshire . The Kitchen is based in a stunning , purpose built wooden building within the grounds of the hotel . The school comprises a glass fronted training kitchen which looks onto the casual dining restaurant and the chef ’ s kitchen which opens onto the restaurant .
We start the day with coffee and pastries , redolent with cardamom , in the restaurant
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Photograph by @ FelicitySpector
area . Then it ’ s out into the gardens – the school has its own greenhouse and growing beds and anything not grown here has probably been nurtured in the hotels ’ gardens . Today we ’ ll be cooking with the estates ’ forced rhubarb , vegetables and honey and locally-reared lamb .
The hub for the day is the demo area . It ’ s here we are instructed , various elements are prepared by Chef Tutor Rob Cottam and we gather for social periods . The training kitchen is fully equipped with stateof-the-art domestic cooking equipment , including Gaggenau induction hobs and ovens .
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Today we will be experiencing the Seasonal Dinner Party course ; other options on the calendar include “ Cooking with James Martin ” himself , “ The Tea Party ” and “ Raw & Super ”.
Honey and Greek yoghurt panna cottas are the first dishes of the day , then the accompanying poached rhubarb – the poaching syrup cooked to a precise 108 ° C for maximum sweetness . Tips like this punctuate the day and reveal the level of experience and expertise of Chef Tutor Rob . Throughout the day Rob and his assistants are a reassuring presence , who together keep the atmosphere light and the day thoroughly enjoyable .
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