Hey there, Cracking Good Food fans... just wanted to update you quickly on some upcoming events you might be interested in! In between training up loads of fab new Cracking Cooks, we're also working hard to bring you some great new cooking sessions this spring.
On Saturday 19 March (11am–2pm; Chorlton High School) we'll be baking unusual cupcakes with new CGF chef Deanna, who works at Chorlton's North Star Deli.
On Saturday 26 March (1pm–4pm; Chorlton Ees - meet opp Bowling Green pub), we're off on another of our Wild Food Forages with herbalist and wild food expert Jesper Launder.
On Saturday 2 April (11am–2pm; Chorlton High School), Rob is back with his Sustainable Fish dishes, showing you how to fillet a fish as well as cook it!
On Saturday 16 April, we'll be celebrating Cracking Good Food's first birthday at Chorlton's Big Green Festival, where it all began! Come along for a fun cooking experience and some birthday cake! See the festival website for details of the day: http://greenchorlton.org.uk/
On Saturday 7 May (11am–2pm; Chorlton High School), Kim from Islington Mill Cafe will be cooking up some tasty tarts and quiches using seasonal spring veg. Expect asparagus...
On Saturday 14 May (11am–2pm; Chorlton High School), Rob is baking bread again - see our Facebook page for photos from the last two sessions here.
To book places on any of the sessions...
* visit our website at http://crackinggoodfood.org/
* email fiona@crackinggoodfood.org
* telephone 0845 652 2572
* pop in to Hickson & Black’s deli on Barlow Moor Road in Chorlton
Showing posts with label Cracking Cooks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cracking Cooks. Show all posts
3 March 2011
2 March 2011
GUEST BLOG: New cooks on the books
By Cracking Good Food director Adele Jordan
On Tuesday 22 February, we trained up some new Cracking Cooks to join the team and add even more to our cooking repertoire and the classes and sessions we can offer. After spending two hours going through the ethos of Cracking Good Food and trying to cover all the things we’ve both done and have planned (so much!), we then got to grips with the actual cooking.
Experienced cooking leader Beth Creedon, of Dig and Guestrant fame, took the reins by splitting the cooks into two groups. They were asked to talk through making a vegetable cobbler, step by step, to each other. It’s hard getting used to talking through things that are instinctive for a cook like chopping an onion or celeriac, but they all took it in turns, in front of each other. To watch how captivated they were when listening to those who spoke, you’d swear they’d never chopped an onion in their life!
So we’ve now got a great new team, in addition to our other great Cracking Cooks. We’ve got Harjinder, who’s been cooking up Punjabi food for 40 years, Deanna from North Star Deli, Ian from The Parsnipship Collective, Cathy from France, Graeme who was a student living on takeaways and now lives in his kitche, Wendy from On the Eighth Day, Nicola from Fareshare and Emerge, chef Laura and keen cook Alison… with another nine also waiting to be trained up.
So cooking is very much on the agenda… stay tuned for all the exciting things coming up via our new website, to be launched shortly!
On Tuesday 22 February, we trained up some new Cracking Cooks to join the team and add even more to our cooking repertoire and the classes and sessions we can offer. After spending two hours going through the ethos of Cracking Good Food and trying to cover all the things we’ve both done and have planned (so much!), we then got to grips with the actual cooking.
Experienced cooking leader Beth Creedon, of Dig and Guestrant fame, took the reins by splitting the cooks into two groups. They were asked to talk through making a vegetable cobbler, step by step, to each other. It’s hard getting used to talking through things that are instinctive for a cook like chopping an onion or celeriac, but they all took it in turns, in front of each other. To watch how captivated they were when listening to those who spoke, you’d swear they’d never chopped an onion in their life!
So we’ve now got a great new team, in addition to our other great Cracking Cooks. We’ve got Harjinder, who’s been cooking up Punjabi food for 40 years, Deanna from North Star Deli, Ian from The Parsnipship Collective, Cathy from France, Graeme who was a student living on takeaways and now lives in his kitche, Wendy from On the Eighth Day, Nicola from Fareshare and Emerge, chef Laura and keen cook Alison… with another nine also waiting to be trained up.
So cooking is very much on the agenda… stay tuned for all the exciting things coming up via our new website, to be launched shortly!
1 March 2011
GUEST BLOG: Totally tropical
By guest blogger CAROLYN DICKSON
When we made Jamaican patties at Buckthorn House on Nell Lane on 22 February, the night was such great fun. Sarah, one of our Cracking Good Cooks, put on a great demonstration to a busy and excited class of 28 people including 12 children. We also had John Leech, our local MP, in the class as well as two local councillors Norman Lewis and Bernie Ryan, who came down to offer support.
Sarah who also works for The Lost Plot, brought all the vegetables that were in season from their allotment, showed everyone how to hold the knife to chop vegetables safely and how to prepare pastry. Everyone had a try at chopping the vegetables to make the very tasty mixture of spicy vegetables with a hint of chilli for the middle. Sarah also showed everyone how to make a side salad, with a quick and easy salad dressing. All and all, it was a really successful night, and there are more photos from it over on our Facebook page.
When we made Jamaican patties at Buckthorn House on Nell Lane on 22 February, the night was such great fun. Sarah, one of our Cracking Good Cooks, put on a great demonstration to a busy and excited class of 28 people including 12 children. We also had John Leech, our local MP, in the class as well as two local councillors Norman Lewis and Bernie Ryan, who came down to offer support.
Sarah who also works for The Lost Plot, brought all the vegetables that were in season from their allotment, showed everyone how to hold the knife to chop vegetables safely and how to prepare pastry. Everyone had a try at chopping the vegetables to make the very tasty mixture of spicy vegetables with a hint of chilli for the middle. Sarah also showed everyone how to make a side salad, with a quick and easy salad dressing. All and all, it was a really successful night, and there are more photos from it over on our Facebook page.
8 February 2011
Fancy fast food
In the third of our four trips to Dial Park Primary School in Stockport, Cracking Cook Rob showed us how to make Fancy Fast Food! We did mackerel fish cakes with hand-bashed, homemade breadcrumbs, and also nut burgers. Plenty of the kids and even the grown-ups were calling them ‘yuk burgers’ at first, but that all changed to ‘yum burgers’ when they tasted them and they went down really, really well. These were served with a garlic and yoghurt dip that was very popular plus two salads: one made with grated carrot and another using mixed leaves, both tossed in a garlic and mustard French dressing.
It was another really good event, with full-on participation from the schoolchildren and their parents and plenty of good food eaten! Everyone seemed very impressed and we're sorry next week's session will be the last at the school! There are loads more photos from the session on Monday 7 February over on the Cracking Good Food Facebook page.
18 December 2010
Festive cheers
There's only a week to go until Christmas, so we'd like to wish all our Cracking Cooks readers and everyone who has taken part in a Cracking Good Food event this year...
Happy Holidays!
And if you're behind on the Christmas shopping, don't panic - you can still buy our vouchers! Available in various values and redeemable against any of the fab classes we have lined up for 2011, Cracking Good Food vouchers make Cracking great gifts for your foody friends and family! Don't forget that in the New Year, we'll be putting on loads of new and old sessions, including revisiting Mexican tapas, baking bread for beginners and advanced, trying out tofu, and kneading (and needing!) our own pizza dough, so there's something for everyone.
To order a Cracking Good Food voucher, just email Fiona via fiona@crackinggoodfood.org or call Adele on 0845 652 2572.
Happy Holidays!
And if you're behind on the Christmas shopping, don't panic - you can still buy our vouchers! Available in various values and redeemable against any of the fab classes we have lined up for 2011, Cracking Good Food vouchers make Cracking great gifts for your foody friends and family! Don't forget that in the New Year, we'll be putting on loads of new and old sessions, including revisiting Mexican tapas, baking bread for beginners and advanced, trying out tofu, and kneading (and needing!) our own pizza dough, so there's something for everyone.
To order a Cracking Good Food voucher, just email Fiona via fiona@crackinggoodfood.org or call Adele on 0845 652 2572.
6 September 2010
GUEST BLOG: Sensible snacking
By guest blogger AVRIL POVAH
The menu on Wednesday 1 September for the Chorlton Good Neighbours group meeting at St Ninian's Church consisted of quick and easy snacks - but nutritious as well as tasty. We began the session making Mexican refried beans to use as a healthy topping on a variety of different crackers and breads (great for a quick lunch!), together with chickpea houmous. Both were excellent sources of protein and fibre, and really delicious.
Next we prepared one of Elvis Presley's favourites: peanut butter sandwiches. These were orginally cooked in butter or lard and topped with grilled bacon, but we opted for a lower fat version using sunflower oil (see photo below). They went down a storm, the piece de resistance of the day, and a true legend of all sandwiches! As we munched on them, Cracking Cook Lorenzo regaled the group with tales of some of Elvis's other famous dietary quirks, telling us how he was renowned for cravings such as Fool's Gold Loaf: a loaf of Italian bread filled with a pound of bacon, peanut butter and grape jelly. His mother, Gladys, said he had "sandwich after sandwich of this favourite".
We washed the food down with some delicious lemonade homemade using real lemons: tangy and very refreshing. Lorenzo was by now in full flow with all his stories about organic food growing and everyone went home with some great ideas and plenty of tips on how to follow a healthy diet.
The menu on Wednesday 1 September for the Chorlton Good Neighbours group meeting at St Ninian's Church consisted of quick and easy snacks - but nutritious as well as tasty. We began the session making Mexican refried beans to use as a healthy topping on a variety of different crackers and breads (great for a quick lunch!), together with chickpea houmous. Both were excellent sources of protein and fibre, and really delicious.
Next we prepared one of Elvis Presley's favourites: peanut butter sandwiches. These were orginally cooked in butter or lard and topped with grilled bacon, but we opted for a lower fat version using sunflower oil (see photo below). They went down a storm, the piece de resistance of the day, and a true legend of all sandwiches! As we munched on them, Cracking Cook Lorenzo regaled the group with tales of some of Elvis's other famous dietary quirks, telling us how he was renowned for cravings such as Fool's Gold Loaf: a loaf of Italian bread filled with a pound of bacon, peanut butter and grape jelly. His mother, Gladys, said he had "sandwich after sandwich of this favourite".
We washed the food down with some delicious lemonade homemade using real lemons: tangy and very refreshing. Lorenzo was by now in full flow with all his stories about organic food growing and everyone went home with some great ideas and plenty of tips on how to follow a healthy diet.
3 September 2010
The great outdoors
After having to cancel our Cooks On The Hop at Plover Terrace on Tuesday 17 August, we were really worried when it was incredibly windy with torrential rain the day before our rescheduled second Hop on Tuesday 24 August. We even resorted to borrowing an ultra-strong gazebo from the local police station for more shelter - just as well, as ours was blown over in a particularly strong gust!
Still, at least the rain held off and Cracking Cook Avril managed to dish up loads more of our by now famous homemade pasta sauces, hopefully providing inspiration for people to give it a go for themselves. Healthier and loads cheaper than from a jar - what's not to like?
Tina Murphy, Customer Involvement Officer for Southway Housing Trust, which manages many of the properties on Arrowfield Road Estate, popped along to see what we were up to. She dropped us an email afterwards to let us know how enjoyable and useful she found it.
"I attended the cooking session recently organised by Cracking Good Food on Arrowfield Road Estate, and I was amazed by how easy it is to create such wonderful tasty food with such little effort or expense. The event was very well organised and the methods of cooking were very well explained by Avril. She knows her stuff! I can highly recommend that you get yourself to one of these events. I'm looking forward to the next event where pizza is on the menu."
The pizza-making session took place on Tuesday (31 August), a week later. You can see more photos from the day on our Facebook page. It was (finally!) glorious weather when residents of the Estate came down to the community allotment run by Action For Sustainable Living. Everyone got stuck in making pizza bases from scratch, kneading and rolling out the dough, then adding tasty homemade tomato sauce and wholesome veg picked straight off the plants on the plot. The pizzas were then baked in the special cob oven that was built in 2008 and served with a freshly harvested salad. Result: smiles all round!
Still, at least the rain held off and Cracking Cook Avril managed to dish up loads more of our by now famous homemade pasta sauces, hopefully providing inspiration for people to give it a go for themselves. Healthier and loads cheaper than from a jar - what's not to like?
Tina Murphy, Customer Involvement Officer for Southway Housing Trust, which manages many of the properties on Arrowfield Road Estate, popped along to see what we were up to. She dropped us an email afterwards to let us know how enjoyable and useful she found it.
"I attended the cooking session recently organised by Cracking Good Food on Arrowfield Road Estate, and I was amazed by how easy it is to create such wonderful tasty food with such little effort or expense. The event was very well organised and the methods of cooking were very well explained by Avril. She knows her stuff! I can highly recommend that you get yourself to one of these events. I'm looking forward to the next event where pizza is on the menu."
The pizza-making session took place on Tuesday (31 August), a week later. You can see more photos from the day on our Facebook page. It was (finally!) glorious weather when residents of the Estate came down to the community allotment run by Action For Sustainable Living. Everyone got stuck in making pizza bases from scratch, kneading and rolling out the dough, then adding tasty homemade tomato sauce and wholesome veg picked straight off the plants on the plot. The pizzas were then baked in the special cob oven that was built in 2008 and served with a freshly harvested salad. Result: smiles all round!
30 August 2010
Hop to it!
The next round of Cracking Good Food cookery classes gets underway on Saturday 11 September, and the first six weeks' sessions will be run in conjunction with Unicorn Grocery and feature various Unicorn members of staff who are also Cracking Cooks.
To kick things off, Kath (pictured) will be leading a Cooks On The Hop special outside Unicorn between noon and 4pm this Saturday (4 September). Kath will be working wonders with a wok and serving up samples of stir-fry to try. Come along and taste her heady mix of spices and seasonal vegetables, and sign up for some or all of our Cracking Good classes while you're there!
To kick things off, Kath (pictured) will be leading a Cooks On The Hop special outside Unicorn between noon and 4pm this Saturday (4 September). Kath will be working wonders with a wok and serving up samples of stir-fry to try. Come along and taste her heady mix of spices and seasonal vegetables, and sign up for some or all of our Cracking Good classes while you're there!
20 August 2010
GUEST BLOG: Hopping in the great outdoors
By guest blogger VIC MASTERS
The weather managed to hold out long enough last Thursday for Cracking Good Food to join forces with Bite to offer two wonderful cooking sessions on the Nell Lane Allotments next to Southern Cemetery.
Bite is a Hulme-based project which works with people who have experience of mental health issues and its aim is to improve the health and wellbeing of people in Manchester through the activities that take place around growing, cooking and eating food. Bite grows food on allotments and community gardens and uses this produce in cafes at day centres and hospitals to provide healthy, affordable meals.
The sessions were led by Nicola, who, as well as being a cook, co-runs Abundance, an organisation that redistributes spare fruit and veg from gardens and allotments to people and organisations who need it. Nicola was assited by regular Cracking Cook Kath (pictured below, mid flow!), who is a chef of many years and works behind the deli at Unicorn Grocery, which supports the Abundance project.
We got cracking gathering together ingredients from the allotment plot. We used delicious freshly picked produce such as sweet beetroot to make a mouthwatering beetroot and lime salad, and Nicola explained how beetroots are an excellent source of folic acid and a very good source of fibre. The salad was a lovely accompaniment to our Spanish bocadillos, a kind of sandwich packed with tasty flavours and vitamins.
It’s amazing what can be cooked outdoors with a few simple, seasonal ingredients. And what’s more, the recipes we made were really healthy too and tasted so great, especially sat in the sunshine! If you fancy cooking and eating your five-a-day alfresco, check out the Cracking Good Food website for recipe ideas and to find out what's in season, and pick up handy tips for healthy eating here.
The weather managed to hold out long enough last Thursday for Cracking Good Food to join forces with Bite to offer two wonderful cooking sessions on the Nell Lane Allotments next to Southern Cemetery.
Bite is a Hulme-based project which works with people who have experience of mental health issues and its aim is to improve the health and wellbeing of people in Manchester through the activities that take place around growing, cooking and eating food. Bite grows food on allotments and community gardens and uses this produce in cafes at day centres and hospitals to provide healthy, affordable meals.
The sessions were led by Nicola, who, as well as being a cook, co-runs Abundance, an organisation that redistributes spare fruit and veg from gardens and allotments to people and organisations who need it. Nicola was assited by regular Cracking Cook Kath (pictured below, mid flow!), who is a chef of many years and works behind the deli at Unicorn Grocery, which supports the Abundance project.
We got cracking gathering together ingredients from the allotment plot. We used delicious freshly picked produce such as sweet beetroot to make a mouthwatering beetroot and lime salad, and Nicola explained how beetroots are an excellent source of folic acid and a very good source of fibre. The salad was a lovely accompaniment to our Spanish bocadillos, a kind of sandwich packed with tasty flavours and vitamins.
It’s amazing what can be cooked outdoors with a few simple, seasonal ingredients. And what’s more, the recipes we made were really healthy too and tasted so great, especially sat in the sunshine! If you fancy cooking and eating your five-a-day alfresco, check out the Cracking Good Food website for recipe ideas and to find out what's in season, and pick up handy tips for healthy eating here.
17 August 2010
GUEST BLOG: Plover Terrace Hop
By guest blogger AVRIL POVAH
Cooking on a windy field in the middle of Southway Housing's estate just off Nell Lane seemed a tall order, but once me and fellow Cracking Cook Lorenzo had worked out how to erect a gazebo in the gusts, we were away! (Never take us away camping!)
On the menu on Tuesday 3 August was pasta and homemade sauces, full of all those Mediterranean flavours of fresh garlic, purple and green basil leaves, extra virgin olive oil and plump fresh red tomatoes. There were lots of children around that evening, especially after we set up at 5pm; and while we set about boiling and chopping, Adele (our children's entertainment manager) kept them amused with a nutrition game explaining the Eat Well Plate and what foods to eat to follow a balanced diet.
It's so easy to make your own tomato-based Italian sauce for pasta and so much cheaper than buying ready made. Fresh sauces just taste so much nicer too, especially alfresco. We prepared different types of pasta, including wholewheat, and we added fresh broccoli to one of our sauces to get those extra vitamins. Everyone lapped up the tasters we provided and we couldn't cook it quickly enough, especially as we served up around their teatime!
The Hop at Plover Terrace was organised as part of the Lost Plot project on Nell Lane Allotments and funded through Action For Sustainable Living. You can see more photos of the Plover Terrace Hop on our Facebook page!
Cooking on a windy field in the middle of Southway Housing's estate just off Nell Lane seemed a tall order, but once me and fellow Cracking Cook Lorenzo had worked out how to erect a gazebo in the gusts, we were away! (Never take us away camping!)
On the menu on Tuesday 3 August was pasta and homemade sauces, full of all those Mediterranean flavours of fresh garlic, purple and green basil leaves, extra virgin olive oil and plump fresh red tomatoes. There were lots of children around that evening, especially after we set up at 5pm; and while we set about boiling and chopping, Adele (our children's entertainment manager) kept them amused with a nutrition game explaining the Eat Well Plate and what foods to eat to follow a balanced diet.
It's so easy to make your own tomato-based Italian sauce for pasta and so much cheaper than buying ready made. Fresh sauces just taste so much nicer too, especially alfresco. We prepared different types of pasta, including wholewheat, and we added fresh broccoli to one of our sauces to get those extra vitamins. Everyone lapped up the tasters we provided and we couldn't cook it quickly enough, especially as we served up around their teatime!
The Hop at Plover Terrace was organised as part of the Lost Plot project on Nell Lane Allotments and funded through Action For Sustainable Living. You can see more photos of the Plover Terrace Hop on our Facebook page!
11 July 2010
Cooking session #6: Mexican Tapas with Fernanda
Cracking Cook Fernanda Alvarez (pictured on the right, during one of our training sessions led by Rob) works at Unicorn Grocery, where she cooks up the fabulous creations for sale from the deli counter.
Fernanda will be leading two sessions teaching you how to make delicious Mexican delicacies from scratch using fresh flavourful ingredients, from tacos and tortillas to re-fried bean, salsa and guacamole dips. The first class is on Tuesday 13 July at Chorlton High (6-9pm) while the second takes place on Saturday 17 July at St Ninian's (11am-2pm).
All details on the June and July sessions, which cost just £15 for three hours (£10 concessions), are on the Cracking Good Food website here.
**On Saturday 4 September, Unicorn will be the location for one of our famous Cooks On The Hop events. Pop it in your diary and make sure you say hello between noon and 4pm!**
Fernanda will be leading two sessions teaching you how to make delicious Mexican delicacies from scratch using fresh flavourful ingredients, from tacos and tortillas to re-fried bean, salsa and guacamole dips. The first class is on Tuesday 13 July at Chorlton High (6-9pm) while the second takes place on Saturday 17 July at St Ninian's (11am-2pm).
All details on the June and July sessions, which cost just £15 for three hours (£10 concessions), are on the Cracking Good Food website here.
**On Saturday 4 September, Unicorn will be the location for one of our famous Cooks On The Hop events. Pop it in your diary and make sure you say hello between noon and 4pm!**
27 June 2010
Cooking session #4: Something Spicy with Kate
Cracking Cook Kate Mulhall (sat in the middle under the mirror) works for Jam Street Cafe on the edge of Whalley Range and is also a trained pastry chef (we can vouch for her cake-making skills!). She will be leading two sessions called Something Spicy on Tuesday 29 June at Chorlton High (6-9pm) and Saturday 3 July at St Ninian's (11am-2pm). On the menu will be, among other hot numbers, Spicy Veggie Burgers with a Catalan Romesco Sauce (a perfect barbecue option) and a Green Thai Curry.
All details on the June and July sessions, which cost just £15 for three hours (£10 concessions), are on the Cracking Good Food website here.
20 June 2010
Cooking session #3: Tasty salads With Pulses'n'grains with Avril
Avril Povah works for Nutrimens and The Sunshine Cafe in Sale, and is on Cracking Good Food's team of Cracking Cooks. She recently coordinated a session on puddings for Chorlton Good Neighbours, assisted Kim with the Easy Puddings class last week and joined coordinator Adele on a trip to see the set-up at Jamie's Ministry Of Food in Bradford. She will be running a public session called Tasty Salads With Pulses'n'grains on Tuesday 22 June at Chorlton High (6-9pm).
Avril says: "I'll be showing how to use different grains to make tasty salads, perfect for the summer, for vegetarians or for those wanting to adopt a more healthy lifestyle. We will be making Tabbouleh - a refreshing Middle Eastern bulghur wheat salad full of fresh mint and fresh parsley - and a tasty quinoa salad, which makes a great gluten-free option.
"For the pulses part, we will be making easy snacks to accompany summer barbecues or pop into school lunchboxes. Homemade hummus, sweet potato and lentil dip, and refried beans are packed with protein and nutrients and can be used as sandwich fillers, on baked potatoes or as dips. To accompany these, we will prepare some vegetable crudites using fresh carrots, cucumber, celery and peppers for all those vital vitamins, and some homemade pitta breads."
It all sounds amazing - healthy, flavoursome and perfect for accompanying all those World Cup barbecues! Once all the dishes are ready, you all get the chance to dig in, but don't forget to bring a container in case you want to take any leftovers home to impress your friends and family.
All details on the June and July sessions, which cost just £15 for three hours (£10 concessions), are on the Cracking Good Food website here.
13 June 2010
Cooking session #2: Easy Puddings with Kim
Cracking Cook Kim, seen here helping a young participant at our picnic in the park for World Environment Day on Saturday 5 June, runs the cafe at Islington Mill in Salford. She will be leading a session, Easy Puddings, on Tuesday 15 June at Chorlton High (6-9pm), showing you how to make some fabulous sweet treats, including a a mean Berry Cheesecake and a good old traditional Victoria Sponge.
All details on the June and July sessions, which cost just £15 for three hours (£10 concessions), are on the Cracking Good Food website here.
All details on the June and July sessions, which cost just £15 for three hours (£10 concessions), are on the Cracking Good Food website here.
10 June 2010
Cooking session #1: Cooking With Fish The Sustainable Way with Rob
Rob Tomlinson is probably one of the busiest Cracking Cooks, helping run Cracking Good Food events such as the launch at Chorlton's Big Green Festival at the end of March, the Celebrate Festival in Whalley Range at the start of May, and the recent Chorlton Arts Festival Street Feast (see our Facebook page for loads of photos!). He has also led sessions such as last week's puddings workshop for Chorlton Good Neighbours and the first of our public cookery classes, Cooking With Fish The Sustainable Way, on Tuesday at Chorlton High School, which you can read more about on our blog here.
You can join Rob for his second class on Cooking With Fish The Sustainable Way this Saturday (12 June) at St Ninian's (11am-2pm). He will take you through a variety of different methods for cooking fish from frying goujons to grilling stuffed mackerel, and will help you get to grips with techniques such as descaling, gutting and filleting. You'll even learn how to make fish stock, the basis for many tasty recipes. Rob is also very knowledgeable about ingredients and provenance, making him the perfect candidate for explaining all about the importance of shopping for responsibly sourced sustainable fish.
All details on the June and July sessions, which cost just £15 for three hours (£10 concessions), are on the Cracking Good Food website here.
You can join Rob for his second class on Cooking With Fish The Sustainable Way this Saturday (12 June) at St Ninian's (11am-2pm). He will take you through a variety of different methods for cooking fish from frying goujons to grilling stuffed mackerel, and will help you get to grips with techniques such as descaling, gutting and filleting. You'll even learn how to make fish stock, the basis for many tasty recipes. Rob is also very knowledgeable about ingredients and provenance, making him the perfect candidate for explaining all about the importance of shopping for responsibly sourced sustainable fish.
All details on the June and July sessions, which cost just £15 for three hours (£10 concessions), are on the Cracking Good Food website here.
8 June 2010
GUEST BLOG: Ministry Of Food
By guest blogger CRACKING COOK AVRIL POVAH
The sun was shining as Adele and I set off over the Pennines to Bradford on Monday 24 May. We were going to see the latest Jamie's Ministry Of Food centre, opened by Jamie Oliver following his famous TV programme of the same name. The first opened up in another Yorkshire town, Rotherham, which was highlighted in the show as being one the “fattest” places in England, and we were keen to learn how people were being inspired to get back into the kitchen to cook good wholesome meals instead of eating takeaways and ready meals.
Jamie's Ministry Of Food centres are council funded and their kitchen costs, whatever they may be, are outweighed against the long-term savings in treating obesity in their respective areas. The centres are centrally positioned right in the heart of the towns so local people just passing by can pop in to learn the basics of cooking and how to make good simple meals on a tight budget, or just get friendly advice on recipes, shopping, nutrition, equipment, and local and seasonal ingredients.
Soraya Overend, the project manager at Bradford, made us feel very welcome, showing us the ultra modern and sleek kitchen, perfectly designed with cookery classes in mind. She explained that they offer 10-week cooking programmes covering a range of meals from simple egg dishes to homemade soups, pasta and pizza, and roast dinners. People from all walks of life can learn how to cook quick, simple, healthy and cost-effective meals in just one hour, and the “pass it on” strategy encourages them to tell their friends and family all about it. One lesson is just £4 and you get to eat the food afterwards, either at the centre or to take home.
We arrived early to ask Soraya (pictured on the left, with me on the right and Adele reflected in the window!) how it all started and how it’s going, then joined the Week 5 group for a Thai green curry lesson. Some of the participants had popped in during their work lunch break - what a great idea: learning a new skill and getting fed too! Soraya explained all the ingredients we were using for the Thai green curry - we even had fresh seasonal asparagus to cook with - and demonstrated how to make a Thai green curry paste. There was lots of herb smelling, and we were all hooked on the fresh lemon grass and coriander. We picked from a choice of chicken, prawns or Quorn (which Adele plumped for immediately), then we were let loose on the induction hobs to prepare our stir fries. When we tucked into our creations afterwards, all the fresh flavours came flooding through - it was absolutely delicious!
The next Jamie's Ministry Of Food centre opens in the centre of Leeds this month, and I hope it's as successful as the others. Please come to Manchester, Jamie!
Avril works for Nutrimens and The Sunshine Cafe in Sale. She is also on Cracking Good Food's team of Cracking Cooks and will be running a public session called Tasty Salads With Pulses'n'grains on Tuesday 22 June at Chorlton High (6-9pm). All details on the June and July sessions, which cost just £15 for three hours (£10 concessions), are on the Cracking Good Food website here.
The sun was shining as Adele and I set off over the Pennines to Bradford on Monday 24 May. We were going to see the latest Jamie's Ministry Of Food centre, opened by Jamie Oliver following his famous TV programme of the same name. The first opened up in another Yorkshire town, Rotherham, which was highlighted in the show as being one the “fattest” places in England, and we were keen to learn how people were being inspired to get back into the kitchen to cook good wholesome meals instead of eating takeaways and ready meals.
Jamie's Ministry Of Food centres are council funded and their kitchen costs, whatever they may be, are outweighed against the long-term savings in treating obesity in their respective areas. The centres are centrally positioned right in the heart of the towns so local people just passing by can pop in to learn the basics of cooking and how to make good simple meals on a tight budget, or just get friendly advice on recipes, shopping, nutrition, equipment, and local and seasonal ingredients.
Soraya Overend, the project manager at Bradford, made us feel very welcome, showing us the ultra modern and sleek kitchen, perfectly designed with cookery classes in mind. She explained that they offer 10-week cooking programmes covering a range of meals from simple egg dishes to homemade soups, pasta and pizza, and roast dinners. People from all walks of life can learn how to cook quick, simple, healthy and cost-effective meals in just one hour, and the “pass it on” strategy encourages them to tell their friends and family all about it. One lesson is just £4 and you get to eat the food afterwards, either at the centre or to take home.
We arrived early to ask Soraya (pictured on the left, with me on the right and Adele reflected in the window!) how it all started and how it’s going, then joined the Week 5 group for a Thai green curry lesson. Some of the participants had popped in during their work lunch break - what a great idea: learning a new skill and getting fed too! Soraya explained all the ingredients we were using for the Thai green curry - we even had fresh seasonal asparagus to cook with - and demonstrated how to make a Thai green curry paste. There was lots of herb smelling, and we were all hooked on the fresh lemon grass and coriander. We picked from a choice of chicken, prawns or Quorn (which Adele plumped for immediately), then we were let loose on the induction hobs to prepare our stir fries. When we tucked into our creations afterwards, all the fresh flavours came flooding through - it was absolutely delicious!
The next Jamie's Ministry Of Food centre opens in the centre of Leeds this month, and I hope it's as successful as the others. Please come to Manchester, Jamie!
Avril works for Nutrimens and The Sunshine Cafe in Sale. She is also on Cracking Good Food's team of Cracking Cooks and will be running a public session called Tasty Salads With Pulses'n'grains on Tuesday 22 June at Chorlton High (6-9pm). All details on the June and July sessions, which cost just £15 for three hours (£10 concessions), are on the Cracking Good Food website here.
6 June 2010
GUEST BLOG: Chorlton Good Neighbours puddings cooking session, Wednesday 2 June
By guest blogger AVRIL POVAH
Adele was on her jollies en France – ooh la la - so I stepped in to coordinate a cooking demo for Chorlton Good Neighbours at St Ninian's Church on Wilbraham Road. The session was on themed puddings, which Rob, our Cooking Leader, executed wonderfully, helped along by our super cooking assistants, Kate from Jam Street Cafe and Donna from Chorlton High School.
At first, I was worried that it seemed rather an ambitious menu for a two-hour session, but despite all the chopping, fruit stewing, mixing and baking, we pulled it off! Our menu consisted of Apple and Pineapple Sponge, Rhubarb and Apricot Crumble and Semolina Pudding with Prunes, accompanied by lashings of homemade custard. Each had plenty of fruit content, but as they were also laden with fat and sugar, we explained straight away that puddings aren't nutritionally balanced and we cannot live on sweet dishes alone (I wish), but that they're to be eaten as a treat and not over portioned.
The sponge was delicately spiced up with cinnamon, while the hint of ginger in the crumble really made all the difference in tasting at the end of the session - truly delicious. Rob was a brilliant raconteur, relaying passionate stories of ingredients and origins of food, together with his vast knowledge of working in the food industry.
You can join Rob for his sessions on Cooking With Fish The Sustainable Way on Tuesday 8 June at Chorlton High (6-9pm) and Saturday 12 June at St Ninian's (11am-2pm). Meanwhile if the thought of puddings has tickled your fancy, Kim will be running a session for the general public on Tuesday 15 June at Chorlton High (6-9pm). All details on the June and July sessions, which cost just £15 for three hours (£10 concessions), are on the Cracking Good Food website here.
Avril is on Cracking Good Food's team of Cracking Cooks and will be running a public session called Tasty Salads With Pulses'n'grains on Tuesday 22 June at Chorlton High (6-9pm). She also works for Nutrimens and The Sunshine Cafe in Sale.
Adele was on her jollies en France – ooh la la - so I stepped in to coordinate a cooking demo for Chorlton Good Neighbours at St Ninian's Church on Wilbraham Road. The session was on themed puddings, which Rob, our Cooking Leader, executed wonderfully, helped along by our super cooking assistants, Kate from Jam Street Cafe and Donna from Chorlton High School.
At first, I was worried that it seemed rather an ambitious menu for a two-hour session, but despite all the chopping, fruit stewing, mixing and baking, we pulled it off! Our menu consisted of Apple and Pineapple Sponge, Rhubarb and Apricot Crumble and Semolina Pudding with Prunes, accompanied by lashings of homemade custard. Each had plenty of fruit content, but as they were also laden with fat and sugar, we explained straight away that puddings aren't nutritionally balanced and we cannot live on sweet dishes alone (I wish), but that they're to be eaten as a treat and not over portioned.
The sponge was delicately spiced up with cinnamon, while the hint of ginger in the crumble really made all the difference in tasting at the end of the session - truly delicious. Rob was a brilliant raconteur, relaying passionate stories of ingredients and origins of food, together with his vast knowledge of working in the food industry.
You can join Rob for his sessions on Cooking With Fish The Sustainable Way on Tuesday 8 June at Chorlton High (6-9pm) and Saturday 12 June at St Ninian's (11am-2pm). Meanwhile if the thought of puddings has tickled your fancy, Kim will be running a session for the general public on Tuesday 15 June at Chorlton High (6-9pm). All details on the June and July sessions, which cost just £15 for three hours (£10 concessions), are on the Cracking Good Food website here.
Avril is on Cracking Good Food's team of Cracking Cooks and will be running a public session called Tasty Salads With Pulses'n'grains on Tuesday 22 June at Chorlton High (6-9pm). She also works for Nutrimens and The Sunshine Cafe in Sale.
3 June 2010
Picnic in the park
Join us on Saturday (5 June) to bring World Environment Day to Whalley Range at a community picnic in Manley Park. Cracking coordinator Adele and Cracking Cook Kim will be helping picnickers rustle up some tasty nosh (for a small fee) from 11am, with the picnic running from noon until 4pm. On the menu are felafels, couscous with nuts and fruit, raita, potato salad with maple syrup, sesame seeds and torn parsley... all kinds of yummy veggie fayre.
Loads of other local groups will be there as well as Cracking Good Food, including Friends Of The Earth, Meat Free Monday, Eat Your Streets, Celebrate Your Alley Gates and Adopt-A-Tree, and there will even be some planting taking place from 2.30pm.
Loads of other local groups will be there as well as Cracking Good Food, including Friends Of The Earth, Meat Free Monday, Eat Your Streets, Celebrate Your Alley Gates and Adopt-A-Tree, and there will even be some planting taking place from 2.30pm.
17 May 2010
Take a walk on the wild side
The third "Guestrant" evening at Electrik bar on Wilbraham Road takes place on Monday 24 May from 7.30pm and coincides with the tenth annual Chorlton Arts Festival which kicks off on Thursday.
We're delighted to announce that the star cook that evening is Cracking Good Food's very own Beth Creedon. Beth will be serving up a three-course meal made entirely from wild food, using ingredients foraged from "fields, hedges, woods and the sky". The fayre on offer is hand picked, home grown, locally sourced and, of course, in season. Beth has been cooking with wild food for over six years and likes to make classic dishes from exciting alternative ingredients. Past menus have included: Hawthorn and Sanguinello Chilli Salad; Razor Clam Chowder; Rabbit with Wild Mushrooms, and Nettle and Jack By The Hedge Ice Cream. An interesting evening is definitely in store!
Tickets are £25 from Electrik (email info@electrikbar.co.uk). Remember to state if you have a vegetarian preference when you buy your ticket.
4 May 2010
GUEST BLOG: Leading a session with Chorlton Good Neighbours
By guest blogger CRACKING COOK LORENZO
Had an exhausting but great two hours doing a cooking demo for some of our local seniors from the Chorlton Good Neighbours group last week. I did the spiel, jokes and anecdotes while everyone else did the cooking.
The theme was microwave miracles. We made:
a) granola with porridge oats, syrups (the date syrup went down well; the rice syrup only so-so) and lots of dried fruit. This was a success as it used ingredients the audience could relate to and only took three minutes in the microwave.
b) mini-muffin pizze. One from a 1978 cookbook. A winner - see the photo of the finished product below (and before cooking above)!
c) chickpea salad. Now I thought everyone ate chickpeas but 75% of the group had never even tasted one before. Not a winner, unfortunately - maybe a step too far.
Lorenzo is on Cracking Good Food's team of Cracking Cooks. He also writes a blog, Grocer's Kitchen, about cooking, eating and grow your own.
Had an exhausting but great two hours doing a cooking demo for some of our local seniors from the Chorlton Good Neighbours group last week. I did the spiel, jokes and anecdotes while everyone else did the cooking.
The theme was microwave miracles. We made:
a) granola with porridge oats, syrups (the date syrup went down well; the rice syrup only so-so) and lots of dried fruit. This was a success as it used ingredients the audience could relate to and only took three minutes in the microwave.
b) mini-muffin pizze. One from a 1978 cookbook. A winner - see the photo of the finished product below (and before cooking above)!
c) chickpea salad. Now I thought everyone ate chickpeas but 75% of the group had never even tasted one before. Not a winner, unfortunately - maybe a step too far.
Lorenzo is on Cracking Good Food's team of Cracking Cooks. He also writes a blog, Grocer's Kitchen, about cooking, eating and grow your own.