Everyone can cook

Most people I know want to be better at cooking. Whether it stems from the passion of a genuine gourmet or simply from the financial advantages of home made curry, most of us share a desire to improve the level and range of our cooking abilities. 

Anyone can cook, but unfortunately many people do not see themselves as having the time or perhaps the skill required to pursue it. This is generally the wrong assumption. Of course, some individuals have a knack and enthusiasm for cooking beyond the rest of us, but I believe that anyone who wants to can learn swiftly and create dishes far beyond their expectations. 

I teach at The Devilled Egg Kitchen Academy in Clifton, and have experienced this phenomenon too many times to mention. Customers may vary in their abilities and experience with cooking, yet their surprise and delight at what they can create is almost universal. 

The big secret: cooking is easy. 

Some basic tips: 
Poached eggs – by adding a little vinegar to the simmering (not boiling) water the albumen of the egg will hold its shape better (absolutely no excuses for stringy poached eggs) 
Fish skin – to avoid flabby skin, the secret is to rub salt into it and cook in a really hot pan – so hot that the oil begins to smoke 
Purees and foams – all the rage these days but ludicrously easy to make (just infuse milk with your chosen flavour, add enough butter to help with the foaming)

That is why I started the cookery school. Cookbooks are amazing (and I do own close to a thousand), but they rarely go beyond very basic instructions, and give no guidance on how to react to the unexpected or to ‘fix’ things that do not go perfectly. 


I don’t eat to live, I live to eat and cook and feed people. When I started cooking, I became intoxicated with the feeling of having produced an amazing meal (usually several courses) and knowing that people loved it. That is one of the main reasons I got into cooking. Dinner parties should not be stressful. They should be luxurious, exciting, but most of all fun. You want your friends to leave happy and satisfied, but what about you? If you have been stressing all night, running around and sweating in the kitchen, you probably feel quite deflated and happy that it is all over. That would be a shame. You should feel like a winner who has just hosted the best dinner party ever. 

Food brings everyone together. Obviously good wine or lager also helps. I am a big fan, wine especially fascinates me. I like to know as much as I can about the contents of the bottle. 
I like to get in touch with the wine growers and find out what makes that bottle really special, what they would eat with it and how much effort went into it.