Last year I was really struggling to think of what to buy for Rob's birthday. Before moving in together, he lived with his mum, so with his disposable income he had pretty much everything he wanted. I desperately tried to think of all the things he really likes... going to the gym, cycling, steak... STEAK! Every guy loves a good steak don't they?! I suddenly had the idea of booking a cooking lesson where he could be taught professionally how to cook the perfect steak.
I looked online and browsed various cooking schools, nearby and afar - some were extortionately expensive! - and then I found Recipease, Jamie Oliver's cookware shops, delicatessens and cookery classes. Recipease is situated in three locations: Brighton, Clapham Junction & Notting Hill and at each branch they offer a deli/cafe, cookware shop and kitchens where cookery classes are held on various evenings during the week. There's a great selection of classes to choose from ranging from Mexican Street-food, Chocolate Dipping, Japanese and Sushi-making to Pasta master-classes. They even have a 'Christmas with all the trimmings' class to prepare you for making the ultimate roast dinner!! And if you have children in tow there are several kids friendly classes to choose from too.
I choose the 'cooking the perfect steak' class and booked us both in for a Saturday afternoon session at the Clapham Junction branch, nearest to us. It cost £45 per person - pretty good value I think when you are given an hour's cooking lesson, with some good quality steak to enjoy afterwards as a sit down meal with a glass of wine. I should add at this point that I was vegetarian and had been for 15 years, so the idea of cooking a steak was pretty alien to me and not very appealing... but I knew it would be the perfect birthday gift for Rob. The things you do for love! Never the less I was excited to put my cookery skills to the test and to learn some new tips, I had become slightly embarrassed that I had no knowledge about cooking meat, purely because I'd never attempted it.
The cooking lesson was fantastic. Recipease is a brilliant place, it has a really rustic feel to it whilst feeling quite classy. We were greeted by the loveliest chef - I can't remember her name but she was so sweet. She told us all about the different cuts of steak, what cuts to choose at the butchers in order for your meat to be of good quality, how best to cook them and what to enjoy them with. She demonstrated cooking several steaks: a rib-eye, a t-bone, a fillet, a sirloin and a flat iron... whilst we stood watching whilst enjoying a glass of wine. Very civilised!
Then it was for the taste-testing. I was so nervous, I hadn't eaten meat in 15 years but I was adamant that I should just have a taste so that I could decide which steak I liked best. "Pretty chewy" was my initial reaction but the flavours were amazing!! Did this mean I was no longer vegetarian?! Aaaaahhh!
Next it was our turn to put into action the knowledge we had been taught. We were each given aprons to wear and were allocated a work station in pairs. Each work station was equipped with an oven, hob and all the utensils we'd need. We each cooked a different steak and were given fresh ingredients to make a sauce of our choice to accompany it. Rob went for a T-bone with bearnaise sauce whilst I chose a fillet with salsa-Verde. I didn't fancy having to chew around any bone, I might have had a few mouthfuls of steak after 15 years of being meat-free but bones... that was a step too far!
Finally it was time to enjoy our steak dinners! The lovely chefs supplied us with fresh salads and bread and all 8 of us sat around on communal tables at the back of the kitchens to enjoy our meal, with a glass of wine. I couldn't believe I was eating steak!!
The cooking lesson was fantastic. Recipease is a brilliant place, it has a really rustic feel to it whilst feeling quite classy. We were greeted by the loveliest chef - I can't remember her name but she was so sweet. She told us all about the different cuts of steak, what cuts to choose at the butchers in order for your meat to be of good quality, how best to cook them and what to enjoy them with. She demonstrated cooking several steaks: a rib-eye, a t-bone, a fillet, a sirloin and a flat iron... whilst we stood watching whilst enjoying a glass of wine. Very civilised!
Then it was for the taste-testing. I was so nervous, I hadn't eaten meat in 15 years but I was adamant that I should just have a taste so that I could decide which steak I liked best. "Pretty chewy" was my initial reaction but the flavours were amazing!! Did this mean I was no longer vegetarian?! Aaaaahhh!
Next it was our turn to put into action the knowledge we had been taught. We were each given aprons to wear and were allocated a work station in pairs. Each work station was equipped with an oven, hob and all the utensils we'd need. We each cooked a different steak and were given fresh ingredients to make a sauce of our choice to accompany it. Rob went for a T-bone with bearnaise sauce whilst I chose a fillet with salsa-Verde. I didn't fancy having to chew around any bone, I might have had a few mouthfuls of steak after 15 years of being meat-free but bones... that was a step too far!
Finally it was time to enjoy our steak dinners! The lovely chefs supplied us with fresh salads and bread and all 8 of us sat around on communal tables at the back of the kitchens to enjoy our meal, with a glass of wine. I couldn't believe I was eating steak!!
It was such a brilliant way to spend an afternoon, so fun and so rewarding, learning some new tricks in the kitchen. I always think that experiences are better than anything materialistic for birthday presents and Rob was over the moon. It's something we'll look back on fondly for a long time. What's more... I've been eating meat ever since!
Recipease have got some excellent cooking lessons to choose from, I keep meaning to book another... maybe a sweet one this time. If you're stuck on what to buy someone this Christmas, I'd totally recommend a lesson at Recipease!
Lydia xxx
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