Leiths: Weeks 3 & 4

It appears a month at cookery school has passed already! Here’s what’s been happening during the last fortnight…

· At the end of week 3 we had our first test! I think the teachers were slightly bemused by how scared we all were but the first 3 weeks had gone past in such a flash and blur of information that the thought of a test on everything we had learnt was definitely a scary one. In the end it was only a very short theory test. After recently finishing A Levels and the essays and 2hour long exams that come with them it was quite surreal (but definitely more enjoyable) to be answering questions on stock making, meringues and oven temperatures!
                                 Victoria Sandwich filled with Lemon Curd · This week we started wine lectures. Mine were in the morning, which meant tasting four wines before midday on a rainy Thursday – another surreal but enjoyable cookery school experience. Having only turned 18 in June wine is a subject I couldn’t know less about, and it was a bit daunting sharing a classroom with people older than me who were a lot more confident. But the classes were really interesting and I learnt a heck of a lot in just two sessions – we covered grape types, regions, body and sweetness, pairing wine with food and more. I even found a wine I liked! Our wine exam is next week – wish me luck!
                                       Smoked Salmon and Dill Quiche
· This week we made Christmas cakes, bringing a little bit of early festive spirit to west London. The smell of 16 Christmas cakes (stocked full of beer soaked fruit) all baking in one kitchen is pretty incredible. Now we begin the feeding process – not eating the cake (sadly) but giving it a drink of alcohol every week until December before we marzipan and ice it. I’ve chosen amaretto to feed my cake with and I'm pretty excited to taste the final result!                           Profiteroles with Chocolate Sauce and Whipped Cream · Our skills were stretched with new techniques this week as we learnt to fillet a fish and joint a chicken into 8 even pieces. I enjoyed filleting a lemon sole (despite them being the slimiest fish delivery the school had ever seen) but jointing a chicken is definitely going to take some practice. Just as well we’re doing it again on Wednesday then! Next week is also our first time cooking all day – making a full brunch, beef stew, mash and coffee éclairs. It feels slightly daunting at the moment but at least we’ll all be in it together, so bring on Week 5!