The Cooking Academy

Bombay potatoes - menu on the Indian cookery class at the Cooking Academy

Original Indian cookery classes – London & Hertfordshire

The temperatures outside are pretty close to those at the foothills of the Himalayas this morning, the cuisine is also going to pretty close. 

Today we’re running our Indian cookery class where delegates will learn the art of creating highly authentic spice blends and masala’s.  This 1 day Indian cookery classes focuses on developing an understanding of the essence and flavours of herbs & spices used in Indian cookery.  Delegates will touch , feel, smell, taste the spices as individual component ingredients to gradually begin to build a spice blend.  In doing so,discover the flavours and the variable tastes of the spices to their palette. 

To find out more about our Indian cookery classes please contact The cooking Academy on 01923 77 8880.

Tasty food - cookery classes for healthy eating

How to eat more and weigh less  Nutritional cookery classes at The Cooking Academy

There is a fine art to achieving the complexity of eating well and actually more, yet losing weight.  Here at The Academy we achieve this by examining the chemical composition of ingredients and cooking with foods that maximise the taste buds, fine tune the nutritional value and satisfy the stomach and soul.  

In this Nutritional cookery class we teach you to cook with ingredients that are healthy, have high nutritional value and taste exceptionally good.  If food doesnt taste great – it won’t become part of your cooking habit, before long you’ll soon fall back into your old ways of eating;  you’ve probably seen and heard this before.  Therefore it is important that food isn’t punitive or dull.  Contrary to common belief healthy food doesn’t have to be boring.  Our own food scientist and chefs in the cookery school will teach you how to get the best out of the food you buy, prepare and cook it.  Together we will share our nutritional knowledge of ingredients and recipes to pair up great food ideas to create a perfect marriage of excellent ingredients and delicious tastes, inspiring you to eat healthy, tasty and appealing food, encouraging you to stick with a cooking programme very easily at home.   This nutritional cookery class is designed for people who want to eat well, stay well and enjoy fabulous food.  If you care about your diet and well being, want to lose weigh,  yet enjoy eating real food then book onto this course now!   

Next class availability : Thursday 19th April 2012

Location: Rickmansworth/Hertfordshire  - The Cooking Academy

Creating spice blends at the Cooking Academy - Hertfordshire

Indian cooking classes in Hertfordshire

All time favourite class today – The One day Indian cookery class here in Rickmansworth.  We’ll be covering the all important ‘Spice Trail’ which is a comprehensive guide of the herbs and spices used in Indian cookery. 

This is an ‘all senses’ experience, where the participants will be touching, feeling, smelling, tasting, each and every spice to familiarise themselves with the taste and aroma to be able to distinquish the flavours in food.  The delegates will then go on to create several spices blends.  This is alchemy at its best – where the science of food crosses over into taste and flavours and creates a food feast.

Our aim is to get the delegates involved in ‘real cooking’ to grasp the true essence authentic food; following a recipe is one thing but getting underneath it, is what we do in our classes here at The Academy.  This is the real deal getting down and dirty – sleeves rolled up.

To book your place on our next class contact us on 01923 77 8880 or email cara@thecookingacademy.co.uk

The Cooking Academy - cookery school

Last minute Christmas Gifts

If you still have that elusive gift to buy for someone with a passion for food why not buy them cookery gift vouchers for a cookery class at The Cooking Academy.  This is ideal gift who someone who loves to cook and wants a little inspiration in the kitchen.  It also pays dividends back to you in the form of fabulous homecooked recipes that makes your mouth water. 

Don’t worry about delivery – you can print off your voucher instantly so that you still have something to give on the 25th December. 

Our cookery voucher start from £50 and we offer a wide range of cookery classes for the novice – right up to courses for chef’s. 

Visit our website on http://www.thecookingacademy.co.uk/AboutUs.phpor call us on 01923 778880 for further information. 

Jazz up the Cranberry sauce - Recipe from The Cooking Academy

Cranberry sauce – spice it up !

 If you like the idea of cranberry sauce but find traditional jars too sweet then you might like my alternative. My ‘left over turkey’ somosa recipe will be a willing accompaniment as a dip to this dish so look that one too.  

I’ve taken a regular jar of cranberry sauce, add 1 tsp of dried chilli flakes, ¼ tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp of ground roasted cumin, 1 tbsp of lemon juice and 3 tbsp of orange juice.  The consistency is now perfect as a dip, to accompany your turkey roast dinner or the somosas. Give it a go…..

Recipe by Kumud Gandhi – Founder of The Cooking Academy

Cookery team building for Christmas - The Roche Way

Roche products based in Welwyn wanted a Christmas party with a difference, something that that had a team building element and would facility more than drinking and a meal.  

All hands to the deck

They decided upon a cookery team building event at The Cooking Academy.   The objective was to have fun, learn something that they could take away for their personal experience and be together as a group. 

Here at The cooking Academy we put together corporate cookery events for our clients to have an all inclusive, fun teambuild that also provides a personal growth element that individuals will be able to take away and do for themselves in their domestic lives. 

We created a Christmas theme that would give the delegates alternative recipes for Christmas dinner and all the trimmings that go with it. 

To find out more about our corporate cookery events plrease contact us on 01923 778880 or speak to Cara at The Cooking Academy

Kumud's recipes for Leek and Potato soup

Kumud’s recipes for Local leeks and potato soup

On a cold winters night like tonight this recipe for Leek and Potato soup will go down a treat!  Both leeks and potatoes are at their best and so what better time to eat the seasonal good stuff.  This recipe is very quick and easy and cook time is really quite manageable for after work without losing the will to live!   With such little maintenance you can go grab a bath whilst the soup is simmering and it’ll ready to eat on your return.  

Serve with some crusty wholemeal bread and make the meal a really nourishing treat as well as a winter warmer.

Nutritional Value:

Leeks are packed with anti oxidants, folic acid and are a good source of vitamin A, C, E and K .  Leeks also contain small amounts of zinc and potassium.  Its’ anti oxidant  and vitamin C value is the greatest as they develop resistence against bacteria and infectious agents.   For this time of year its just the sort of vitamin boost the body needs to keep it fighting fit.

 Leek & Potato Soup

 Serves 4

 Ingredients

 2 leeks, finely shredded, white & green parts

4 large rooster potatoes, peeled and diced

2 shallots, finely diced

750ml vegetable stock

A pinch of salt (0.25g)

4 sticks of celery – finely diced into ½ cm cubes

2 shallots, finely diced

1 tsp finely chopped garlic

5 bay leaves

25g unsalted butter

1 tsp salt or to taste

Pinch of black pepper

Splash double cream

 Cooking Instructions

 In a large pan, melt the butter then add the bay leaves, shallots, celery, and garlic and cook for 15 minutes without colouring but softened. Now add the leeks and cook for a further 15 minutes, stirring gently from time to time before adding the potatoes. Cook for a further 5 minutes.

 Now add the stock and bring to the boil. Once boiling, turn down to a gentle simmer and cook for 35-40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender to breaking up in the liquid.

Remove from the heat and liquidise the soup very gently; or if you prefer a little more texture then use a potato masher to lightly mash the solid vegetables.

Return to the heat; add the black pepper, stir and check the seasoning level, salt etc… now add the cream and serve with some fresh crusty bread

Cooks tip 1:

Cut the leeks lengthways from the top and fan open to ensure you wash out the grit from the top part of the leaves. 

Thai restaurants in Rickmansworth – Thai George

This restaurant has been established for a number of years, and has changed hands about 3 times during that period.  As far as Thai food in the UK  goes Thai George fairs pretty well.  it does because the service is very good, staff are attentive, and your order is taken efficiently.  The food also arrives fairly promptly, which is no bad thing if you’re hungry, however if you’re looking to make a night of it then you’ll need to take control of the pace a little.   As for the food itself, this is a bit of a dilema, it is Thai food but originality and depth of flavour is often lacking, so if your know your Thai food then you’re going to be pretty disappointed, which is the case with a number of Thai restaurant I have found over the years.  The Blue Elephant in Fulham is one of the few Thai restaurants that i think reall does consitently do well for original Thai falvour and creativity of menu items. 

If you really enjoy Thai food then you could do better by learning to cook Thai Food yourself.  For the cost of a couple of meals you could learn how to be totally original in the kitchen and learn to cook a range of Thai food that will definately give Thai George a run for their money.  Learn to cook Original Thai food at the Cooking Academy http://www.thecookingacademy.co.uk/ThaiClasses.html

Iron Rich foods

With the cold weather dipping in and out at the moment it’s very easy to catch a cold.  However if you regularly feel run down it could be your iron levels are running low.   Iron deficiency could become a serious risk to your health if it goes undetected for too long.  

Iron is an essential for the formation of haemoglobin. The iron in haemoglobin combines with oxygen and transports it through the blood to all parts of the body. Anemia is a result of iron deficiency. Symptoms often associated with anemia are; tiredness, lack of stamina, headaches, insomnia, breathlessness, and loss of appetite.

For a vegetarian the bodies intake of Iron is very important and often a mineral that can be easily depleted over a period of time.  Prolonged deficiency can begin to impact other health areas and most importantly impair the quality and output of every day life. Vegetables like broccoli and pak choy are rich in iron. These particular vegetables are high iron and also high in vitamin C, which increases absorption of their iron content.

Iron Absorption by Body

The iron absorption by body depends on the form of the iron. The iron from animal sources, known as heme iron, is absorbed easily by the body. The iron found in vegetable sources, known as non-heme iron, is less available to the body. The amount of iron absorbed from vegetarian foods is around 1 – 10%, while it is 10 – 20% from animal foods.

Good Enhancer Foods for Iron Absorption: Combinations of foods such as beans and tomato or tofu and broccoli result in good iron absorption. In general vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, capsicums, potato, tomato, etc. and fruits such as cantaloupe, grapefruit, strawberries, orange, etc. enhance the iron absorption.

Foods Not Good (Inhibitors) For Iron Absorption: Avoid the following foods in combination with high iron foods as they inhibit the iron absorption: Tea, coffee, chard, etc.  Here’s a list of ingredients  that are great to build up your iron levels.

 Vegetarian Iron rich food  

 For further information contact Kumud Gandhi at The Cooking Academy 01923 778880.  Or email her on kumud@thecookingacademy.co.uk

Author Kumud Gandhi – Founder of The Cooking Academy – cookery school that puts the medicinal value of food at the heart of everything they teach.  Copywrites required. www.thecookingacademy.co.uk

The long vilified eggs make a come back!

 “With its poor reputation for being high in cholesterol and fat, many people have been scared of eating eggs.  But it couldn’t be further from the truth.”  Says Kumud Gandhi founder of The cooking Academy January 2011

 “The ‘low fat and low cholesterol’ mantra has been chanted by millions of people over the last 30 years and yet we are no closer to weight control or the reduction of cardio vascular related diseases.”

 Fat is an essential part of our diet, it is very important for the heart and most other parts of the body in order to function correctly.  We all know it’s the good fat that we need, meaning monounsaturated, this type of fat actually helps to break down bad fat in the body.  Today we consume less fat, and yet we’re fatter!  Sounds harsh, but it’s the reality.  This is the mantra I teach at The Cooking Academy, don’t discriminate against all fat, the fat in eggs is good for you. 

 Let’s tackle the issue of cholesterol first.  When the story first broke about eggs contributing to high blood cholesterol it referred to a study conducted on rabbits in 1908 by a Russian scientist M.A. Ignatovsky.  However rabbits eat a herbaceous diet, one that is high in fibre and low in starch and fat.  Naturally, testing the effects of eggs on rabbits is likely to have an adverse reaction to their bio chemistry.  Unfortunately this bit of isolated research triggered numerous warning to avoid foods high in cholesterol, particularly eggs and prawns.  The results of the study were extrapolated to humans who consume a omnivorous diet without further research and published world wide, to the detriment of the eggs industry. 

 Most people make more cholesterol naturally in the body than they consume in food.   It is true to say that eggs contain higher amounts of cholesterol but this does not make a big enough contribution to the cholesterol found in our blood.  Research shows that there is no link between egg consumption and the risk of cardio vascular disease. 

 There is however a growing body of evidence to suggest that a moderate consumption of eggs, 1 egg per day,  7 eggs per week can have a very positive impact due to the high nutrition content in eggs .  (Harvard school of public health 2006)

 Eggs contain all the amino acids in the correct proportion and therefore it’s a good source of complete protein.  The amino acid in egg yolks is also excellent for burning fat.

However this is only achieved by eating the whole egg, not just the egg white since 90% of the nutrient value of an egg is in the yolk.   Organic, free range eggs have no affect on the blood cholesterol because the hens have fed on a natural grass diet instead of corn or soya feed which is excessively high in Omega 6 & 9).  The more natural the hens feed the better the nutrient value and taste of the egg. 

 The Nutrient Value of an Egg

Each whole egg contains iron, zinc, phosphorus, thiamin, B6, folate, and B12, and panthothenic acid. In addition, the egg yolk contains all of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.   

Thankfully eggs are now making a bit if a come back.  A scrambled or poached egg with some whole meal bread is an excellent way to start the day, though there are no rules to say it has to be a breakfast. Throw in a few fresh tomatoes and basil and it makes a great simple supper! If you’re looking for healthy ways to cook eggs come to our nutritional cookery classes here at The Cooking Academy. 

 For Further Information, Please Contact:  Kumud Gandhi, The Cooking Academy on

Tel 0845 0 68 58 48. 

E:kumud@thecookingacademy.co.uk

 About KUMUD GANDHI

After a career in the commercial world, Kumud Gandhi went on to pursue her life-long ambition of working with food and re-trained in food science. She now runs a very successfulCookingAcademyand catering company The Saffron House. Often called upon to provide expert comment for national print media, radio and television, Kumud offers a unique insight into the diverse world of cooking and a deep understanding of the nutritional and medicinal value of foods. 

 Kumud is a firm believer that “we are what we eat”, and is campaigning to bring healthy cooking skills into the classroom so that schools offer education in basic nutrition and food science to learn fundamental every day life skills. In 2006, Kumud set up The Cooking Academy; a unique cookery school that teaches how to cook real food whilst exploring the chemical composition, nutritional and herbal values of food so that recipes look and taste great; are quick and easy to make and encourage well-being. Kumud has catered for a host of celebrities and high profile individuals like Madonna, the Prince of Wales,  and the Saudi Royal family with her special focus on food being visually creative, exciting to the palette, and nutritional to the body.