The Spice shop at The Cooking Academy

If you are discerning enough to cook for yourself then you’ll want to achieve the best results you possibly can.  Great taste starts with high grade, pure, unadulterated spices delicately balanced by the pure essence of natural flavour. 

Winners of great taste awards

A number of our spices are winners of the gold taste award from The Guild of fine food.

 Here at The Cooking Academy spice shop we place great emphasis on quality and purity of spices that will ultimate create great flavours.  We use these spices in our cookery classes and supply some of the finest hotels, restaurants, fine food delis and farm shops.  Our online spice supplier network means we can supply these to you with 48 hours of order.

Pure spices – Our offering

We offer conventional and organic spices, sourced from reputable, high grade spice farms and growers from around the world.  We personally visit our suppliers to ensure the integrity of the production process; thereby ensuring that you’ll always get the most natural ingredients and the pure spices (with no artificial fillers or additives). 

Non radiation of spices

Unlike a number of supermarket suppliers our spices are not radiated and re perfumed artificially.  They are pure, and the essence of the spices is what comes naturally from within the product. 

Browse our products

We have a wide selection of herbs and spices to help you achieve great tasting results.

Tom Yam Kai soup at The cooking Academy Cookery school Hertfordshire

Recipe – Tom Yam Kai soup

You can make this soup in under 10 minutes, it’s an aromatic Thai soup and a great pick me up.  Definately a regular feature on the monthly menu in my home.  If you’re vegetarian swap out the chicken for butternut squash and pea aubergines.

 Serves 4

 Ingredients:

 1.5 litres of chicken stock

2 stalks of lemon grass

4 garlic cloves, finely minced

500g mini chicken breast fillets, sliced into thirds

7.5cm chunk of fresh galangal or ginger, sliced

400ml can of coconut milk

2 fresh kaffir lime leaves or fresh lemon leaves

½ tsp dried red chilli flakes

2 spring onions, sliced diagonally

2 tbsp Thai fish sauce

25g fresh coriander, torn

2 limes, halved

 Cooking Instructions:

 Bring the stock to boil in a medium pan. Quarter the lemon grass lengthways and crush slightly. Add to the stock with the garlic, ginger, coconut, lime leaves and chilli.

1. Stir until the soup returns to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Add the chicken, bring to the boil and simmer until the chicken is cooked.
3. Add the white parts of the spring onions and the fish sauce, taste and adjust the white parts of the spring onions and the fish sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Cook for 1 minute. Add the coriander and greens of the spring onions.  Serve while the greens are vivid and the flavours intense. Squeeze half the lime into each serving.

Recipe by Kumud Gandhi –Writer & Broadcaster, Founder of The CookingAcademyCookerySchoolin Rickmansworth Hertfordshire.

A Cookery school on you door step

You may be surprised to learn there’s a cookery school in Rickmansworth.  The Cooking Academy is a cookery school that focusses on the healthy and nutritional value of food, accross a wide range of cuisine.  The school offers a bespoke kitchen designed to put you at ease and is situation in beautifully set grounds, providing a relaxing yet learning enviroment – the best of both worlds.  The Cooking Academy offers cookery classes for beginners, for adults and children, teaching is done in small groups so that you get more of of the cookery class and much more one to one attention with the chefs.  It has a very practical and fundamental ethos, all cookery classes are hands on, you do all the cooking so there is more chance of you being able to recreate the dishes at home in your own kitchen.  

Cookery classes in Hertfordshire

Whilst the school is in Rickmansworth – customers come from all over Europe to attend classes here.  This is largely down the the expertise of the chefs in teaching a range of cuisines from around the world as well as beginners classes on how to cook good old English dishes.   The Cookery focusses on life skills, kitchen skills, how to cook easily and without fuss.  With small groups, and nutritional health as its core principles the classes teach not just the mechanics of how to cook, but why to cook with certain ingredients an how to get the best flavours and tastes out of simple spice blends.

Authentic & classic world cusines – Right here in Rickmansworth

Here’s a list and link to the various classes on offer :

 Cookery classes for Beginners   -  http://www.thecookingacademy.co.uk/BritishEuropeanClasses.php

  Indian Cookery classes  – http://www.thecookingacademy.co.uk/IndianCookeryClasses.php

Sushi Master classes -    http://www.thecookingacademy.co.uk/SushiClasses.php

Thai cookery classes -    http://www.thecookingacademy.co.uk/ThaiClasses.php

Middle Eastern Cookery classes –   http://www.thecookingacademy.co.uk/Middle-Eastern-Cookery-Classes.php

Nutritional cookery classes -  http://www.thecookingacademy.co.uk/Nutritional-Cookery-Classes.php

Fish cookery classes -  http://www.thecookingacademy.co.uk/FishClass.php

Learn to bake Bread  – http://www.thecookingacademy.co.uk/Bread-Course.php

Learn to make yummy desserts – http://www.thecookingacademy.co.uk/Dessert-Class.php

For further information please contact Sonia at The Cooking Academy tel: 01923 778880

Cookery classes for beginners at The cooking Academy in Hertfordshire

As Autumn sets in now is the time to start the soup recipes and there is no better place to start than with this delicious Cauliflower and Cheese soup.  It is a favourite of mine and made regularly in my home, served with some delicious crusty bread.   It keeps in the frudge for up to 4 days so make a little extra for later in the week.  Alternative, get into the habit of freezing soups in portion sizes, it become quite cost effective too.

Cauliflower & Cheese Soup  

 Serves 4

 Ingredients

 1 Cauliflower – Florets separated and cut down if very large pieces

4 or 5 charlotte potatoes – peeled and cut in half

1 litre of vegetable stock

4 sticks of celery – finely diced into ½ cm cubes

5 bay leaves

25g unsalted butter

1 tsp salt or to taste

5 black peppercorns fresh or dried, add in whole

50 g cheddar cheese or Manchego cheese is delightful

Splash double cream or crème fraise 

Cooking Instructions: 

1. In a large stock pan, melt the butter then add the bay leaves, celery, and black peppercorns garlic.  Stir well and cook with the lid on for 15 minutes  on a low heat, you want to soften the vegetables without colouring.   Now add the cauliflower and potatoes, Stir in, replace the lid and continue to cook on a low heat for a further 15 minutes, stirring gently from time to time.   
2. Now add the stock and bring to the boil. Once boiling, turn down the heat to a gentle simmer, return the lid and cook for 15 minutes. 
3. Remove from the heat and liquidise the soup very gently; or if you prefer a little more texture then use a potato masher to mash the solid vegetables.   
4. Return to the heat; now add the cheese and cream and check the seasoning after the cheese has disintegrated (cheese can be salty and will therefore add its own seasoning).  Sprinkle a little cheese on top and grill for a few minutes to develop a little crust … garnish with a few strands of rocket if desired or trying to show off your culinary skills to your family and friends …..

 Serve with some fresh crusty bread  - Enjoy

 Cooks tip 1: Use broccoli instead of cauliflower if desired

Cooks tip 2: Manchego Cheese or stilton cheese is delightful

Cookts tip 3: Everytime you add another ingredients to the pan increase the heat to bring the contents back up to temperature, However remember to return the heat back to the correct cooking temperature once you’ve got the temperature back up.   Most dishes cook better ‘low and slow’.

Health tips 1: Cauliflower is from the same family as broccoli.  It is rich in folate, vitamin C, vitamin E and beta-carotene. 

 Folate helps in making and stimulating blood; Folate is also essential for growth of body tissues and can prevent severe diseases like cancer and heart disease.   Vitamin C, acts as anti-oxidant; Vitamin E and beta-carotene, makes our immune system strong.

Why to use spices in cooking

Why do we use spices

Today we have our ever popular Indian cookery class – which remains the most popular in our range.   We’re seeing more and more delegates who have been referred to us by family and friends who have attended other classes.  Thank you to those who have spread the word.    People often say they Indian food is complex because it uses so many different spices, in our spice trail we de mystify this complexity and explain in simple english the theory and practicality of spices.

We start this class by taking a journey of spices and we criss cross the globe to talk about the origination of spices and why they are used with certain ingredients, we’ll talk about the medicinal values and the all important how to use to good effect – The method behind the madness.

If you would like to know more about spices contact us here at the Academy and join in this very engaging and hands on cookery class – youi’ll learn much more than you ever imagined. 

Call Sonia on 01923 778880 to book your class

Moroccan Chicken from Our Middle Eastern cookery class

Chicken Fricassee with Butternut Squash

Sweet and delicately spiced, a classic North African dish of chicken with cumin, cinnamon and chickpeas, which goes perfectly with our Moroccan Couscous recipe.  This recipes uses some of my favourite ingredients like butternut squash and chickpea.  The flavours are fragrant and mildly spicy which largely eminates from the cinnamon, lots of lovely flavours with a curry.  You could even give the chicken a miss and enjoy the vegetables and chickpeas in the stew.   We teach this recipe in one of our Middle Eastern cookery classes.  If you would like to find out moreabout our Cookery classes in Rickmansworth, please contact Cara Brummitt on 01923 778880.

Serves 4

 Ingredients:

8x free-range organic skinless chicken thighs bone on or off – your preference

8g/ 1tbsp spice mix (½ tsp ground anise, 1tsp ground turmeric, ½ tsp cayenne pepper, ½ tsp ground cardamom, ½ tsp ground coriander seeds, ½ tsp ground cumin, 1/2tsp ground black pepper)

4g/ 1 tsp finely chopped ginger

1 cinnamon stick, broken in half

40ml olive oil

150g/ 1x large onion, finely chopped

300g Butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3cm pieces

100g/ 2 sticks Celery, cut into 1cm pieces

15g/ 3tsp Gram flour

6g/1 tsp paprika

60g/ 4tbsp Tomato Puree

900 ml Chicken stock (use 2 stock cubes if you don’t have home-made chicken stock)

300g Cooked chick peas

8g/ several pinches sea salt or to taste

 To Finish

30ml/2tbsp lemon juice

5g/ 1 handful chopped coriander 

 Cooking Instructions:

1. Make the spice blend in the first instance.  This can be made in a large quantity and stored as a dry spice blend to use with a chicken salad or grilled lamb chops.  Take out 8g for this recipe.
2. Mix the chicken with the spices blend and 20g of olive oil and coat well, cover with cling film and marinate in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours
3. Place 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and on a high heat, colour the chicken pieces for 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and reserve. Add another 1 tbsp of oil then the cinnamon stick, onions and ginger.  Cook for 3-4 minutes on a medium heat before adding the butternut squash, chickpeas, celery and salt, sauté for 5 minutes
4. Stir in the tomato puree and the gram flour. Return the chicken pieces to the pan mix well and cook for a few minutes before adding the stock and add the salt.
5. Bring to a simmering point, turn out into a casserole or oven proof dish and cook in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
6. In the oven the liquid should not boil but should cook with just one or two bubbles barely breaking the surface. The chicken will then be tender and succulent. When the chicken is cooked, finish the juices with the lemon juice, taste and adjust the seasoning if required.
7. Serve in a large casserole at the table. 

Cooks Hint 1: The further addition of some olives, and preserved lemons would be delicious. 

Nutritional Highlights:

Chicken is a very good source of protein, niacin, selenium and vitamin B6. It is also a good source of pantothenic acid and phosphorus. Chicken is a versatile source of protein that is low fat and easy to prepare. 

Butternut Squash a good source of vitamin C, potassium and carotenes. The darker the flesh the richer the carotene content. 

Ginger contains many volatile components that are responsible for its health giving properties on of gingers constituents responsible for its anti-inflammatory effects is gingerols.

 Chickpeas are high in protein and have a low glycemic index and will therefore keep you full for much longer, they are also very good for lowering stress levels.

Recipe created by Kumud Gandhi of The Cooking Academy – Cookery School in Rickmansworth – Hertfordshire

Lemon & Saffron Chicken from The Cooking Academy cookery school

Lemon and Saffron Chicken Kebabs

 Serves 4

 Ingredients:

 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into large cubes or strips, or 4 baby chickens

2 onions

2 tsps finely minced garlic

Juice of 2 lemons

½ teaspoon cayenne or paprika

1 tsp saffron threads

Salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste

Handful of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Lemon wedges to serve

Method:

1. If using baby chickens take one and turn it over so that the back is exposed. Using a pair of kitchen scissors, cut down one side of the backbone from end to end. Repeat with the other side, removing the bone section, which is almost triangular in shape. With the backbone removed, place the chicken on a chopping board breast-side up. Using the side of a large kitchen knife, press down on the bird with the knife, flattening the flesh and the remaining back bones at the back. Repeat with all the birds that you are cooking.
2. For each bird, take a skewer and pin the thigh to the wing section on each side. If you are using halved chicken pieces or cubes or strips of chicken, thread the meat (weave the strips, if using) onto several metal skewers to form kebabs. If you are using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for 20-30minutes first.
3. Place the skewered chicken in a large shallow dish. Grate the onion onto the flesh. Mix with the garlic, Pour the lemon juice over the chicken, and rub plenty of black pepper and cayenne. Rub the marinade all over the meat, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, or preferably overnight, turning regularly.
4. When ready to cook, heat a BBQ and allow the coals to die down and become white. Or, if using a ridged cast-iron grill pan, heat the pan until very hot. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place the skewers on the grill. Add the saffron to marinade and season well with salt. Gently grill the chicken, basting constantly with the saffron marinade. Continue to turn and baste until the meat is tender. Serve scattered with chopped parsley and lemon wedges.
5. As always – enjoy with great satisfaction, the fruit of your labour!

Asian Pea salad - The Cooking Academy Cookery School - recipe

Asian Salad with Pea Shoots and Sprouted Mung Beans

This is a dish of great virtue, yet for something so virtuous it tastes pretty damn good too, and as you know, the two don’t always go hand in hand.  There’s lots of different ingredients of the spouted king and I suggest your best bet is Waitrose, thery carry a good selection.  If you enjoy this salad then time permitting, get into the habit of sprounting your own – its pretty straightforward when you know how.   

 Serves 4-6 

Ingredients:

 1 inch (3cm) piece of fresh turmeric

2 limes

300g pea shoots, rinsed

200g sprouted Mung beans, rinsed

100g mustard cress shoots, rinsed

100g alfalfa sprouts rinsed

30 fresh mint leaves

Handful of fresh coriander leaves, chopped

2 handfuls of mixed peppery greens including arugula, watercress and mizuna

2 inch (5cm) piece of fresh ginger 

For the dressing

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

½ tsp ground turmeric (only if fresh turmeric is not being used in the salad)

1 fresh red chilli, seeded and finely chopped

1 tsp runny honey

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation Instructions:

1. Scrape the turmeric and using a spoon to avoid taking off any excess flesh, shave the turmeric root into slivers. Put in a bowl and cover with fresh water until ready to use
2.  Using a thin knife (it could be serrated), cut off the skin and pith of the limes (essentially your peeling the lime). When all the flesh is exposed hold the fruit in one hand and cut each segment on the inside of the membrane. Keep the lime segments in a bowl to catch any juices. Scrape the ginger and slice finely into Julienne strips. 
3. Put the shoots and sprouts in a large bowl. Add the herbs and mixed leaves. Combine all the ingredients for the dressing. If you are using fresh turmeric, drain first, then add to the dressing; if not simply add the ground turmeric with the other dressing ingredients. (The honey in the dressing softens some of the acidity and the peppery elements of the salad.) Add the ginger, lime segments and any extra lime juice. Season with salt and black pepper.
4. Pour the dressing over the sprouts and leaves, and toss gently to form a vibrant, vitamin-packed combination of texture and flavours that will exercise your taste buds. Serve immediately, before the acidity of the dressing starts to wilt the leaves.  

Enjoy with every mouthful, knowing that this is exceptionally good for you! 

Recipe by Kumud Gandhi – Food Scientist , Writer & Broadcaster, Founder of The Cooking Academy Cookery School in Rickmansworth Hertfordshire.

Falafel hummus platter with tabouleh in the background made at The Cooking Academy Cookery school in Hertfordshire in a Middle eastern cookery class

Middle Eastern Cookery classes at The Cooking Academy

Middle Eastern food is amongst my favourite cuisines in the world hence my love of teaching this wonderful cooking and sharing my recipes with others.  I really enjoy the informality of the food, starting with the meze platters and litle bowls of all manor of tasty treats.  In some ways Middle Eastern cooking reminds of the concept of spanish Tapa’s.  It a delightful way of having ‘a little eberything you fancy….’

I also love the diversity of this food it has such a regional spread, covering so many countries yet still being distinctly Middle Eastern cookery.  For me Middle Eastern food incorporates Morrocan food, lebanese, Turkish,  Tunisian, Iranian food as well as Egyptian.   In our Middle Eastern Cooking classes I have shared some of my favourite recipes and we change this all the time as add more dishes to our repetoire as we discover so many more dishes on our trips around the Middle East.   I always make a point of talking to the chef’s and learning more about their cooking styles.   There are so many wonderful Turkish restaurant in North and East London that produce bountiful dishes, it really is a feast for the eyes. 

During this spell of wonderful weather you might wish to try my watermelon and feta cheese salad. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Watermelon & Feta salad

 This is a dish for a gorgeous salad for a hot day – alfresco eating – or if your lucky enough to be on a beach then pack this as a salad.   The combination of the juicy watermelon and the saltiness of the feta is a powerful mix.. 

 Serves 4

 Ingredients:

 600g cold watermelon – skin removed

300g good feta cheese

20 g rocket leaves

½ red onion very thinly sliced

Virgin olive oil

Black pepper to taste

 Preparation Instructions:

 Cut the watermelon into 1cm wedges into small triangles about 2 inches.

1. Slice the feta into tin pieces or even just roughly crumble by hand.
2. Arrange the ingredients on the serving platter.  Drizzle with olive oil grind a little black pepper over the dish. 
3. Serve at once 

Recipe by Kumud Gandhi – Founder of The Cooking Academy Cookery School in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire.

If you would like to learn more about our Middle Eastern cookery classes here at The Cooking Academy cookery school – contact Cara Brummitt or Sonia Basra to find aout availability and booking.

Aloo Chaat - from our 2 day comprehensive Indian cookery class at The Cooking Academy cookery school in Hertfordshire

Recipe for Aloo Chaat – Savoury Potatoes with Mustard Seeds

 This dish is very popular in much of Asia, particularly Singapore – where there is a large Indian community.  This dish is often considered a starter to be served with puris or a snack dish often considered a travellers feast for a long journeys.  It is also used as a filling for the popular dosai’s or other breads like parotha’s.   We teach this recipe in our comprehensive Indian cookery classes

 Serves 4-6

 Ingredients:

 1 lb (450g) Potatoes, such as Charlottes or jersey royals when in season.

1 small onions – finely chopped

2 tsp coriander seeds

2 tbsp oil

1 tsp brown mustard seeds

1 onion, finely chopped

½ tsp ground turmeric

½ green finger chilli – finely chopped

4 spring onions, finely sliced

Juice of 1 lemon

Handful of fresh coriander leaves

Sprinkle of dried red chilli flakes

½ tsp salt or to taste

 Cooking Instructions:

1.  Boil the potatoes whole in a large pot of salted water until cooked, but still firm when the point of a knife is inserted. Drain and, when cool enough to handle, peel or scrape and cut the potatoes into 1/2inch (1cm) cubes. Set aside.
2. Using a mortar and pestle, coarsely crush the coriander seeds. Heat the oil in a heavy pan over a medium- high heat. Add the mustard seeds and crushed coriander seeds. Fry for 30 seconds or so until the mustards seeds start to pop.
3. Add the onions for cook for a few minutes until just softening and beginning to turn brown, now add the turmeric, green chilli as well as the potatoes.  Reduce the heat to low and stir well to combine the spices into the potatoes and onions.   Season well with salt and black pepper.
4. Cook for a couple of minutes until hot and all the flavours have combined. Add the spring onions and lemon juice, and finish with a garnish of chopped coriander leaves. Taste to adjust the seasoning according and if the heat level is fairly mild you could add the red chilli flakes to garnish.   Serve immediately.  As always enjoy the fruits of your labour

Recipe by Kumud Gandhi – Founder of The Cooking Academy CookerySchools in Hertfordshire . For further information about our cookery classes please contact us on 01923 778880.