The Kitchen at Chewton Glen: Winter Dinner Party w/Recipes

 

Is it time to stir the cabbage?

Rob Cottam, our Chef Tutor for the day has instilled this in our brains. It turns out he’s part chef, part clown and the day is instructional and as well as very entertaining.

We’re at The Kitchen at Chewton Glen, the upmarket cookery school in the New Forest. No luxury was spared in its creation: Counter tops are Neolite (it won’t scratch and can take up to 1,200 C) and it’s open plan with bi-folding doors and glass panels that flood the room with light. Celebrity Chef James Martin designed it in collaboration with Chewton Glen. I’m busy taking notes for my next kitchen redesign.

Our task for the day is preparing the Winter Seasonal Dinner Party Menu (recipes below!). It all looks amazing: Beetroot and Goats’ Cheese with Truffle Honey, Sticky Toffee Pudding and Florentines. I’m slightly apprehensive about the main course, Peppered Venison with Juniper and Madeira Pan Sauce. I’m not a venison fan and I avoid cooking expensive cuts of meat simply because I’d probably ruin it!

We all gather around Rob’s station – the idea is that he demonstrates and entertains us with tales and cooking tips before we go to our individual stations to try it on our own under his watchful eye.

First up is the Braised Red Cabbage. That’s what we have to stir every so often for 4 hours. Thankfully the class runs from 9.30 – 3.30 so we have plenty of time.

Cabbage under control, we’re on to the Sticky Toffee Pudding. Rob’s tip – don’t  waste money on Medjool dates, it’s like using a Rolls Royce to drive the grocery store. But, he says, don’t use pre-chopped dates either, they are coated in flour and will make the mixture too gooey. We crack the eggs, which Rob points out are from farm down the road.

Next, we begin on the starter: Beetroot, Goat’s Cheese and Truffle Honey Tart. We’re going to eat this for lunch. I literally can’t wait.

 

 

 

 

The Kitchen at Chewton Glen offers loads of options for classes. We’re on the hands-on course, but you can choose classes where you simply watch and learn.  In addition to the Dinner Party class, there’s everything from Perfect Pasta to Recreating Chewton Glen Classics to Holiday Cooking Camps for kids 8 – 12. Next time I’m here I’d like to try “It’s A Gin Thing” – where you create your own bespoke blended gin under the guidance of an award-winning distiller.

Back to our class. We’re getting on well and the aroma from the puddings mixes with the cinnamon from the cabbage and is getting to be too much.  

 

Tip: Buy Robert Welch knives – they do the job and are cheaper than fancy Japanese ones.

 

It’s time to check our puds … we do it the traditional way with a wooden stick. Mine needs a few more minutes. One of my peers reminds Rob it’s time check the cabbage!

 

 

We work intently on the starter. Rob mixes goats cheese (from a nearby farm, of course) with a little milk. Then we watch him prepare the pastry and take a turn at shaping our own. So far, Rob warns us, the course has been quite light on cooking, and been more about watching and learning. We’re about to launch into the fast-paced, hands-on section! 

 

 

 

 

Plates at the ready …. we assemble our starters. Rob gives us tips on presentation (place a dollop of the cheese mixture below the pastry so it doesn’t slip). It’s all timed perfectly … we take the puddings out and our starters are ready to eat! We all sit down in the restaurant and inhale our goats cheese starters!

 

Tip: To make items look nice when plated, arrange them close together to make them look pretty.

 

After thoroughly enjoying our starter, we make our way back to the kitchen and to Rob’s delight the red cabbage is done! It’s taken off the heat and goes to the side. He tells us you can make this ahead, it freezes well.

 

Tip: When freezing – get big ziplock bags and spread the contents out flat and thin. You can stack them in the freezer and when you take them out they thaw faster!

 

 

We turn our attention to the Venison loin. Rob tells us that sirloin is an outside cut and the filet is from the inside and smaller. Apparently venison tastes like kangaroo. I’ve never tasted kangaroo so find this interesting but not enough to change my preconception that I don’t like venison.

 

Tip: In this recipe you can easily swap venison for a duck breast.

 

Rob demonstrates how to cook the Venison: 1 minute on each of the 6 sides to introduce heat and cook evenly. I do this and to my delight my venison cooks perfectly and I wrap it in foil to keep it warm. It smells so good that I decide I should probably try it!

 

Tip: For ease at a dinner party, you can cook the meat to rare beforehand, put in fridge, then bring out and let sit for 45 minutes. Put in the oven for 5 minutes to get it to medium rare.

 

We make a quick sauce with what’s left in the pan from the venison, adding in Madeira, brandy, stock and cream.

 

Tip: Good veg stock should only cooked 10-15 minutes for fresh flavour – otherwise tastes liked stewed veg!

 

We plunge kale into boiling salted water. You can do this beforehand and keep the kale in the fridge and heat in a pan with butter when needed.

 

 

 

 

We quickly make polenta, which takes lots of butter and cream. Rob shows us how to make a cornice with the polenta (a 3-sided cone). It’s easy and makes the dish look really professional.

I plate up the main course (with the red cabbage!) and sit down to enjoy with a glass of Cabernet Franc. It’s hands down the best meal I’ve ever made. The venison is amazing. And I don’t even like venison.

 

 

 

 

We are all so engrossed with our venison that we have totally forgotten about dessert! Two to be precise. We learn how to make Florentine Biscuits to go with our Sticky Toffee Pudding.

The Florentines are much easier – we melt butter/honey/sugar/flour and chuck in almonds/mixed peel/glace cherries. The messy part is forming the Florentines into biscuits. While the Florentines cook, we make the sauce for the Sticky Toffee Pudding.  When the biscuits are done we cool them outside and dip them in melted chocolate!

 

Tip: pre ball the ice-cream and store in freezer so you don’t have to wait!

 

 

 

 

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IF YOU GO

The Kitchen, Chewton Glen, 3 Chewton Farm Rd, Walkford, Highcliffe, Christchurch BH23 5QL +44 01425 282212 https://www.chewtonglen.com/the-kitchen/cookery-courses-prices/

 

Disclosure: My cookery course was provided by Chewton Glen for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.

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