The Cookery School
The Cookery School
The
cookery school is housed in the ground floor of the converted Georgian
stables, which overlook the castle turret and parkland.
Light and airy throughout, the stylish décor is comfortable – a relaxed environment well disposed to the appreciation of good food and fine wine!
The demonstration kitchen has been designed to the highest specification with equipment from Neff, LaCanche, Magimix, Le Creuset, Apilco, The Pasta Company, ICTC, Furi knives, Mermaid, Cookware UK and the homely atmosphere is complemented by an Aga and Fired Earth tiles.
The demonstration kitchen and dining room both overlook the castle turret and parkland, with offices, a shop, toilets and preparation kitchen to the rear.
The course programme for 2008 offers a choice of day courses run by our Head Chef Simon Crannage, who has previously run cookery courses at Charlton House in Somerset. His Dinner Parties courses consist of three modules, all offering equal depth and range of cuisine but allowing for returning guests to enjoy three bites of the cherry and build up an ever wider range of recipes and skills. He also runs the Food of Love courses for Valentines and the Festive Fare courses in December.
Simon is joined by experts in their field for masterclasses in his other two courses - Tim Wilson, a local farmer and proprietor of the award winning Ginger Pig butchers found at Borough Market and Marylebone High Street for the Farm to Feast meat and butchery courses; and Susan Cunliffe-Lister, the very "hands on" mastermind behind the restoration and design of the walled garden and parkland at Swinton Park, for the Garden Food courses. Please see the Day Course page for further details.
Rosemary Shrager is our guest Celebrity Chef for the 2008 courses, with
a choice of two day residential and one day courses. There is a wide range
of themes on offer, with Modern British, Mediterranean Food
and Fish and Seafod the selection available during 2008. Gilly
Robinson, Rosemary's "Man Friday" for the last four years whilst
she has been running courses here at Swinton Park, will be running the
day courses in 2008, which will have been carefully designed and co-ordinated
by Rosemary. Please see the
Residential Course and Day
Course pages for further details.
Gilly Robinson is also running her own courses, Family Food and Children's Cookery courses, which focus on the basic essentials of family friendly food, with practical recipes with that offer flexibility and scope for variety. As a working mother herself, she has always championed nutritious wholesome family food that can, at the same time, inspire children to enjoy and experiment with cooking themselves. Please see the Day Course page for further details.
The cookery school has its own entrance and is a very short walk across the drive from the hotel. The south facing lawn has outdoor seating, and there is adjacent car parking.
The four acre walled garden behind the hotel is planted with fruit, vegetables and herbs, providing a ready source of fresh ingredients for the hotel and school kitchens, and cut flowers during the summer months.
Hotel of the
Year 2004. White Rose Outstanding Customer Service Award 2006.
With 4 AA Red Stars and 3 AA Rosettes, Swinton Park is one of the highest rated hotels in Yorkshire and Cumbria