If you are looking for a unique Mother’s Day gift then Shires has the answer.

On Saturday 13 March we are running our popular
Artisan Bread course, there are just four places
remaining. We are delighted to offer these places to your special Mum at just £65, that’s £20 off the usual student rate of £85. When booking enter RH5 on the discount code page. 

Alternatively if you would like to purchase a gift voucher they start from £25 up to £100, are packaged with a beautiful greeting card and can be mailed direct to your special Mum or relative.
Email info@shirescookeryschool.com and we will contact you to discuss your requirements.

Northamptonshire’s tastiest success story has launched
its programme for 2010

Following its Caribbean feast and Italian Christmas cookery classes, Shires is announcing a new menu for the New Year. More Italian follows with Mangiamo! – a celebration of the warm Mediterranean on February 27.  This is followed by a spicy twist from Thailand, on 24 April.

Shires founder Wendy Carter said: ‘We set out to make good food accessible to everyone, and our first year of classes has exceeded all expectations.

‘We were overwhelmed by the response from the classes – everyone really enjoyed themselves, but most importantly they took away lots of new foodie skills.’ We are also delighted to announce that we are teaming up with Tipu Rahman awarding winning chef from The Tamarind restaurant to  run a series of two hour workshops giving an insight to the fabulous flavour of Indian cookery. 

Here at Shires we are delighted to announce that we will be running a
Thai cookery day on Saturday 24 April.

Like all the world’s great cuisines, Thai food is a conglomerate of several distinct regional traditions. But one thing they all have in common is a passion for fresh ingredients and the subtle blending of spices and aromatics.

This indigenous heritage is enriched by Thailand’s tropical neighbours – each bringing its own addition to the rich, spicy mix.

So you get lots of Malaysian-style coconut milk and turmeric dishes in the south, with the Lao-reminiscent lime flavours of the north-east. Predominant is the influence of China – especially in the use of the wok with its deep and shallow frying dishes based on rice and noodles.

 Fish and all kinds of seafood appear everywhere – usually freshly caught but also in the universally famous Thai fermented fish sauce which adds a piquant twist to favourite dishes. Add to this lemon grass, galangal and ginger, kaffir lime leaves and coriander, and you have the authentic taste of Thailand in a nutmeg shell.

 But to many in the west Thai food has a harmonious freshness, lightness and integrity of flavour unequalled in other eastern culinary traditions. These days it is eaten with a spoon and fork rather than the fingers – chopsticks have never been part of its etiquette – and generous hospitality is the name of the game.

 Dishes are designed to be shared, so when you plan your Thai meal bring out all your biggest platters and serving dishes – more is definitely more here. You will also need lots of little dishes for the sauces and spicy condiments that are an essential accompaniment. Fish and sweet chilli sauces, sugar, peppers, cucumbers and garlic are all staples of the dinner table, along with the essential sticky rice and noodles of every shape and style.

 The flavours, textures and aromas of Thai cookery have a timeless appeal – and with its heavy-on-fresh, light-on-fat ingredients, full of vegetables, fish and fruit you can’t go wrong.

Come along and join us for what promises to be a healthy, flavoursome and aromatic day.

One simple word that encapsulates all that we love about the Italian way of life. ‘Let’s eat’ – how better to experience this generous-hearted and hospitable country’s heritage than through the rich diversity of its food.

Italy is a country of many distinct communities, each with its own culinary traditions based on the seasonal produce of the local land and sea. But when you see that the whole country sticks out into the middle of the Mediterranean – and enjoys its enviable year-round climate – you realise this diversity comes from its unique and ancient mix of sun, sea, mountains and sweet-scented, herb-strewn, fertile land.

Italians take huge pride in their local traditions – the wines, the cheeses, breads, sausages and pastas which vary from region to region, even village to village. Recipes are jealously guarded and handed down through the generations.

Staples such as pasta and rice appear in a multitude of taste-tingling combinations – flavoured with mushrooms, seafood, onions, garlic, olive oil or butter, tomatoes, herbs, smoked, fresh or dried meats and a cornucopia of fresh vegetables. Regionally, you can go from the rich, buttery cooking of northern Italy with its boiled meats, soft egg noodles and creamy risotto to Neapolitan mozzarella pizzas and the hard spaghetti and spicy north African influences of Sicily and the southern lands of Reggio Calabria and Apulia.

Italian cookery is universally loved and revered among the great cuisines of the world. To learn more about the exciting flavours and recipes come along and join us on Saturday 27 February for our Italian Cookery course. During the day you will experience a taste of the real Italy and take away with you some of the skills you need to recreate it at home.

We are delighted to announce our fabulous new Italian Christmas Cookery course
taking place on Saturday 12 December. If you are looking for something different for your Christmas Day
celebrations this year then come along and join us.

Lunch, il pranzo, on Christmas Day is the most important of all the Christmas feasts and is a lengthy affair. 

The menu we have put together is a mixture of Christmas Eve and Christmas day. It is designed so that you can prepare much of the in advance, so you have time to relax and enjoy Christmas day.

Your menu
Risotto ai Funghi e Prezzemolo (Roasted mushroom risotto) 
Insalata Tipica delle Sagre (Festival mixed salad)
Salmone scottato con cozze e Tagliatelle (Seared salmon with tagliatelle

Tiramisu  (traditional delicious sweet)

We are limbering up for our Caribbean class taking place this coming Saturday, if you haven’t booked your place yet, you are going to miss out on a great day.

Your chef will be taking you through  some fabulous Caribbean recipes. You will prepare and cook jerk chicken, tasty spicy ribs and to round up the main course , authentic rice and peas.

With lots of Caribbean cooking tips and recipe ideas thrown in – this will be a day to remember.

There are just two spaces left on the course – so please click through and reserve your place now.

In the meantime just to get you in the mood –

RUM PUNCH
Splash of lemon juice
2 measures of light rum
2 liters ginger ale
1 qt. fruit punch
1 qt. orange juice or pineapple juice
Ice cubes
Pour into punch bowl. Stir well. To serve: pour over one ice cube in each glass.

Fish is considered one of the healthiest forms of nutrition-rich food. But it needs to be cooked the healthy way. This is where some food lovers admit to being edgy. For them it’s like fishing in troubled waters.
If you are nervous about cooking fish, our famous fish master class will soon simplify the task, and we promise it’s as comprehensive as it can get. 
With expert guidance from inspirational chef Jeremy Fowler you will learn how make fabulous dishes and accompaniments such as parmesan crisps and white radish Japanese vinegar waterlilies, sashimi of tuna, baked fillets of fish with salsa verde, real fish and chips, salmon mousseline and potted crab. 
Our famous fish master class will first be launched at Caroline Chisholm School, 25 July 2009, the course will also be held at Stratford College in the second week of August.

Join us and demystify your approach to preparing and cooking delicious and healthy fish dishes.

If you are keen on learning the sought after skill of Artisan Bread making, here is your chance. It’s something very exquisite, demanding a precise knowledge of processes like meticulous mixing, kneading and fermenting, followed by shaping and proper baking.
A fine blend of the above mentioned processes leads to a well textured, delicious and aromatic loaf of luscious bread. 

Cultured yeast was discovered in the mid-1800s in a French laboratory by Louis Pasteur, it was soon commercially available.

Baking Artisan Bread is considered one of the oldest methods of bread making around, popularity is growing in culinary circles. What makes Artisan Bread special is its exclusivity; it’s crafted, rather than mass produced, it is baked in select small batches.

Flavored breads may also be termed Artisan Breads. Also included in this category are the breads with added fruits, nuts, whole grains, cheeses and vegetables. Other bread-like products like certain bagels, pizza crusts and the like are often counted as Artisan Breads.

 At Shires you can now be an expert at making the perfect home-baked loaf thanks to our experienced chef who will acquaint you with the fundamentals of age old art of bread making. You will learn to create mouth watering malt crunch loafs, onion bread, fabulous fruit buns and cottage loafs.

Your new found knowledge and insight into bread making will help you prepare aromatic fresh baked bread. Elaborate hands-on work, with an added emphasis on proper shaping techniques, will help you master the technique.  

You will learn about the specific function of each ingredient in bread, the precise control of the fermentation process, different forms of yeasted pre-ferments and how to make use of them, as well as practical applications like determining proper dough temperature.

Scheduled at Northampton College 1 August 2009, the Artisan Bread making course is a great opportunity for those looking to expand their baking repertoire. Come along and join us – or if you have a flair for baking bread let us know your secret!

If your dads only culinary claim to fame is the annual barbecue, give him a treat this year – a day with Shires at our Sizzling Sausage class.

Taking place on 15 August at Caroline Chisholm School, Northampton, we will show him how to prepare and cook some tasty sausages. Dad just has to turn up at 10am wearing his favorite BBQ pinny!