New Cooking Class Schedule My current cooking class schedule offers dates up to November 2010. All the dates & topics are here on this site - go to the schedule page for details. A mixture of old friends and new ideas & hope you'll find something to tempt you....... If you're not already on our mailing list please leave your details here to be sure of getting a copy.

MORE RECIPES FROM COOKING WITH CLASS WINTER Is a great time for cooks as there are so many things reasons to be in the kitchen, and keep warm! Try this simple and delicious fish soup. Makes a hearty bowlful for 4-6.

FISH SOUP Slice 1 onion,1 fennel and 1 leek and sweat in a little olive oil in a soup pan, without browning for 5 minutes. Add on top 4 small sliced potatoes, 2 sliced tomatoes, thyme and saffron and continue to cook until the potatoes are almost soft. Cover with fish stock and simmer for 5 minutes. Put 400g(1lb) thinly sliced cod and 200g(7oz) peeled raw prawns on top. Cover and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Don't stir the soup. Remove from the heat and stir ½ clove crushed garlic into 50ml (2floz) mayonnaise then add to the soup. Season with salt, pepper, a little chilli and lemon juice and serve, sprinkled with chopped parsley. SPRING brings the new crop of rhubarb into the kitchen which I love. It also reminds me that this fruit like many, can be added to muffins, one of the quickest and most spontaneous cake mixes you can make. The cup cake seems to be more ubiquitous than the muffin at the moment. However I prefer the latter, perhaps because it is less sweet and quicker to make. So here is my all purpose muffin recipe.

FRUIT MUFFINS Servers 2 Mix together in a bowl, 225g(8oz) plain flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 125g(4oz) caster sugar and 150g(5oz) diced fruit e.g. raw rhubarb, banana or apple. Also 1 tsp spice if liked. Measure into jug 125ml(4floz) melted butter or vegetable oil, 150ml(5floz) yoghurt mixed with milk and 1 egg. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry. Line a muffin tray with paper cases and using an ice-cream scoop, ladle in the mix. Bake at 180C,350F, gas 4 or the middle of the Aga ROASTING OVEN for 15-20 minutes until risen. Summer in England is really here when you know can buy locally produced asparagus. The season lasts about six week so there is plenty of time to indulge in this freshest of ingredients. The following recipe is a starting point for many variations.

ASPARAGUS WITH SMOKED SALMON serves 6 Prepare 2 bunches of fresh asparagus by breaking off the tough bases. Wash and then lay them in a broad frying pan. Half cover with a little water, sprinkle with a little salt and cover with a lid. Steam until cooked- about 5 minutes. Drain the asparagus and place on warm plates. Melt a little butter in the pan and then pour it over the asparagus. Sprinkle liberally with coarsely ground pepper. Tear up 200g(7oz) sliced smoked salmon and scatter over the asparagus. Serve immediately. AUTUMN is a time to preserve the fruit and vegetables that are in abundance, jam and chutney making being at the top of everyone's can do list. Sometimes we think that this is a hugely time consuming job and it is easy to procrastinate and not get started. So here are my tips to stop it being such a daunting task.

JAM AND CHUTNEY MAKING TIPS Make small batches only (often if needed). I would only recommend cooking 1.2kg/2lb12oz of fruit for jam or chutney at a time. If you make big batches apart from the peeling and chopping taking a long time, the setting of the jam/chutney is inordinately long, and long cooking spoils the fresh flavours of the ingredients. Cook the fruit of vegetables first to soften. If you have a pressure cooker; plums, apples, tomatoes and other vegetables will take less than 10 minutes. For every 1.2kg/2lb12oz of fruit; for jam use 1kg/2lb4oz of granulated sugar. For the same amount of fruit/vegetables for chutney use 250g/9oz of sugar and 250ml/9floz vinegar. Apart from adding 2 onions you can experiment adding flavours and spices to taste Put the cooked fruit and veg in a broad jam pan or sauté pan, add sugar for jam or jam and vinegar and flavourings for chutney, stir until sugar dissolves, then boil to set, about 10-20 minutes.