Day Courses
Day Courses
The programme for day courses at Swinton Park covers a wide range of techniques
and styles of cooking. The recipes for each day have a theme, and a wide
range of complementary dishes are prepared. Each course suits all interests
and levels of experience and ability. Guests of all ages are welcome,
but please bear in mind that much of the day is spent standing and comfortable
footwear and clothing are strongly recommended.
The 2008 course programmes set out details of the dates of each course, and please also go to rates for details of the course charges, and also for details of the special accommodation packages available to guests attending the Simon Crannage day courses.
Rosemary Shrager's courses
The 2008 day courses which have been designed by Rosemary Shrager are the Modern British, Fish and Seafood and Mediterranean Food courses.These will be run by her "Man Friday", Gilly Robinson, who has worked closely alongside Rosemary since she started running courses at the cookery school at Swinton Park in 2003.
Simon Crannage's courses
The 2008 Dinner Party courses (consisting of three modules allowing for returning guests to expand their skills and recipes) are run by the Head Chef at Swinton Park, Simon Crannage, who has previously run courses at Charlton House. Simon is also joined by experts in their field - Tim Wilson, a local farmer and proprietor of the award winning Ginger Pig butchers in London, for the butchery and meat courses; and Susan Cunliffe-Lister, the "hands on" mastermind behind the restoration and design of the walled garden and parkland at Swinton Park, for the Garden Food courses. Susan's gardens at Burton Agnes are also very highly regarded, and she was awarded "Gardener of the Year" by Country Life in 2001.
The Farm to Feast butchery and meat masterclass courses offer an insight from Tim into animal husbandry and the history of the different breeds, followed by an introduction to the seasonality of meat, and the different cuts and various ways in which each cut needs to be hung, prepared and cooked. This is interspersed by Simon with masterclasses on sauces and vegetables to accompany a dish, hands on boning and preparation of a dish along with a pate or terrine, along with a tasting of complementary wines.
Susan Cunliffe-Lister starts the Garden Food masterclass course with a tour of the walled garden, explaining her principles of design and her recommended planting programme for a fruit and vegetable garden. Guests will enjoy the hands on experience of collecting the fruit, herbs and vegetables for the day's course and then joining Simon in the cookery school kitchen where he will combine demonstration and hands on cooking for a fresh and innovative introduction to cooking in harmony with the seasons.
Simon Crannage is also running the Food of Love courses in February, with a tasty concoction of indulgent and exotic food, and the Festive Fare courses in November and December for those wanting some inspiration and some fresh interpretations of the more traditional dishes.
Gilly Robinson's courses
Gilly has designed two new courses for 2008.
Firstly, Family Food which is aimed at all parents and child carers who have run out of inspiration, and her courses are fully of practical ideas for producing appetising and nutritious food for all the family. The course will be a combination of demonstration and hands on cooking and at the end of the course lunch will be served in the demonstration kitchen. Guests on the course will receive a voucher for 20% off all treatments booked in the spa which can be booked for the afternoon on the day of the course or at another convenient time (mid-week only)..
Secondly, her Children's Cooking courses are aimed at encouraging children to master the basics and encourage them to enjoy and experiment with food, in a friendly and fun environment. Two age groups are catered for, 6-11 yr olds and 12+ yr olds. Each group will spend the morning cooking and then enjoy the lunch that they have prepared in the demonstration kitchen, the children will take home with them an apron and recipe card to try out at home The maximum number of children on a course is 10. Parents or carers who book children on a cooking course will receive a voucher for 20% off all treatments booked in the spa which can be booked for the morning on the day of the course (while children are cooking) or at another convenient time (mid-week only and within a month of the date of the course).
Hands on cooking during the Family Food course
The Day's Schedule
The Rosemary Shrager and Simon Crannage day courses (including the Farm to Feast and Garden Food masterclass courses) start at 9.30am and end mid afternoon after a late lunch, which is usually served at 2.00pm. The maximum number of guests on a course is fourteen. The courses offer a mostly hands on experience (the only way to learn!), which is not only great fun but also very rewarding, but there are also short demonstrations during the course of the morning.
Partners are welcome to join guests for lunch on Rosemary's and Simon's courses, but due to high levels of demand, we recommend that lunch guests are booked for lunch at the same time as the course is booked. The charge for lunch is currently £18 per partner (2007) and £20 per partner (2008).
The Family Food courses start a little later at 10.00am, running until 12.30 with lunch in the demonstration kitchen, allowing time afterwards for guests to enjoy the hotel facilities, grounds and spa treatments in the afternoon.
The Children's Cooking courses also start at 10.00am, finishing for lunch in the demonstration kitchen at 12.00pm for the 6 - 11yr old group (with the course finishing at about 1.00pm) and finishing for lunch in the demonstration kitchen at 1.00pm for the 12+ yr old group (with the course finishing at about 2.00pm).
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