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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.

The Dinner Party courses are graded for different levels of competence, but all other day courses are designed to suit 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.

All of the day courses are available to both non-residents and hotel guests. There are special accommodation packages available to guests attending a day course, details of which are given at the rates page. The 2010 course programmes set out the dates of each course, and please also go to rates for details of the course charges.

All our Dinner Parties and themed Day Courses follow the same format : you will cook a four course lunch, including bread and biscuits. At the end of the morning you will then enjoy the fruits of your labours!

Here at Swinton Park we work, as a group, round our very large granite worktop in the middle of the kitchen, each preparing the various elements of the day's menu. Robert will demonstrate key skills to the group and will assist you in mastering these skills. It is very much a hands on experience (although please note time constraints allow only limited hands-on cooking in the Provenance Food course, and the lunch for the Wild About Food day is a demonstration meal).

We break for coffee and home-made biscuits mid-morning and lunch is served at approx 2.00pm, where we offer you the opportunity to assist Robert in plating-up the lunch - you will be able to observe a professional level of presentation! The lunch is served to you in the CookerySchool dining room and day usually ends at 3.30/4.00pm.

Dinner Party Courses

These are graded for Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced levels of experience and confidence. Each course will work on the essentials including knife skills and butchery, stocks and sauces and breadmaking. As a guideline :

Beginner : aimed at those who want to master the basics and will get you to the level where you can cook a three course meal using simple recipes with confidence. Course content changes throughout the year, but a typical lunch menu from a day would be :
French flavoured Bread, (Sage and onion, sun dried tomato)
Pea and mint veloute, Pancetta crisp
Red onion and goat's cheese Tart, chive dressing, Rocket and Parmesan salad Pan
Fried Sea bass with crushed new potatoes, sweet potato puree and basil pesto
Vanilla Panna cotta, Almond tuile, Raspberry coulis

and the skills covered would include : Basic bread making; the art of a good soup; a master class in a flat fish preparation; de-boning a fish or small bird; what to do with the bi product i.e. stocks for soups, saucers and risottos; how to create a stunning desert and general presentation skills

Intermediate : this is for those who have some experience of cooking but feel limited by their range of skills. The course will introduce more advanced skills and styles of food. Course content changes throughout the year, but a typical lunch menu from a day would be :
Flavoured Breads and shapes, (Poppy seed rolls, rosemary and rock salt baguettes)
Essence of tomato water, Goat cheese Tortellini
Fillet of red mullet, spiced cous cous, fine beans and olives, butternut puree.
Poached and pan fried Pheasant breast, Chive pomme puree, confit baby shallots, Parma ham crisp, Tarragon cream sauce.
Honey lavender and parsnip soufflé with lemon scented sauce You will need to feel confident in the kitchen be able to handle a knife and understand how to follow recipes.

and the skills covered would include : Flavoured and shaped breads; a master class in chocolate work; making fresh pasta; how to fillet a whole fish and de-bone a whole bird; what to do with the bi product i.e. stocks for soups, saucers and risotto; learn the art of silky smooth puree; produce a failsafe soufflé and general presentation skills

Advanced : aimed at those who are already confident in the kitchen with competent knife skills and want instruction at the highest level of cuisine covering advanced techniques. Course content changes throughout the year, but a typical lunch menu from a day would be :
Soda bread and brioche
Ballotine of confit duck
Smoked wood pigeon, celeriac puree, apple crisps, chocolate oil, and glazed baby beetroots.
Pan-fried ballontine of Salmon fillet, butternut squash gnocchi, Poached egg, hollandaise sauce.
Dark chocolate fondant with white chocolate ice cream and hot chocolate foam
Petit fours

and the skills covered would include : Advanced bread making; a master class in sugar workand in petit fours; fish preparation; butchery skills; what to do with the bi product i.e. stocks for soups, saucers and risotto; advanced cooking techniques and presentation skills; and the ability to work at a pace and under pressure.

Food of Love

Indulge your taste buds, with a tasty concoction of exotic food. Enjoy some quality time together, appreciating the finer things in life! Course content changes every year, but each dish includes an ingredient thought to contain the properties of an aphrodisiac(!) and a typical lunch menu from a day would be :
Cheese and chive rolls, olive oil baguettes
White onion veloute, toasted almonds and Yorkshire blue cheese
Tagliatelle with Tiger prawns, mint, chilli, Parmesan and Champagne sauce
Pan roasted Yorkshire duck breast, Sugar-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Ginger and sesame seed pak choi, asparagus, beetroot fondant and Aniseed jus
Rich dark chocolate and orange Tart, Clotted cream, passion fruit.

and the skills covered would include : Making fresh pasta; flavoured and shaped breads; de-bone a whole bird; what to do with the bi- product i.e. stocks for soups, saucers and risotto; make sweet pastry; presentation skills and a master class in chocolate work

 

Italian

Master the simple and yet brilliant Italian basics such as pasta, but also explore some of the lesser known recipes and ingredients. Course content will change with every course, but a typical lunch menu from a day would be :

Focaccia, Polenta Bread
Broccoli soup with ricotta and Parmesan
Rabbit, Chestnut, Gorgonzola and wild Mushrooms Tagliatelle
Sea Bass with Basil Potato Puree, Pesto, slow roasted cherry tomatoes, braised baby gem.
Iced prosecco zabaglione, Pistachio Biscotti, Honey and vanilla ice cream.

and the skills covered would include : a master class in Butchery (whole bird); making fresh pasta, shapes and fillings; flavoured and shaped breads; classic Italian cooking techniques; fillet a whole fish; making ice cream and de- bone a whole rabbit

Mother’s Day

This is a day best spent for Mothers with friends or relatives. Revisit some of the old favourites, which we have reinterpreted with a modern twist for today’s family food, try out some new techniques and styles of food, and catch up on old times! Course content change every the year, but a typical lunch menu from a day would be :
Fruit and nut loaf, Brioche
Mushroom and blue cheese veloute.
Whitby crab salad, avocado mousse, bloody Mary dressing toasted Brioche
Short saddle of lamb, stuffed with spinach and smoked bacon, hasselback potatoes, maple carrots, creamed Savoy Cabbage, lamb and rosemary jus
Mini bread and butter pudding, yoghurt and honey panna cotta, Raspberry milkshake.

and the skills covered would include: Master class in filleting a round fish; cooking the perfect crab and preparation; flavoured and shaped breads; the art of a good soup; butchery skills; the art of a silky smooth puree and presentation skills.

Butchery and Carving Skills

The course will be spent working on knife and carving skills, boning and filleting, and understanding the different butcher’s cuts and joints. There is also a masterclass on marinades and barbecue techniques. An ideal gift for Father’s Day. Course content changes throughout the year, but a typical lunch menu from the day would be :

Onion and Bacon baguettes, Black Pudding Rolls.
Spiced Butternut and Coconut Veloute.
Ham Hock Pressing, Homemade piccalilli, Toasted Fruit and Nut Bread.
Pan Roasted Yorkshire Beef Rump, Buttered Spinach, Wild Mushrooms, Confit Cherry Tomatoes, Rosti Potato, Hollandaise Sauce
Sharp Lemon Tart, Raspberry Sorbet

and the skills covered would include : Flavoured and shaped breads; master class in Butchery; what to do with the bi- product i.e. stocks for soups, sauces and risotto; make sweet pastry; the art of a good soup; marinades and barbecue techniques; boning and filleting

Wild About Food

Your instructor, Chris Bax, will take you on a three hour foraging walk in the grounds (either in the parkland or slightly further afield on the Estate), where you can learn about wild edible food and what to avoid. Depending on the time of year Chris will be looking at greens, salads, mushrooms, nuts, berries plus other uses for woodland, meadow and hedgerow plants, with a particular focus on mushrooms and funghi in the autumn months.
Ingredients are then brought back to the cookery school where a demonstration meal is cooked for you by our Cookery School Chef, Robert Taylor, and eaten at the demonstration table.

 

Fish and Shellfish

Learn about the varieties of un-endangered fish and shellfish that can be readily sourced from our local waters, and enjoy some mouth watering recipes. Course content changes throughout the year, but a typical lunch menu from the day would be :
Focaccia, olive oil baguettes
Lobster Bisque
Smoked Whitby Haddock and Leek Risotto, Free Range Poached Egg, Parma Ham Crisp.
Pan Roasted Crispy Pollock with chorizo, butterbeans, fine beans and goats' cheese
Plum and almond tart with plum ripple ice cream

and the skills covered would include : flavoured and shaped breads; boning and filleting fish; making sweet pastry; what to do with the bi product i.e. stocks for soups, sauces and risotto; master class in filleting a flat fish; making ice cream; cooking the perfect risotto

Provenance Food : Grow and Eat Your Own

Susan Cunliffe-Lister starts the Provenance Food: Grow and Eat Your Own 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 Robert 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.

Student Grub

Learn how to cook a mean Pad Thai, the perfect steak or sensational fajitas. You have finished travelling around the world (for now), so liven up student life with some exotic (and a few old favourite) dishes, all designed to go easy on the budget. Course content changes throughout the year, but a typical lunch menu from the day would be :

Olive oil and Parmesan, Focaccia
Spiced plum tomato and chorizo soup
Oven roasted Flat cap mushrooms, goat cheese, Parma ham, Poached egg, rocket salad.
Tiger Prawn Pad Thai Egg noodles, coconut, coriander and chillies
Banana Bread and butter pudding, Vanilla crème anglaise

and the skills would include : flavoured and shaped breads; making pizza dough; cooking the perfect steak; what to do with the bi- product i.e. stocks for soups, sauces and risotto; the art of a good healthy soup; making fresh pasta, shapes and fillings; making a basic essential sauce that can be made in to 3-4 different meals for the week

Game

The Game masterclass courses offer an insight from Richard Townsend from Yorkshire Game into game, countryside practices and the different breeds of bird, 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 Robert 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.

 

Swinton Park Ltd., Swinton Park, Masham, Ripon, North Yorks HG4 4JH | Registered in England No.: 3696380
Email: enquiries@swintonpark.com | Tel: 01765 680900 | Toll Free from the USA: 1866 8103039

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