Cookery classes in Brockford farmhouse kitchen set to launch
A new cookery school will launch in Suffolk early next year, aimed at showcasing some of the county’s top producers and creatives.
Based in The Street, Brockford, Mrs Portly’s Kitchen Classes have been set up by food writer and recipe developer Linda Duffin.
“Since I started doing my food blog in 2013, I have wanted to run cookery courses,” said Linda.
“Over the last few generations, cookery hasn’t been taught in schools the way it was when I was a child, and there is a limit to how much you can learn from watching a YouTube video.
“There’s no substitute for getting your hands in the bowl.”
From January, Mrs Portly’s Kitchen Classes will provide lessons that span a range of food-related skills from pasta-making to game cookery.
Alongside lessons with Linda, a range of courses are on offer, led by experts like Steve Tricker, of Truly Traceable, Simon Wooster, of Wooster’s Bakery, and artisan knifemaker Sergio Muelle, of Twisted Horseshoe Knives.
“I want this cookery school to be something out of the ordinary,” said Linda. “The most outstanding thing about Suffolk to me, as a cook, is the range and quality of the produce available and the passion that goes into rearing, growing or making it.”
The 61-year-old is a member of the Guild of Food Writers, a regular contributor to Suffolk Magazine and has been a judge of the EAT Suffolk Awards for the past four years.
The lessons for basic to intermediate skills will take place in the farmhouse kitchen at her Tudor home, which features twisty chimneys and even 16th-century witch-repelling devices.
Set within several acres of land, which include a herb and vegetable garden and an orchard, using home-grown ingredients and East Anglian produce underlines her commitment to seasonal and local cookery.
“People complicate cooking, especially on TV,” said Linda. “The point of my classes is that you learn the basic skills and go home with the confidence to take it from there.”
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There will also be sessions on vegetarian cooking and gluten-free baking. For more information, visit her website.
