Cheese making courses come to the Peak District

Cheese making courses will make their debut in Bakewell in the Peak District this Tuesday when renowned cheese maker Chris Ashby takes the first Introduction to cheese making course at Hartingtons School of Food. Chris has been delivering the cheese making courses at 'River Cottage' for several years.

During this artisan cheese making course students will learn how to make a camembert style soft cheese. After a lunch sampling some delicious local cheeses, in the afternoon students will go on to make a lemon cheese and if time permits a mozzarella cheese.

We have a number of artisan cheese making courses taking place in our School of Food this year and given the number of early bookings they are proving to be very popular.

Hartingtons have obtained all our supplies from Moorlands Cheesemakers Ltd who have been fantastically helpful in setting up our new venture. If you do need any cheese-making supplies they are a really good place to start.

Cheese-making courses - Peak District

Another bread making course SELLS OUT!

Another artisan bread making course sells out at Hartingtons School of Food in Bakewell.

This time it's Andrew Auld's introduction to sourdough bread baking.

If you are interested in a sourdough course please email your details through the contact page as we will be announcing further dates very shortly.

There is still 1 space on the introduction to artisan bread making course on the 29th March and a few spaces left on the Italian Breadmaking Course on 20th May.

Let get Baking in Bakewell!

Artisan bread making - we love it!

Bread is in our DNA. We love it at Hartingtons and are enthusiastic supporters of the Real Bread Campaign to get more of us eating and making it.

Our mission is to turn Hartingtons into a centre of excellence for Artisan Bread Baking in the Peak District ......and why not the whole country!

Since we opened the doors of our wonderful converted saw mill back in January we have already put on numerous bread making courses with our renowned bakers.

Our bakers!

Andrew Auld is a self taught master baker with his own commercial bakery The Loaf in Crich. His introduction to Artisan Bread Making has been a huge hit and sells out within days. Andrew is also passionate about Sourdough Bread and it is still possible to join Andrew for his introduction to Sourdough bread making course in May.

David Neville is a chef, restaurateur and consultant. He advises the likes of M & S and Morrisons on how they can make their bread better. He is an expert in bread making on a commercial scale but has lost none of his passion for true artisan bread production. He loves the Mediterranean and especially Spain hence him setting up El Toro a renowned Tapas restaurant in Sheffield. His Italian bread courses have been a great success.

Mick Saxton is a true home baker. He has set up his own artisan bread making business called Saxtons Home Bakery at his house in Sheffield supplying his local community. Mick is living proof that you don't need fancy commercial ovens to produce great artisan bread. Mick will be at Hartingtons on 28 April for the Bakewell Food Festival demonstrating how he makes artisan bread and then selling freshly baked rye and sourdough bread fresh from the oven. Delicious!

To have a look at our recent artisan bread making courses why not check out the photos on our Facebook page.

You can also follow the progress of our own sourdough culture 'junior hartingtons'. Isn't he cute!

If you feel passionate about real bread why not join the Real Bread Campaign and take advantage of our 10% discount on bread making courses for Real Bread Campaign members.

Hartingtons - passionate about artisan bread making!

Trip Advisor - closing in on Chatsworth House!

We may be a new business but Hartingtons is determined to make an impact within Bakewell and the surrounding Peak District.

We are now listed on Tripadvisor and have surged up the rankings from nowhere to be the 3rd highest ranked attraction in Bakewell.

The number one attraction is Chatsworth House set in the glorious Peak District. OK, it might be some time before Hartingtons overtakes Chatsworth in the visitor stakes...but we are closing in!

If you have done a cookery course with us recently why not follow the link below and write a review.

• Write a review of Hartingtons of Bakewell

Junior Hartingtons in Bakewell

There have been two births at Hartingtons School of Food in Bakewell recently.


The first was junior Hartingtons. As you can see our first ever sourdough culture is now in short trousers metaphorically speaking and is fast growing up to be a proper sourdough culture that we are hoping to use in our first ever sourdough bread making course on the 3rd May. The image shows junior at feeding time as we spruce him up by changing his flour.

The other new addition to the Hartingtons stable was Hartingtons New Ale which was bottled as part of the finale of the first ever introduction to artisan beer brewing course. The course tutored by Paul Taylor was a fantastic event and one which hopefully will inspire a host of new beer makers who realise that they don't need expensive kit to get out there and start brewing their own unique and great tasting artisan beer from raw ingredients. We are already planning a series of beer brewing courses in Bakewell in the Peak District over the coming months so keep watching the website if you are interested.

Also if you are thinking of organising a stag event in the Peak District how about a day learning and producing your own unique beer for your wedding party? For more details please contact us

New beer launches in Bakewell

A new beer is about to see the first light of day as part of Hartingtons School of Food's first ever introduction to artisan beer brewing course in Bakewell on Saturday.

This course is aimed at the curious and those keen to find out how they can brew their own great tasting real ale in their own kitchen all from raw ingredients.

We will prove that you don't need expensive kit to make fantastic tasting real ale.

The tutor for the course Paul Taylor has made his own brew called Hartingtons New Ale especially for the course and will bring along some for the students to bottle at the end of the beer brewing course. The beer promises much. According to Paul this pale ale uses Maris Otter pale ale malt and has been bittered with UK Goldings hops and flavoured with US Cascade hops to give a refreshing pale ale that is perfect for spring and summer drinking. Can't wait to try it.

If you are interested in doing a beer brewing course in the Peak District this Saturday under expert tuition there are still just a couple of places so check out the website for further details.

Hartingtons School of Food ......food for thought

Hen parties in the Peak District

Hartingtons is a school of food in the Peak District. We also like to entertain!

We have had numerous enquiries over the last few weeks from people looking at organising hen and stag parties in the Peak District.....so if you want to do something different in the Peak District involving your stag or hen party and focused around food why not drop us an email or give us a call.

We can put on everything from sausage making, cup cake decorating to "full on" cookery courses with a celebrity chef. No event is too big or too small. Let us help you put on something a little special for your big day.

Hartingtons School of Food - Bakewell in the heart of the Peak District.

New birth in Bakewell

Hartingtons gave birth to its own mother culture last week. This sourdough starter culture can be used in our future artisan sourdough bread making courses.

We made our culture under the instruction of one of our bread making tutors David Neville who incidentally is off to work with Morrisons, starting this week to help them upgrade their already impressive range of artisan breads. Apparently, Morrisons are the only one of the big supermarkets that have retained genuine bread baking facilities within their stores.

To make you own starter culture all you need is flour, water and some grapes. Leave the culture exposed to the atmosphere and it will pick up the natural wild yeast spores, which then work symbiotically with bacteria to produce the unique sour taste. Each starter has a completely original composition. This made the birth of Hartingtons 'junior' a very special moment in Hartingtons short life.

We are doing a sourdough bread making course in May with Andrew Auld of the Loaf. By then young Hartingtons may even be old enough to play his part.

Artisan Italian Bread Making Course In Bakewell

The latest artisan bread making course took place at Hartingtons School of Food on Sunday.

This relaxed baking course took place in Bakewell in the Peak District with students learning all about the mystery of the biga. It was refreshing to hear our tutor David Neville's first rule was to discard the constraints of a standard bread baking recipe. It was all about feeling the dough!

The students produced a fantastic focaccia and a ciabatta as well as producing their own personalised pizza. In addition to this they also made their own delicious pumpkin soup. Lunch was a bowl of the soup together with freshly made olive and rosemary focaccia.

All the students left inspired by their artisan bread making course.......so if you too want to be inspired why not have a look at some of the forthcoming artisan bread making courses at Hartingtons in Bakewell in the coming weeks.

We can guarantee that learning to make your own artisan bread will inspire you to bigger & better things in 2012.

See images from our artisan bread making courses.

Flippin eck......It's not long to Pancake Day!

To celebrate Shrove Tuesday on 21st February Hartingtons will be holding a pancake masterclass under the expert guidance of chef Frank Boddy.

The course will not only show you how to make traditional pancakes and toss them correctly......but you will also learn how to make canape size blinis, flambe crepes suzette, perfect American style pancakes and also make a delicious savoury pancake supper dish.

The event promises to be a great deal of fun....and at the end of the day you will have a selection of your own pancake creations to take home and enjoy on Shrove Tuesday!
Flippin marvellous!

Hartingtons - Food Experience

Sourdough bread making course

The popularity of artisan bread making cannot be denied. One of the most resurgent areas of bread making that has come about is that of sourdough. You can tell sourdough by the irregularity and relatively large size of the air pockets within the crumb of the loaf (see image ).

What is sourdough?

Sourdough bread making uses a naturally occurring combination of bacteria and yeast which was first used as far back as ancient Egyptian times to leaven bread (make it rise). It was used exclusively until the middle ages but now has been replaced largely by cultured or 'bakers' yeast. Sourdough is particularly important in Rye bread making because rye does not contain enough gluten to make leavening with cultured yeast rise effectively.

The popularity of sourdough

Sourdough bread has become more available in recent years with the increasing popularity of artisan bread producers who champion the cause of real bread production and a return to more traditional styles of bread making.

Taste wise it has a more sour or tangy taste than cultured bread. I love it and it makes particularly brilliant toast.

Hartingtons is pleased to announce that we have the Peak Districts finest artisan baker Andrew Auld from the Loaf in Crich taking a full days course in the art of sourdough baking on 3rd May.

So if you want to learn how to make this truly traditional artisan style of bread come along for a full days bread making course in Bakewell and learn something new in 2012.

Hartingtons - Food Experience

Artisan chocolate making course

Do you love chocolate as much as me?

Find out all about our new chocolate making course with Master Chocolatier Barry Colenso.

Barry was Master Chocolatier at world renowned chocolate maker Thorntons for over 20 years.
These days Barry concentrates on creating his own artisan chocolates and passing on the love of chocolate making to a whole new generation of chocolate makers.

This is the perfect chocolate course for all chocolate lovers to find out more about the food that is chocolate and learn the skills to make their own artisan chocolates at home.

Hartingtons - Food Experience

"Just Canapes"

Are you looking to entertain this year?

There can be nothing better than 'kicking off' the show with some cultured canapes. Canapes are guaranteed to get your digestive juices going. They are a a great way of showing off your culinary creativity without filling your guests in the way tapas do.

Under the expert tuition of Frank Boddy our new cookery course 'Just Canapes' will show you how to create some exciting canapes to delight and impress your guests.

Examples of the type of mouth watering ensemble you will be shown how to create include:

smoked salmon blinis with quails egg
seared beef with red onion marmalade and roasted peppers on crostini
empanadillas (mini pastries)
courgette candles
seared tuna with sesame seeds, wasabi, cucumber and radish
crab cakes
hot cheese puffs
puff pastry squares with tomato and goats cheese
teriyaki beef in lettuce cups
prosciutto, pear and rocket rolls

Fancy it? Just book online. They are 'Just Canapes' but more importantly they taste simply delicious.

To find out more about this half day cookery course have a look at the website.

Pork Pie Course Launches

Pork pies are a bit like Marmite. You either love them or hate them.

I was pretty much a hater until I tasted Liberty Foods pork pies at one of our food fairs. I was immediately struck by how light the pastry was and how meaty the filling tasted.

If pies could be made to taste this good.....not at all like the mass produced, blended, over processed ones sealed in a sarcophagus of endless pastry........ then I wanted to know more.

The artisan producer of these genius creations is Simon Barnes. Simon will be revealing his pork pie making secrets in this half day artisan pork pie making course exclusively at Hartingtons. You too can now find out out how to make the unique hot water crust pastry together with which cuts of meat are combined to produce the ultimate meat filling for his pork pies. Simon will not only show you how to make the Great British traditional pork pie but also how to customise the classic so that you will be able to go home and experiment with your own unique flavours.

Become an artisan pork pie maker in less than a day and see why I was transformed from a hater to a lover of the pork pie.

Cookery courses - be inspired in 2012

Sushi Sunday in Bakewell

Have you had enough heavy Christmas food and drink? Are you determined to eat more healthily in 2012?

How about learning how to make your own sushi?

We are putting on a fantastic sushi making course in April under the expert tutorship of Tomo Hasegawa a graduate of the Tokyo Sushi Academy. On the course you will learn how the different types of sushi are made and then practice your own skills.

This is a relaxed, fun but hands on half day cookery course that will set you up to eat more healthily in 2012. Tastes great too!

BOOK NOW!

Christmas shopping for a foodie friend or family?

Are you struggling to find a Christmas present for a foodie friend or member of the family? Don't panic!

Hartingtons is open for business all the way up to Christmas Eve. If you are looking for food related present why not buy a loved one a cookery course for Christmas. How about an inspirational artisan bread making course or even an artisan beer brewing course? We can email you by return a personalised gift letter that you can present on Christmas Morning.

We can take payment online using paypal, over the phone with your card or just send us a cheque instead.

Don't forget if you are struggling for a Christmas present for a foodie.........all is not lost. Buy them an inspirational cookery course in 2012. You know they'll love it!

Hartingtons - cookery courses

Artisan Bread Baking Course Sells Out!

We knew we were putting on a brilliant Introduction To Artisan Bread Making course
with the full day course being tutored by acclaimed Master Baker Andrew Auld from the Loaf in Crich

........but we have been overwhelmed by the popularity of the course and can now announce that the January course has SOLD OUT.

The good news is that there is still some limited availability for the Introduction To Artisan Bread Making course at the beginning of March. So if you are interested ....don't wait too long before booking.

If you like the idea of bread baking but prefer a weekend course what about a relaxed Sunday baking course to learn how to bake Italian bread such as Foccacia and Ciabatta? These courses in February and March are proving incredibly popular!

Hartingtons love real bread and bread baking so why not get involved in the New Year!

Why not come and see our Cookery School in Bakewell on our last Open Day of the year?

Hartingtons Food Experience

Exciting NEW courses coming soon....

We are already running some fabulous cookery courses in January, February and March.

How about World Flavours in one pot. Ideal for people looking at learning to cook using a range of fascinating flavours but with the convenience of only using one pot.

Love baking? How about learning to make artisan bread?

NEW COURSES in 2012....coming soon

Hartingtons of Bakewell is all about inspiring people to get more out of their appreciation of food. To this end we are planning some inspirational cookery courses in early 2012.

How about these to whet your appetite?

• Learn to make your own great tasting sushi on our "Sushi Sunday"
• Join our Sunday Tapas Masterclass...great for entertaining!
• How to make the ultimate pork pie. It's a great british classic..learn to make and customise your very own pork pie.
• Food writing and blogging - whether you want to set up your own blog as a hobby or as a step to a new career. Do you have a business you want to promote. We will teach you over a weekend all the skills necessary to for you to communicate effectively with the world about food via the internet. We all have a voice - learn how to use yours!
  

Why not give one of our cookery courses as a present using our gift vouchers.

Hartingtons - Food Experience

Brewing up a storm in Bakewell.

Many would say that Bakewell is best known for its baking and the world famous Bakewell Pudding........but this could all be about to change if new cookery school and artisan food events business Hartingtons has anything to do with it.

Bakewell has recently acquired brewing credibility following the relocation of award winning micro brewery Thornbridge Ales to the town. Now Hartingtons wants to teach the whole world how to brew fantastic tasting real ales and beer at home using 100% natural ingredients.

Hartingtons Artisan beer brewing course has been specially designed for all those who want to learn how to brew real ale in the natural traditional way.

Paul Taylor from Murphy and Son in Nottingham will demonstrate from first principles how to set up a 'brew' using basic domestic equipment and using 100% natural ingredients. He will also carry out a tutored beer tasting highlighting some well known and distinctive beers and what in the selection of their ingredients and the brewing process makes them taste so different. By doing this he will highlight how the brewer can change the mix to personalise their own brews to meet their individual taste. Paul will take people through the entire brewing process and the resulting brew will form the basis of Hartingtons first ever beer to be called Hartingtons Pheonix Ale.

The full day beer brewing course comes with beer brewing notes and a light lunch and at the end of the day attendees will have all the skills and knowledge to go home and start their own brew from scratch.

The course is proving to be incredibly popular with 5 spaces having been booked since the weekend.

Payment can be made online, by cheque or with a card and both gift vouchers and gift letters are available for those looking to purchase the course as a present.

Hartingtons - Food Experience

Hartingtons supports Real Bread

Hartingtons is proud to be a member of the Real Bread Campaign.

Find out more about the principles of real bread.

We are running several bread making courses in 2012. On 26th January and 1st March we have full day courses taken by Andrew Auld, Head Baker and owner of the Loaf in Crich.

Andrew's introduction to Artisan Bread Baking will show you how to make three different doughs: A white or brown dough, Focaccia and a sweet dough. Andrew is very passionate about his craft and during the day you will learn lots of useful tips to improve your bread making at home.

If you fancy a weekend course we are also running two Sunday half day courses in February and March on Italian Bread Making as part of our series of "A Tour of World Breads". The courses are tutored by David Neville and you will learn how to make Ciabatta, Focaccia and a traditional Pizza base dough together with a typical Italian dish to accompany your bread......a must for all lovers of Mediterranean style food.

Don't forget if you are struggling to find a Christmas present our cookery courses make an ideal Christmas Gift and we can provide a personalised Gift Letter or Gift Voucher for you to give on Christmas Day.

If you want to have a look at our Cookery School please come along to our next Open Day on 17th December in Bakewell from 10.00 to 4.00. We would love to meet you!