Specialities
Los Angeles emigre Sherri Singleton runs this recreational cookery school alongside two restaurants and a hotel, all in walking distance of one another, in the picturesque port of Mistley on the Stour estuary. She draws on the produce of local suppliers, growers and makers, and the expertise of a team of expert chef-instructors – both local talent and a coterie of popular food writers – for the school’s busy calendar one-day courses. Topics covered range from from knife skills, pasta, vegan cookery and children’s sessions to game birds and Christmas baking, with occasional forays into wine appreciation, too. Relaxed and convivial, the hands-on classes take place in a large, airy cooking studio with floor-to-ceiling windows opening onto the garden. The students (no more than dozen per class) work around a large island equipped with induction and gas hobs, and depending on the day’s recipes, also get their hands on Sherri’s wood-fired oven, as well as a bank of electric, steam and gas ovens for bakes and roasts. Exit via the cookware shop, where you can pick up kitchen gadgets, tableware, ingredients and wine.