Overview
Plating and presenting food has become an art form all of its own, and without insider knowledge and technical skills, it can seem a challenging prospect to master.
On this one-day masterclass, we’ll demystify the professional tricks of the trade as well as plating principles. You’ll be taught to consider colour, texture, central height, borders, crockery style, the natural shape of ingredients and the benefit of working with odd numbers, and learn restaurant techniques for creating delicate finishes and garnishes. Ideal for proficient home-cooks, you’ll come away with the skillset to create dishes that look as spectacular as they taste.
Menu:
Spring
- Vichyssoise with sourdough croutons
- Salad with beetroot, goats cheese and candied pecans
- Lamb rump, madeira jus, potato and wild garlic terrine
- Chocolate nemesis, praline, chocolate croquant, cherry gel
Summer
- Gazpacho and sourdough croutons
- Salad of roasted tomatoes, aubergine, harissa chickpeas
- Halibut, cucumber beurre blanc, sea herbs and caviar
- Toasted almond, raspberry and cardamom mille feuille
Winter
- Celeriac and parma ham soup
- Salad with beetroot, goats cheese and candied pecans
- Venison, maderia jus, pickled blackberries, shallot puree and confit potatoes
- Chocolate nemesis, meringues, honeycombe and passionfruit gel
Menu may be subject to change
Course Structure
Cooking with your classmates is an integral part of your Leiths experience. You will cook some of your recipes in pairs, and some independently. Whatever the ratio, there is always more than enough food to go around, and often food to take home too.
Your day will consist of some cooking but the main element will be plating and presentation. The teacher will demonstrate various styles of presentation for you to try, while some parts of a dish may be made up in advance for you so that you can focus on the presentation.
Around 1pm, you will break for lunch and enjoy the dishes you have cooked with the rest of your class, accompanied by a glass of wine or other refreshments. In some classes, such as skills classes, where dishes may not be appropriate for lunch, a mezze lunch will be provided.
Practicalities
What’s included:
- Refreshments on arrival
- A recipe booklet
- All ingredients provided and weighed out for you in advance
- We do the washing up
What to bring:
- Flat soled shoes
- Long trousers and a long-sleeved top are advisable
Allergies and dietary restrictions
We are happy to make adjustments where possible. However, some classes are unsuitable for people with particular intolerances as the menu would need to be completely different. We need 10 days’ notice to be able to properly check the class and adjust the order accordingly. Please read our full policy on allergies and dietary restrictions here.
