THE team at The Press were invited to The Grand Hotel's Cookery School in York to get involved in one of their Chef's Table cooking classes.
Buried deep in the bowels of The Grand Hotel is a cooking experience that gives food lovers a chance to live their own personal episode of MasterChef.
Currently rated five stars on Google, The Grand’s Cookery School hosts a variety of culinary experiences from pizza making for kids to delicate dim sum classes for adults looking to put some flair into their meals.
This line-up also includes the bimonthly Chef’s Table – an experience that, in my opinion, lives up to the hotel’s top reputation.
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On arriving at The Grand, I sat down in the hotel bar to enjoy a drink prior to meeting my dining companion. One of my few criticisms of the night was the lack of direction that followed – aware that my start time was approaching and seeing other people being whisked away from the bar by staff, I approached staff for help.
It took four different people and a slightly confusing trip through the corridors of the hotel before I was able to reach the right spot – a brightly lit room on the bottom floor of the hotel, which saw 10 people sitting on bar stools around a cookery station.
After being seated at the table, I was greeted warmly by the team before being given a complimentary glass of champagne (something that, in my opinion, makes the perfect welcome) and the first of two rounds of summery canapes - slices of lamb rump with tzatziki on crispy prawn toast like bread.
Following on from this, we were given a warm crusty focaccia - a simple but effective snack that we wolfed down, before ‘refills’ were quickly delivered to our plate.
A third, and possibly my favourite, plate came in the form of a sashimi and tiger prawn dish, delicately constructed before our eyes with a dill reduction and salmon roe caviar. The sashimi was marinated in citrus and was Grade A, easily living up to that standard – even tasting fresher than anything I’d tried at famous Japanese fish markets.
After this was the starter - truffled duck egg with pickled globe artichoke, buttered carrots, beetroot crisps and wild nettle velouté. This was the only dish I had concerns about, being unsure about artichoke and nettles, but as soon as I had my first bite, I realised that I needn’t have worried.
The artichoke was incredible, one of my favourite bites of the evening, and the pickled vegetables and egg provided the perfect accompaniment. The wild nettle velouté – cooked with nettles that the team had hand picked earlier in the week – was fantastic and fresh.
Throughout the cooking process, Chef Luke Palmer and the team at the Cookery School did a fantastic job at not only keeping everyone engaged with the cooking process but also making them laugh. I found myself not wanting to step away from the table for fear of missing out on the banter that was going on.
They also engaged members of the class with the cooking process – bringing them down to help dress plates – and celebrated birthdays with extra champagne gifts and a group singsong.
In addition to the champagne on arrival, we also enjoyed a wine pairing. Whilst it was a little expensive at £55 for the full experience or £16 with an individual course, each glass – especially the first, a French Riesling formulated to be less oaky than the traditional version – was delicious and light.
It also helped that the staff were liberal with their refills.
For the main course, chef Luke not only showed us how to cook the perfect teriyaki steak but also the best way to cook fish – explaining to the table how to get the perfect crisp skin and cook, alongside a demo of how to best cook the meat and make the accompanying marinades.
Whilst an amateur cook myself, I will admit that much of my cooking philosophy is based on the principle of ‘yeah, that’s probably alright’, so being able to watch my food being made and understand the methods behind it was a real treat and helped me better appreciate my meal.
Between cooking the main and constructing the Peach Melba dessert, chef Luke gushed about his position at the school, taking us through his Michelin past and decision to start working at The Grand, stating: “It keeps me inventive.”
Around two and a half hours into the evening, dessert arrived. Whilst I very much enjoyed the flavours, it was probably my least favourite dish as the parfait was still slightly too frozen and required a bit of effort to break off. I do however feel the wine pairing was perfect with a sweet dessert wine – something I usually don’t enjoy, but thought was exceptional and the perfect match.
To finish up, a plate of homemade chocolate truffles and a complimentary hot drink was offered before one by one, attendees left the table at their own pace and headed out.
Overall, The Chef’s Table experience is one that I would absolutely recommend to any foodie or aspiring foodie; more than just the average meal, it was an experience.
To book the Chef's Table experience at The Grand, visit their website or contact the school directly at 01904 380045.
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