Cookery School In Lincolnshire UK

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Nigel

Hard work pays rewards; well that's what they say.

I can remember being about 13 and that was probably one of the last phrases on my mind as a teenage boy. Having said that, hard work was something I was already familiar with.

From an early age I was working in the family business, catering would you believe! So it was just one of those things when I followed my two brothers footsteps to Hull college to do my two years full time catering training as they had done previously. The years passed by in Hull and out popped another trained chef with high aspirations but little confidence within to face the larger world of catering.

Not content with just the basic training I'd received at Hull college, I also attended Grimsby College to enhance my skills in the patisserie section and Scarborough College to enhance my kitchen and larder skills, these two courses better known as the City and Guilds 706-3 were in the catering world the equivalent to Her Majesties elite SAS training!

Another three years training under my belt and one more to go, not catering this time though, teacher training at Beverly College - that should sort out the self confidence issues I had with myself!

I'd realised by this time that I had just spent seven years at colleges, I could have studied to have been a doctor in the same time, oh well never mind, we all still need to eat.



In 1988 I broke the mould, left home and headed off in the direction of London and ended up around the bright lights of Heathrow, believe me it was no holiday when I arrived. I was interviewed, shown the kitchens of an 800 bed hotel with conference catering for 1000. One of the bedrooms was to be my home, I literally started work there the next day, reality had kicked in!

The Executive Chef must have seen something promising in me as my entry level into his kitchen was 6th in line for his job as Junior Sauce Chef in the a la carte restaurant kitchen.

Talk about pressure, it was all there and I couldn't afford to get myself into a pickle if you know what I mean, the pressure was on - big time.

I survived my first week. Even after having to share a bedroom with the night porter it didn't put me off staying for 6 months in the end, made some great friends too.

Hungry for change and more cash I looked for a challenge. I had impressed the Executive Chef in the six months I had served so I asked for a position upgrade and pay rise under threat of leaving for another job "like you do"!



Well, that paid off, a pay rise and a title upgrade to Senior Sauce Chef. Chef was so impressed with my cheek for asking to the point he was also happy to write me a glowing reference towards my next challenge which was to be Pastry Chef de Partie in another hotel.

The challenge arrived and I found myself working in a fantastic pastry kitchen alongside a great Italian Head Pastry chef called Marcello Pocatterra.



It was a struggle to understand Marcello at first but in time it got easier, we worked well together and he too liked my style and commitment to the job. He had a cupboard in the pastry kitchen that he kept locked at all times, even when he was working. On his day off he would only let me and the Executive Chef have the key. He kept his hand made chocolates and petit fours in there, I felt honoured that I was also to be a key holder in his absence.

A one month secondment to Ecole Le Notre, a highly acclaimed patisserie school in Paris was next on the cards all thanks to Marcello, who pushed my boundaries even further.

Marcello retired back to Italy and I took over as Head Pastry Chef, not bad progress for a quiet and shy lad from Driffield, East Yorkshire.

22 years on and I'm still donning the Chef's jacket. There's been lots of ups and downs and other jobs in catering along the way from teaching in colleges and secondary schools to running my own outside catering business and now a very successful cookery school along with cookery demonstrations up and down the country.



I've previously had screen tests for BBC2's Ready Steady Cook, catered for Royalty and appeared regularly on local radio. Requests for a cookery book to be published are frequent and television work is a strong possibility on the horizon. I've worked with some of the nation's favourites such as Jean-Christophe Novelli, Ainsley Harriot, Richard Fox and just recently, fellow chef and Yorkshireman James Martin.



2010/11 looks to be another hectic year with events being planned already and would you believe there has even been some interest from an Australian food festival for 2012 featuring James Martin and myself as the "Yorkshire Chefs on Tour".



It's true what they say, long unsocial hours, split shifts, low pay, hot kitchen, firey temperaments, growling chefs and demanding managers with budgets. A life of catering can be hard work and often seem relentless and unrewarding, "but", like any profession or trade, hard work does pay rewards!

I'm the proof of the pudding!



Nigel Brown

Hundreds gathered outside Sainsbury's in Wilmslow on Saturday March 20th for the Love Food Hate Waste Roadshow. Organised by Cheshire East Council, the event looked at how food, which would normally be wasted, could be transformed into tasty meals for all the family.

From 10am until 4pm, shoppers were treated to a culinary display by celebrity chef, Nigel Brown. He demonstrated how to create a tasty pasta salad and fruit smoothies. Nigel also held a 'Food Surgery' where local residents could ask his advice on making more of their leftovers.

Councillor Rod Menlove, Cabinet member with responsibility for Environmental Services said: "The roadshows demonstrate just how easy it is to cut food waste, simply by planning meals better, storing food more efficiently and being a little more creative with leftovers."

We throw away 8.3 million tonnes of food and drink in the UK every year. The average UK family could make a saving of 50 a month by cutting down on food waste, and by reducing the amount of food that we send to landfill we can also have a positive environmental impact.

Further information and tips on how to enjoy food and reduce food waste are available on the Love Food Hate Waste website.

Picture: Chef Nigel Brown who created a healthy pasta salad for Sainsburys Store manager Steve Morris and Cheshire East Councillor Rod Menlove.

About This Article
Author: Lisa Reeves
Published: 24th March, 2010

Thursday 21st January 2010 saw Nigel have the honour, pleasure and privilege of providing lunch, refreshments and an in-flight afternoon tea to royalty. The occasion was the Princess Royal's official visit to Lincolnshire.

Lincolnshire based grocery company Nisa International received the Queen's Award for Enterprise in International Trade from visiting royal Princess Anne. For such a prestigious award and occasion Nisa International asked Nigel to provide his services to prepare lunch and refreshments for the visiting royal. Following the visit Nigel also prepared an in-flight afternoon tea of canapes and cakes for the princess for her return royal flight.

Hot on the meals and ideas generated by the 2009 Love Food Hate Waste campaign, people in York and Harrogate will get another taste of roadshows encouraging them to tuck into exciting menus using food leftovers.



Cooking up meals from ingredients lingering in the fridge doesn't have to be difficult and top chef Nigel Brown of the Nigel Brown Cookery Academy will show you how. Nigel will be sharing his expertise with residents and will dish out advice and tips for using food leftovers and store-cupboard ingredients at a series of roadshows organised by the York and North Yorkshire waste partnership. The events support the national love food hate waste campaign which aims to reduce food waste and by following simple hints and tips shows how each family can save 50 a month.

Reducing food waste by using up leftovers can have a big impact on our pockets as the average household throws away 480 of good food a year.

County Councillor Clare Wood, and chairman of the York and North Yorkshire waste partnership commented, "By working with Nigel we hope to show residents how easy it is to save money and reduce waste by cooking up interesting meals from everyday items."

The events and cookery demonstrations are taking place from 10.30am to 3.30pm each day at the following locations:

Parliament Street, York City Centre - Wednesday 7th April
Ripon - by Sainsbury's car park - Thursday 8th April
By information centre, Monks Cross - York - Friday 9th April
Harrogate - Prospect Crescent - Saturday 10th April

www.nigelbrownchef.co.uk

Ingredients

3 - 4 sticks rhubarb, cut into 3cm pieces
2 cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated
1 ½ tablespoons caster sugar
50g brown sugar
100g plain flour
100g butter

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Place the rhubarb sprinkled with the ginger in an ovenproof dish; add a little water and the caster sugar, cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes, or until the rhubarb is tender.

Meanwhile combine the flour, brown sugar and rub the diced butter through until you have a consistency that resembles large breadcrumbs.

Place the rhubarb and its juices in an lightly greased oven proof dish, cover with crumble mix and cook for 30 to 35 minutes or until the crumble is a lovely golden brown.

Happy Cooking
Nigel

Meridian Park is proud to announce the launch of the first Lincolnshire Fine Food and Drink Show 2010 at Meridian Park, Cleethorpes on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th April 2010 in association with Tastes of Lincolnshire. This impressive two day event will showcase 3 daily cookery demonstrations from top celebrity chefs Jean Christophe Novelli and Rachel Allen with the Rangemaster Cookery Theatre and exhibitors from Lincolnshire's top food and drink producers.

All live cookery demonstrations will be prepared under a heated 'big top' using The Rangemaster Cookery Theatre complete with plasma screens.

Described by the BBC as the Irish Cooking Queen, Rachel Allen will be demonstrating on 24th. Rachel is the author of four bestselling cookery books, which include Rachel's Favourite Food at Home and Rachel's Food for Living and her extremely popular television series been broadcast internationally and she frequently appears on BBC's Saturday Kitchen.



Dubbed "the nation's favourite French Chef" Jean Christophe Novelli will be demonstrating on the 25th. 5 AA Rosette and Michelin award winning chef began his exciting career at the age of fourteen as a baker in his home town of Arras, Northern France, becoming private Head Chef to Elie de Rothschild in Paris before the age of 20. Some of his culinary accolades include '5 AA Rosettes', 'AA Chefs Chef of the Year' 1998, 'European Chef of the Year' competition representing Great Britain, 'Face of the Future' The Times 1986, 'Newcomer of the Year' Carlton TV Awards, Egon Ronay ' Dessert of the Year 1992' for his famous Jack-in-the-Box dessert, many times voted 'Restaurant of the Year', awarded on numerous occasions 'Best Restaurant of the Year outside London' and following the bit in between he is currently setting up a Novelli Academy/Chefs Table in Los Angeles.Also exhibiting on the day are the local producers who are passionate about their produce and who will be waiting for you to sample and buy their delicious food and drink. Produce will include the finest that the Lincolnshire area has to offer.



North Lincolnshire's very own top chef Nigel Brown will also be attending the show in association with the Love Food, Hate Waste campaign. Nigel has been touring the country with the campaign roadshow entertaining audiences with top tips and hints for creating culinary masterpieces and tasty treats from food which would otherwise never make it onto the plate. When Nigel's not appearing at major food festivals around the country he runs an exclusive cookery school in North Lincolnshire, regularly appears on BBC Radio Humberside and writes a column in the prestigious Hull Renaissance Magazine.

So whether you a serious "foodie" or someone who just appreciates good food and drink there will be plenty to see at the show and entrance prices are family friendly - adults £5.00 and under 16's go free!
As well as visiting the event there are also a number of other ways you can get involved, such as being a stall holder at the event and sponsorship opportunities. If you would like further information on the show or are a local business interested in getting involved please contact Stuart Kennerley - stuartkennerley@theambassadors.com

Lincolnshire Fine Food and Drink Show 2010
Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th April 2010
Time: 10am - 5pm
Ticket Prices:
Adults: £5.00
Children: under 16 go free and must be accompanied by a full paying adult**
** available from the Grimsby Auditorium Box Office only or on day at the Meridian Park which will open on Monday day from 9.30am.
Tickets for this event will go on sale: Monday 25th January 2010
Box Office: 0844 847 2426*
www.meridianpark.co.uk*
*booking/transaction fee may apply

In top chef Nigel Brown's diary, Saturday cookery courses in his kitchen in North Lincolnshire are as rare as the proverbial 'rocking horse poo'. However, there is one Saturday date available on 16th January for the Cookery Academy's popular one day course East Meets West - Nigel's take on Indian, Chinese, Japanese and Thai food.

With a maximum of 4 to a class, this fully hands-on course ensures you get Nigel's full attention throughout the day as well as lots of tasty goodies to take home and share with your family or friends.

For full details of the East Meets West course, visit http://www.nigelbrownchef.co.uk/East_Meets_West_Cookery_Course.html

This course is now full but further dates are available.

Top Chefs Nigel Brown and James Martin are to appear in Hull.

7 Mar 2010 @ 1.30pm, 4pm and 6.30 pm - Main House

Hull Truck Food Festival feat James Martin and Nigel Brown

Details:

Hull Truck is delighted to welcome James Martin to the stage this March! The presenter of the popular Saturday Kitchen, regular on the small screen and a highly successful author, is the star attraction at Hull Truck's first ever food festival.

Accompanying James on stage will be BBC Radio Humberside's 'Resident Celebrity Chef' and food features writer, Nigel Brown. Nigel also runs an exclusive cookery school and will be showcasing recipes using some of the best local and seasonal produce.

11am - 5pm

Hull Truck is also delighted to welcome a whole host of suppliers exhibiting at the food festival, showcasing the best of local produce. Come along and enjoy a family afternoon of food and fun! A charity raffle will also be held to raise money for the continuing work of Hull Truck Theatre.

Event Sponsored by Nigel Brown Cookery Academy

Tel. 01469 53004

Cast:

James Martin

James' early love of food which was nurtured at Castle Howard where his father ran the catering and where James often helped out - he even helped cook for the Queen Mother at 11! At 16 he began his formal training at Scarborough Technical College, where he was Student of the Year for three years running. At the tender age of 22, he opened the Hotel and Bistro du Vin in Winchester as Head Chef, where he changed the menu every day.

James' message about food has always been the same - he has been passionate about celebrating British food, using the best ingredients possible and creating simple, delicious recipes accessible to all.

Nigel Brown

Nigel Brown is BBC Radio Humberside's Resident Celebrity Chef. During his career he's worked at some of the UK's biggest and busiest hotels and competed in many national competitions including the London Hotelympia Salon Culinaire competitions and also won a place in the Trusthouse Forte's Chef of the Year competition.

Previously Nigel spent time overseas at the highly acclaimed French cookery school Ecole Le Notre where he picked up a wealth of experience and knowledge in areas of specialist patisserie work. He, like fellow chef and Yorkshire man James Martin both share the privilege of attending Scarborough College, both Nigel and James are highly regarded by senior lecturer Ken Allinson.

Tickets:

Cookery Demonstration feat. James Martin and Nigel Brown
£20

Hull Truck Food Festival
Free Entry

Or call our Box Office: 01482 323 638

NEWSFLASH!!!

Follow this link for more details and online booking for this fantastic event Hull Truck Theatre

The East of England Food Festival

Knebworth House, Knebworth, SG1 2AX
The East of England Food Festival

Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 April 2010

Open: 10.00am - 5pm

A celebration of all that is good to eat and drink from across the eastern region and far beyond. As well as a huge range of food and drink (and related goodies) there will also be unique arts, craft and gift products to enjoy. A full programme of food and cookery demonstrations by top chef Nigel Brown as well as wine and beer tasting sessions will all add to a really good weekend for everyone from the amateur enthusiast through to the most sophisticated gastronome.

Admission: £ 8, Family ticket (for 4 persons) £ 28

Tickets include entrance to Gardens, Park, Dinosaur Trail and Adventure Playground

FREE PARKING

Directions

The Nigel Brown Cookery Academy has a range of fantastic courses which are being offered to those taking their first steps in the kitchen to advanced skills and presentation techniques. All the courses are hosted by top chef Nigel in his own kitchen in North Lincolnshire and offer you the chance to spend time in his home enjoying the pleasure of cooking.

These exclusive courses are run for a maximum of 4 students to ensure you get the individual attention you deserve and include an academy apron, recipe booklet, refreshments and lunch. Gift vouchers are also available if you'd like to treat that special person in your life to a day of fun, laughter and memories they will never forget.

Top chef, Nigel Brown, is a highly acclaimed and recognised chef/lecturer in several specialities having worked for many years in the catering, training and hospitality industry.

He makes regular appearances on the Rangemaster cookery theatre stages at most of the UK's national food festivals alongside other celebrity chefs such as James Martin, Jean-Christophe Novelli, Ainsley Harriott, Rachel Green, Teresa Bovey and many more.

Nigel works closely with the Novelli Academy delivering specialist patisserie courses and corporate events www.jeanchristophenovelli.com/booking_steven.html#onedaycourses, and is in the process of screen-testing for BBC2's Ready Steady Cook.

You can also listen to Nigel in his role as Resident Celebrity Chef on Lara King's morning show on BBC Radio Humberside.

If you would like more information about cookery school courses or would like to suggest any particular themes for a new class then send Nigel an email to info@nigelbrownchef.co.uk or visit his website at www.nigelbrownchef.co.uk

Course booking & enquiries
www.nigelbrownchef.co.uk
Email: info@nigelbrownchef.co.uk
Tel: 01469 530044

Hi Pudding Lovers,

We've had such a wonderful response to Nigel's Christmas Pudding Cheesecake that he's been demonstrating at Christmas food festivals recently that we thought we'd like to share it with everyone. I'll get a picture of it at the next demonstration but until then here's the recipe. It's a great way to use up left over pudding or as an alternative dessert on Christmas Day.

Christmas Pudding Cheesecake

Ingredients:

200g Christmas Pudding
200g full fat Cream Cheese
250ml Whipping Cream
2 tablespoons Elderflower Cordial
1 tablespoon Brandy
50g Butter
200g crushed Digestive/Gingernut Biscuits
8 fresh Blackberries
4 fresh Strawberries
8 fresh Cape Gooseberries
Olive Oil
Icing Sugar

Method:

Slice the Christmas Pudding to approximately 1cm thick and lightly fry in a non-stick frying pan treating it as if it were black pudding.
Once cooked remove from pan and place into a large bowl and allow to cool.
Prepare your cheesecake ring by lightly oiling with olive oil and place on a quality cake board.
Melt the butter in a pan and add to the crushed biscuits and mix well.
Place the biscuit mixture into the bottom of the flan ring but don' t pack tightly.
Add the brandy and elderflower cordial to the Christmas pudding and mix together. Soften the cream cheese and add to the mixture.
Whip the cream to a stiff peak and fold into the mixture.
Place the mixture onto the biscuit base and level with a palette knife to the top of the ring.
Wash all the berries and cut the strawberries in half and alternate the berries around the top rim of the cheesecake. Chill for 2 hours.
Remove the ring and serve.

Serving suggestion:
Serve with a warm cranberry topping

Fresh Cranberry Topping

Ingredients:

250ml Water
400g fresh Cranberries
100g Icing Sugar

Method:
Wash the berries and place in a pan with the water and icing sugar.
Bring to the boil and simmer until it becomes a shiny red syrup consistency.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Serving suggestion:

Either serve cold on top of the Christmas Pudding Cheesecake or serve warm and separately with cheesecake or ice-cream.

If you've got any questions or suggestions just let us know.

A personalised invitation to The Nigel Brown Cookery Academy is an excellent gift for Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, a wedding present with a difference or any occasion where you want to spoil a special person whether they are family, a friend or a valued employee.

Don't worry about having to choose a course or a date, vouchers are valid for 6 months and can be used as full or part payment towards any of Nigel's exclusive classes.

The personalised voucher pack (which contains a glossy invitation, cookery school and course information) can either be sent to you to gift wrap or straight to the lucky recipient as a wonderful surprise through the post.

Gift vouchers can be paid for by cheque through the post or credit/debit card over the phone. Choose either £95 for a half day course or £175 for a one day course including lunch and academy apron.

For more information about current courses and dates visit our website.

Ingredients:
1lb cod skinned
150g noodles
10g Thai spice
1/4pt whipping cream
20g lemon juice
Small bunch of chives
Olive oil
1tbsp light soy sauce
½ Spanish onion
200g chopped tomatoes
10g sugar
1tbsp vinegar

Method:

Place the noodles in boiling salted water for approximately 3 minutes.
In a separate pan heat the olive oil and add the finely chopped Spanish onion along with the Thai spice and soy sauce.
Place the lid back on the pan and allow to cook until the onions are soft.
Add the sugar, vinegar and chopped tomatoes.
When the sauce has reduced by a third add the cod and allow to cook for 2/3 minutes with the lid on.
Before serving, season to taste.
For the sour cream dressing mix the lemon juice into the cream and add the chives and seasoning.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serving suggestion:
Serve noodles in a blanched savoy cabbage leaf with the thai spiced tomato cod on top. Serve with chive flavoured soured cream dressing

Cooking on the radio - who'd have thought it!!! Tuesday was pancake day and as Radio Humberside's resident celebrity chef Nigel dutifully visited the BBC Grimsby studio to chat to morning host Lara King about those delicious discs of batter we only seem to eat on one day a year. Usually on these monthly cookery chats Nigel takes tasty offerings into the studio and as he chats about the ingredients and presentation techniques Lara and Pam get to tuck in. However, Tuesday saw a first for Nigel - real cooking on the radio! A 'boy scout' table was assembled from a tall bin and an upside down box and a camping stove and pan were secured on the top. As Nigel described how to make the perfect batter and advised on the best type of fat to avoid the dreaded stick he cooked a fabulous pancake which smelled divine. Just at the crucial moment Lara jumped up from her seat, ran around the desk and deftly flipped the pancake back into the pan - what a pro!!! Nigel's next visit to BBC Radio Humberside's studio will be on Thursday 9th April at 11am chatting about chocolate, hot cross buns and all things Easter. To find out more about Nigel Brown or his cookery academy in North Lincolnshire visit his website www.nigelbrownchef.co.uk

Dinner For 10 at Shugborough Hall with Top Chef Nigel Brown

Taste of Staffordshire Food Show

Last weekend saw top chef Nigel Brown launch his brand new cookery demonstration of how to prepare and serve 10 dinner party guests a three course meal for less than £20 including a bottle of wine.

In just 40 minutes ten lucky audience members were treated to a starter, main course, dessert and a glass of wine all for the princely sum of £17.61

www.nigelbrownchef.co.uk/Events.html

Starter
Soft Poached Egg
Served on a chiffonade of Romaine leaves garnished with croutons, lardons of smoked bacon, balsamic dressing, cold pressed rapeseed oil and cracked black pepper

Main Course
Chicken and Tarragon Roularde
Chicken stuffed with sausage, tarragon, breadcrumbs, onion, lemon and thyme, baked, sliced and served with a sauce of onions, tomatoes, white wine, leeks, mushrooms and chicken stock
Potato and onion bake
Glazed baby new season carrots

Dessert
Caramelised Banana Bread and Butter Pudding
Dusted with cocoa and served with cream

If you would like to watch this fabulous demonstration, visit Nigel's events page to find a show near you www.nigelbrownchef.co.uk/Events.html

Shugborough Festival of Food also saw Nigel team up with fellow celebrity chef Richard Fox to promote the Love Food, Hate Waste campaign which promotes reducing the amount of food waste in the home by showing quick, innovative ways to use items which are usually thrown away. Needless to say, with two chefs in the kitchen there was a lot of banter as they cooked up some tempting ideas from some leftover tuna, yesterdays' uneaten baked potato and a tin of chickpeas!

>

The Love Food, Hate Waste Roadshow may be coming to a town near you, if so, please come along and ask the chef's for their ideas on how to use your leftovers.
www.lovefoodhatewaste.com

The Nigel Brown Cookery Academy

Review by Tina Draper
Flavours Magazine

After an easy drive from Southwell to Goxhill in
North Lincolnshire, I arrived at The Nigel
Brown Cooking Academy to begin my course entitled
'Meat, Poultry and Game Galore'. Nigel's wife
Lisa greeted me as I pulled up in front of their
lovely home, and guided me through to the
kitchen, where I was introduced to Nigel, and
given a welcome drink of warm winter berry
mulled wine and a plate of perfect homemade
florentines. As Nigel and I began to chat, Lisa
made the first of many pots of coffee, so I knew
that I would be in for a great day with lots of
fresh coffee to help me along.

Nigel runs private cookery courses for
individuals and small groups of up to 4 people
at his home, but will host larger groups at other
locations. Nigel feels that it is good to give
lessons in a domestic kitchen, rather than a
large industrial restaurant kitchen, as it
demonstrates to his clients that they can achieve
the same results at home without the aid of
expensive equipment.

Nigel told me that they had received a late
cancellation due to a family bereavement from
the other guests, and that I would be having his
attention exclusively. This made for a very
relaxing day for both of us, as we were able to
chat about various aspects of the food chain,
from growing and sourcing quality raw
ingredients, through storage, preparation and
cooking, to finally savouring the delicious
results.

We soon began to prepare the first dish of the
day; a Game Terrine made with venison, rabbit,
pheasant, bacon and sausage meat blended with
sage and juniper berries. Nigel brought out the
meat we would be using, and we discussed the
merits of having a good, local butcher who takes
great care in sourcing the very best meat and
game.

Nigel explained that we would line the dish with
the bacon, then layer the strips of meat and
sausage meat until we had filled the dish. He
suggested that we add other ingredients, and gave
me the choice of pistachio nuts, fresh
cranberries, toasted pine kernals, quail's eggs,
sundried tomatoes and soaked apricots. It was fun
to experiment with the different flavours and
customise the dish to my own taste. Nigel
recommended that the terrine be served with a
Cranberry Cumberland Sauce, and quickly
demonstrated how quick and easy it is to make
this wonderful accompaniment.

After a quick coffee, and some more florentines,
we moved on to the next dish, Chicken, Ham and
Asparagus Roulade.

We cheerfully set to, bashing the chicken breasts
to flatten them, and covered the raw chicken with
slices of ham. After seasoning, we added a layer
of fresh spinach, then blended another piece of
chicken with basil and seasoning. The resulting
puree was carefully spread over the leaves, and
a piece of raw asparagus was placed at the
centre. This was then rolled tightly into a
cylindrical shape, wrapped in cling film and
poached in simmering water.

Next, we prepared Anna Potatoes - an easy dish
made up of layers of thinly sliced potatoes and
onions, layered together with clarified butter
and seasoning. Easy to prepare and cook in
advance, it slowly bakes in the oven, and is a
prefect dish for a dinner party.

Nigel then took me out into the garden, and we
looked at the various home grown vegetables,
fruit and herbs which are thriving in a small
greenhouse and vegetable patch. The rest of the
garden was beautiful, and perfect for summer
entertaining - Nigel even runs outdoor cooking
courses when the weather is fine.

Back into the warm kitchen, it was time for
lunch, so I took the opportunity to have a break
and chat to Nigel while he cooked a wonderful
meal of Fillet Steak with a Blue Cheese Crust,
accompanied by finely chopped baby courgettes,
broad beans and asparagus tips, which Nigel
quickly sautéed in rape seed oil.

Nigel was born in Bridlington, into a family who
have spent a lifetime in the Hotel and Catering
industry. He spent much of his teenage years
helping in their family restaurant, and his
formal catering training started when at 16 he
spent 2 years at Hull College, 2 at Scarborough
and a year each at Grimsby and Beverley College.
Nigel told me of his great admiration for Ken
Allison, former Senior Lecturer at Scarborough
Technical College who had a profound influence on
Nigel's style of cooking. James Martin whom Nigel
occasionally works alongside, was also a former
student of Ken Allison's.

During his years working at some of London's
biggest and busiest hotels Nigel enjoyed
competing in many national competitions. He won a
place in the Trusthouse Forte Chef of the Year
competition and entered the London Hotelympia
Salon Culinaire competitions on several occasions
where he thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere and
camaraderie amongst his fellow competitors. He
became a qualified teacher at the age of 21. In
his more advanced training, Nigel spent time at
the highly acclaimed French cookery school Ecole
Le Notre where he picked up a wealth of
experience and knowledge in areas of specialist
patisserie work.

In 2007 Nigel and Lisa launched Superchef Secrets
Ltd and produced their first set of 3 cookery
school DVD's. These were aimed at teaching
children and young adults and students how to
produce nutritious food, bearing in mind the
budget, and adhering to food hygiene practices. A
sophisticated dinner party for adults was also
demonstrated; an easy to follow guide, from
initially writing a shopping list, through to
presenting guests with a stunning 3-course
dinner.

The DVD's were an instant success, and due to an
ever increasing demand for real hands on cookery
courses, Nigel decided to open a Cookery Academy
at his home in Lincolnshire

Nigel particularly enjoys demonstrating his
skills on stage at many of the UK's biggest food
festivals, and welcomes the opportunity to meet
people from all over the country to discuss his
recipes and cooking styles. He is the resident
celebrity chef for BBC Radio Humberside, and has
recently done a screen test for Ready Steady Cook.

Nigel also works closely with Jean-Christophe
Novelli at The Novelli Academy offering corporate
entertainment and teaching specialist
patisserie/cookery courses, and is currently in
discussions with Highgrove House regarding their
organic food programme.

Whether Nigel is filming, writing, demonstrating
at food festivals, catering for high profile
private functions and VIP hospitality he so
obviously loves the world of catering, and is
passionate about spreading the word about good
quality, healthy food.

I was telling Nigel how much I enjoy canapés, so
we spent the afternoon experimenting with some
delicious combinations: simple basil leaves with
balsamic vinegar, and baked brioche with a
spinach and goat's cheese filling, finished off
with a thin layer of fois gras. When the dishes
of the morning were cooked, we tasted the Game
Terrine with Cranberry Cumberland Sauce, and the
Chicken, Ham and Asparagus Roulade with Lime and
Chilli Dressing, two more ideas to add to my
party canapé repertoire. We also had fun with
some napkin folding, and Nigel kindly made no
comment as my gondola turned out to look more
like a shipwreck!

This wonderful day was too quickly coming to an
end. I thoroughly enjoyed the easy company of
Nigel and Lisa, and so appreciated that Nigel was
flexible enough to tailor the course to my own
requirements. I learnt not to be overwhelmed by
the idea of cooking sophisticated dishes for my
guests, and to prepare in advance to make
entertaining a much more relaxing experience.

By Tina Draper
--
Adelanta Travel Services
2, Commercial Road
Nottingham NG6 8HA England
Tel; (44) 115 975 6979
Fax; (44) 115 975 6907
Free FAX from the USA; 1-800 688 0345
Web; www.adelanta.co.uk



For information about cookery courses with Nigel Brown visit www.nigelbrownchef.co.uk

A facebook fanpage has been set up for Nigel by one of a gorgeous bevvy of beauties we met last Saturday whilst Nigel was creating a delicious evening meal to celebrate the forthcoming wedding of Jaime and Andy.

Nigel said the whole day was every chef's dream with 22 scantily clad ladies popping in and out to the jacuzzi and a team of beauticians pandering to their every need. He treated the party to a demonstration of their evening meal with lots of help from Jaime and then presented dinner in a room filled with balloons, silver stars and tea lights, it was truly magical.

If you would like to join Nigel's fanclub, ask him any questions, look at his piccies or just follow his journey to become the everyman's chef on tv then type Nigel Brown Cookery Academy in the search bar on Facebook. We're looking forward to meeting you.

Lisa and Nigel

Basic Flapjack Recipe

600g Oats
450g Soft Brown Sugar
450g Unsalted Butter
180ml Golden Syrup

Optional Flavours:

Just add the following to the basic recipe:

Vanilla - 2 tbsp vanilla essence
Sultana - 200g sultanas
Date & Walnut - 100g chopped dates and 100g chopped walnuts
Apricot - 200g chopped moist apricots (dried)

For other flavours try experimenting with ingredients such as raisins, chocolate chips, ginger, banana etc

Method

1.Grease a baking tray and line with quality thick foil. Pre-heat the oven to 160ºC.

2. Melt the butter in a saucepan, once melted add the sugar and gently warm.

3. Remove from the heat and stir in the oats, golden syrup and your chosen flavour ingredients. Mix well and press into the baking tray using a palette knife or spatula (having been dipped in water to reduce sticking to your utensils).

4. Bake for approximately 20 minutes to a golden colour but not brown as if you leave it too long it will be too hard to cut.

5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool wrapped in foil to retain moisture. Once cooled, remove foil and using a large cook's knife cut to the desired sizes.

STRAWBERRY FRUIT FOOL

Ingredients

Strawberry Puree

250g ripe strawberries
25g sugar

Fruit Fool

250ml whipping cream
½ teaspoon vanilla essence
25g sugar

Custard

8 egg yolks
25g sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
½ pint milk

Method

Place the strawberries (keeping a few back for decoration) into a pan with the sugar and bring to the boil, allow to simmer, cool down and blend with a hand blender. Pass through a sieve to remove strawberry seeds and refrigerate.

To make the custard separate the egg yolks from the whites (the egg whites can be used for other recipes such as meringues or clarifying consommé). Combine the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla together. Place the milk into a pan and bring to the boil. Once the milk has boiled remove from the heat and whisk into the egg, sugar and vanilla mixture. Strain the mixture back into the pan to ensure there is no egg shell etc, place back on the heat, stirring continuously for 2 minutes (do not allow to boil as it may curdle and resemble scrambled egg). Once the custard has thickened without boiling and coats the back of your spoon with a thick consistency, transfer to a bowl and chill.

When all the ingredients are cold, combine two thirds of the strawberry puree with the custard, whip the cream, sugar and vanilla to a stiff peak and fold into the puree and custard mixture.

To present your fruit fool, pour the remaining fruit puree around the inside edge of a tall wine glass, chop a few remaining strawberries and place at the bottom of the glass and using a spoon or piping bag fill the glass two thirds full with the fruit fool mixture. Refrigerate for one hour and for service decorate with fresh strawberries.