Yesterday was day three of my cooking course, and I have to confess, I love it. I talk, cook and eat food all day so what is there not to love? What could be more nourishing and comforting for the soul and stomach then being in the presence of food? Being surrounded by hundreds of other students in their chef’s whites also gives me an added sense of purpose. It’s as if we are all part of one big brotherhood and sisterhood, uniting together with a common goal. My lecturer’s (Chef) jokes also continue to provide me with great amusement and entertainment. His funniest joke of this week was so morally offensive and politically incorrect that it caused me to grimace. But it was really funny, and 24 hours later, I am still giggling at the thought of the words that passed his lips.

We are taking gentle strides at the moment, covering the easiest topics first, with the view to building up to the harder ones in the weeks to come. This will give us a chance to slowly ease into the routine of cooking school and to familiarise ourselves with the layout of the kitchen, etc. We cook in pairs and the pace can get quite hectic in the kitchen, especially when Chef is yelling out orders and we’re all busy scrambling for the pots and pans.

Ratatouille

This week, our main dish of the day was ratatouille. And if I may be permitted to say, ours turned out wonderfully. Our vegetables were cooked to a perfect doneness, not too firm and not too soft. It was seasoned nicely, and fragrant with the beautiful aroma of fresh basil. Chef lavished such high praise on it that I couldn’t help but clap my hands in glee.

I have also discovered that I am more adept at ‘turning’ carrots that I was at piping mashed potatoes, but I need to improve my carrot glazing technique. We also cooked cauliflower and broccoli which we finished in a beurre fondue (butter melted in water to create a creamy emulsion). Now why does butter taste so good?

Westminster Kingsway College:
Web: http://www.westking.ac.uk

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