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Chefs Go back To School
Nikki Spencer-2008-08-25
Master Patissier, Eric Lanlard, has gone back to school - as a teacher - and his students range from employees on company team-building days to women on hen nights and children celebrating birthdays.
The 39 year old chef, who trained with the Roux brothers, had always wanted to follow in the footsteps of many other top chefs, including fellow Frenchman, Raymond Blanc, and run his own cookery school.
The perfect opportunity presented itself when Cake Boy, his bespoke cake making company, with a celebrity client list that includes Madonna, Liz Hurley and the Beckhams, moved to new premises at Battersea Reach, a modern riverside development on the Thames in South West London. The new Cake Boyset-up includes a demonstration kitchen, patisserie and funky Cake Lounge.
“I was often being asked to work in other people’s schools and special events and loved doing it,” explains Eric, “but what I always wanted was my own school so it is fabulous that it’s now a reality.”
Cake Boy offers a variety of courses including Icing Master-classes, Summer Baking and French Country Baking. Groups are small (max 8) and are all taught by Eric.
“When you sign up to our courses you get the main man!” he says although he does have two guest chefs, a baker and a lady who does the children’s classes.
As well as catering for anyone who wants to brush up on their baking skills, Eric also runs private courses for parties and companies. His favourite clients are hen nights. “We have great fun and round off the sessions with a glass of champagne and afternoon tea in the cake lounge.”
“Company do’s can also be quite interesting,” he adds. “Once we had a boss who said ‘I expect my cake to be the best’ which made it a bit difficult for everyone else as they didn’t want to offend him!”
“What is great about what we have here,” he continues, “is that it is more like a domestic kitchen so it makes it easier for people to repeat the process at home. I think that a working kitchen with lots of flames and shouting and big mixers and stuff can make people a bit stressed out.”
Cake Boy offers a programme of cookery courses ranging from £30 for children’s sessions to £295 for full-day sessions, as well as various hen night, birthday party and company packages.
However, if witnessing the full-on commercial kitchen experience is what you’re looking for, Chef, Simon Rogan, who runs L’Enclume in Cartmel on the edge of the Lake District, is happy to oblige with a ‘Chef For A Day’ package.
For £179 you get one-to-one tuition and an exclusive insight into the ingredients, techniques and equipment used at the Michelin star restaurant with rooms.
With participants helping to preparing meals of between 8 and 10 courses, the “warts and all” lessons are not for those who can’t stand the heat! This is “not the place to come to make a macaroni cheese!” it is warned.
Practical information
Cake Boy
Tel: 020 7978 5555)
L’Enclume
Tel: 015395 56362
Other Cookery Schools around the UK
The Raymond Blanc Cookery School
Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons near Oxford
Tel: 01844 278881
You can watch, learn and practice in the kitchen of a two star Michelin restaurant. The school also offers specialised children’s courses and for £695 you can have a personal cookery lesson with Monsieur Blanc himself.
Bordeaux Quay harbourside restaurant
Bristol
Tel: 0117 904 6676
Includes a cookery school where adults and children can learn how to cook tasty, healthy meals. The not-for-profit cookery school also works with local schools and community groups.
Bank
Birmingham
Tel: 0121 633 7001)
Offers cookery courses with senior members of their kitchen team for £32, which includes lunch.
