Cooking Class at L’Atelier des Chefs
L’Atelier des Chefs have been delivering cooking classes in London for five years with ever growing popularity.
We attended their 90 mins curries classes and cooked up a treat.
As we turned onto Wigmore Street in Oxford Circus and entered L'Atelier, we were met with warm greetings. Coats and bags were placed in a tucked away cubby and some of the group were already getting stuck into glasses of wine whilst others were browsing the merchandise and then it begun: we were dazzled by a super fast demonstration delivered by a quick and slick speaking French Chef demonstrating what we would be cooking that evening in the 90 minute masterclass.
The French Chef displayed his professionalism, slicing and dicing your ordinary garden vegetables with precision and at this point, I must admit I was slightly intimidated and afraid that leaving the meal to us amateurs (I’ll speak for myself) might be a bit of a disaster.
Our amazing Head Chef!
We were separated into two groups, preparing different parts of the meal. At our chopping boards we got started on the salad
(lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, spring onion), we crushed the spice rub using a pestle and mortar for the chicken (cumin, coriander, fennel, fenugreek seed, cloves, green cardamon pods, curry pandan leaf curry leaf) and yoghurt dressing (sunflower oil, greek yoghurt, maldon salt, lime and cucumber) and a tandoori marinade for the prawns.
The other group had the same ingredients but we weren’t eyeing up the competition at all. There was lots of chopping, stirring, marinating, grating, zesting (ok that's not strictly a recognised verb but it should be) and voila, the salad, dressing and marinade was ready!
Gathering the ingredients
Ingredients for salad and the yogurt dressing
Preparing the ingredients
Cooking the chicken on a very high heat!
We also fried some fragrant seeds and spices then added the tomatoes and other ingredients which we sautéed for a rich chutney (plum tomatoes, tamarind paste, palm sugar, rice wine vinegar, sultana, dark mustard seeds, garlic cloves, fresh ginger, lime, green chillies). Next, we prepared the chicken which we had rubbed with spices, we seared the chicken on a high fire until brown (so high I had to play dodge with oil splashes but if you can’t stand the heat…) then into a tray to cook in the oven. Our incomplete masterpiece already smelled very tasty and at this stage in the evening, I was rather ravenous but stayed focused on the goal.
We skewered our prawns (a fiddly, messy affair) and very much enjoyed mixing the dough and rolling the roti by hand and with the rolling pin with a bit more gusto then frying and flipping them in a dry pan (good practice for pancake day)! Another member of the group had a slightly alternative method of cooking roti and the French Chef allowed him to show us his way and try it out.
The most fun and creative part was plating up and laying the table, a long table of neatly placed colourful food on large white plates. The French Chef was funny and engaging and very helpful throughout and as the session went on we found ourselves mimicking master chef contestants, even cleaning up any spills on plates and thinking about presentation.
Marinated prawns
Cooking the rotis
Plating up
"Bon appetit" beamed the French Chef as we sat down to dine and enjoy the fruits of our labour and that we did! The chicken was really flavoursome and the whole dish was a fusion of tastes and textures. I overheard returning customers which must be testament to the success of these workshops.
Again we left with warm wishes, mixed with feelings of slight envy as we walked past another group making what looked like a very delicious dessert. Off we went to brave the cold with very full tummies and armed with new skills, I now feel I know my way around a professional kitchen. It’s not entirely the case but my confidence will carry me through! Not to mention, like everyone else who attends L’Atelier’s sessions I now have access to all of the recipes that we worked on and more.
The recipes use seasonal products and change regularly. They offer all types of masterclasses from 30 minutes to 4 hours, from Afternoon Tea to Pad Thai (and classes can range from £15.00 - £72.00) making it a great gift for a special person, a great team-bonding exercise or a new destination for a date.
If you are a real foodie and I’m guessing you are, you could end up going to multiple classes and stacking up an impressive collection of recipes on your L’Atelier account. It’s a testament to their popularity that although L’atelier des Chefs started only 10 years ago in France, they have now grown to include 17 venues in France, 2 in London and 1 in Dubai.
Our completed meal
Grilled chicken with roasted spices and tamarind chutney
Tandoori prawns
Rotis
The feast!
All in all, I had lots of fun and enjoyed the food. The cooking experience is much simpler than I had first imagined and I have learned some techniques for preparing and removing different types of seeds: I now know how to crush seeds by pressing a knife on top of them, how to slice and remove cucumber seeds in one swift motion and that you can cook seeds and retain them for later use and that way they’ll be packed full of flavour!
Would I return? Yes. I think I would try baking or pasta making as I am painfully inexperienced in both but with the help of a team and French Chef, I’d be an expert in under 90 minutes!
