Hello,

We’re well into the summer holidays now and August is just around the corner. August is always a time when Loaf slows down in the bakery, we have less courses and we take some time to reflect on how the year is going.

You may have seen our last post; we’re taking a week off at the end of August. We will be closed Tuesday 28th August until Friday 31st Aug, opening up as normal on Saturday 1st September and for the Thaali course on Tuesday 28th August.  We’re hoping to spend the time having a bit of a rest and all being well, giving the place a lick of paint – do you have any local recommendations for painters and decorators?

We have a handful of courses taking place and all of the following have availability – it would be wonderful if you’d like to join us on the and learn skills for life.

• Thai – Wednesday 15th August – two places available

We’ll be making Som Tam Thai (spicy papaya salad), Nam Pla Ra (fermented fish relish with fresh vegetables), Pla Tort (deep fried grouper with Nam Jim sauce), Massaman beef curry and Yum Makeua Yao (smoky aubergine salad with egg).

• Sweet Breads & Viennoiserie – Saturday 18th August – four places available

Learn the art of dough lamination and creating classic sweet treats such as brioche, chelsea buns, cinnamon buns, and hot cross buns. You’ll also be turning your laminated dough into four classic viennoiserie – croissants, pain au chocolat, pain aux raisin, and danish pastries.

• Ramen – Wednesday 22nd August – one place available

Learn how to make alkali noodles from scratch and use them in two classic Asian noodle dishes; Chinese dandanmian and Japanese ramen. Dandanmian is a Sichuanese street-food staple, quick and easy to prepare. Tonkotsu ramen is the slow simmered pork bone broth originating in the south of Japan and is now beloved globally. We’ll make all the usual accompaniments, the braised pork belly, marinated egg and black garlic oil.

• Thaali – Tuesday 28th August – three places available

Thaali is a meal made up of a selection of vegetarian dishes served on a platter. In Kerala it is known as Sadhya (banquet), traditionally served on a banana leaf, often in large quantities; for weddings and other special festivals and celebrations. Typical dishes include rice, daal, saambar, vegetable stir fries, papad, curd (yoghurt), and chutney or pickle.

The photo is Lap teaching on our Bao course, photo by Jack Spicer Adams.

Last month we had our brilliant photographer Jack Spicer Adams in on our Chinese Bao & Dumpling course by Lap-fai Lee.

Here are some of the photos – mouthwatering!

The next class is on Weds 5th September and there’s only a couple of places left so don’t wait if you’re keen to learn how to make Chinese Bao & Dumplings.

It’s Monday – so we are CLOSED. Although we are all in for a team meeting this afternoon!

This week we have three courses in the cookery school;

How to Make Dosa
Tue 17th, 6.30-9.30pp £65pp (one place available)

Bread Back to Basics
Thurs 19th, 9.30am-4pm £120pp (FULL)

Simply Sourdough
Fri 20th – Sat 21st, £120pp (6 places)

It’s a good time of year to book on to Sourdough – the bonus is we’ll teach you how to look after your starter in this (glorious) weather 🌞 we run this course once a month only, and it’s a two-session class – you’ll come in on a Friday evening to refresh the rye sourdough starter, and mix and knead the wheat sourdough loaves. You’ll return on Saturday morning to shape your wheat and rye loaves, and enjoy a hearty brunch with sourdough English muffins or sourdough pancakes. There’s plenty of time to discuss techniques, equipment and baking to suit your lifestyle. There is of course, lots of bread to take home too!

More information on the Simply Sourdough course page on our website. 

Thanks everyone who came down to Lap’s #MEGAFISH Seafood Masterclass at the weekend.

On Saturday we cooked all this from scratch;
Prawns a la plancha
Grilled mackerel
Roasted sea bream
Crab linguine
Crab pate and bonus crab shots!
Sole goujons
Oysters freshly shucked
Thai fish soup
Charred squid salad
Steamed turbot
Grilled lobster

The next date for this course is Saturday 16th June and there are places available if you’d like to join us. Book via our website.

Photos from attendees:

We have places available on our brilliant Japan course taught by expert Lap-fai Lee on Wednesday 25th April (three weeks tomorrow).

If you’d like to know how to cure fish for sashimi, prepare sushi rolls, make dashi, and properly cook rice then this is the course for you. Lap says: “Cooking Japanese food need not be daunting at all. Japanese home cooking is really straightforward and above all satisfying to eat.”

Like all Loaf courses it’s very hands-on and throughout the evening we’ll be tasting the fruits of our labour: sashimi, sushi rolls, nasu degaku, tonkatsu, and miso soup.

Hello,

Here are courses with places left this month:
Tuesday 20th March – Thaali with Haseen from Pop Up Dosa (x4 places)
Thursday 29th March – Pork Butchery and Charcuterie with Lap-fai Lee and Rossiters Organic Butchers (x2 places)
Saturday 31st March – Bread: Back to Basics with Loaf’s Rob (x2 places)

Hello,

Spring is around the corner and we couldn’t be more pleased!

Here are two lists – availability on courses published before Christmas and NEW DATES! Bookable via our Courses page on the website.

Places left on courses in Spring:

• Sweet Breads and Viennoiserie – Saturday 24th February (2 places), Saturday 14th April (6 places)
• Thaali – Tuesday 27th February – (1 place), Tuesday 20th March (4 places)
• Bread: Back to Basics – 31st March (all places – date just added) Thursday 19th April (5 places)
• Simply Sourdough – Fri 23rd / Sat 24th March (1 place), Fri 27th / Sat 28th April (7 places)
• Pork Butchery & Charcuterie – Thursday 29th March (2 places)
• Dosa – Tuesday 10th April (4 places)
• Bao & Chinese Dumpling – Tuesday 17th April (1 places)
• Seafood Masterclass – Saturday 21st April (4 places)
• Knife Skills – Tuesday 24th April (1 place)
• Japan – Wednesday 25th April (6 places)

NEW DATES (SUMMER!)

• Bread: Back to Basics – Sat 5th May / Thurs 24th May / Sat 26th May / Sat 2nd June / Thurs 14th June / Sat 7th July / Thurs 19th July
• Simply Sourdough – Fri 18th/Sat 19th May / Fri 29th/Sat 30th June / Fri 20th/Sat 21st July / Fri 24th/Sat 25th August
• Sweet Bread & Viennoiserie – Saturday 12th May / Saturday 9th June / Saturday 14th July / Saturday 11th August
• Dosa – Tues 29th May / Tues 17th July / Tues 4th Sept
• Thaali – Tues 1st May / Tues 26th June / Tues 28th Aug
• Macarons – Weds 30th May
• Thai – Weds 6th June
• Preserving – Tues 12th June / Tues 10th July
• Bao & Dumpling – Weds 20th June
• Ramen – Thurs 21st June
• Knife Skills – Weds 25th July
• Japan – Thurs 26th July

Phew! We hope you find something you’d like to book on to – and we hope to welcome you soon.

You can find full course descriptions on the Cookery School page of the website.

We’ve just added new dates for a refreshed Preserves course at Loaf.

On this course, Rachel (Cuffufle Preserves) will show you the methodology of making jam, chutney, cordial and mustard. You’ll leave the course confident that you can make your own creations!

Rachel will talk through the pitfalls of where people normally make mistakes – how to avoid them – and what to look out for to know that you’re doing the right thing!

This course is perfect for keen gardeners or allotment-keepers – Rachel will explain how to make the most of your excess produce – and you’ll go home with recipes to use.

The course is £60 and includes refreshments, and all equipment needed during the course.

There are two dates available:

• Tuesday 12th June, 6.30-9.30pm
• Tuesday 10th July, 6.30-9.30pm

Book via the Cookery School page – Preserving.

Last courses in 2017

We have a couple of spaces available on the following courses – the last ones in 2017!

November:

• Simply Sourdough –  This course is over two sessions, an evening and a morning, and the only place available in 2017 is Friday 3rd – Saturday 4th November (1 place)
• Knife Skills 6.30-9.30pm on Weds 8th November  (3 places)
• Ramen 6.30-9.30pm on Thurs 9th November (3 places)
• Pork Butchery and Charcuterie 9.30am-4pm on Thursday 16th November (3 places)
• Bread: Back to Basics 9.30am-4pm on on Saturday 18th November (3 places)
• Thaali (NEW COURSE!) 6.30-9.30pm on Thursday 28th November (4 places)

December:

• Sweet Breads and Viennoiserie 9.30am-4pm on Saturday 9th December (4 places)

All other courses for 2017 are completely booked up – but do not despair! If you’d like to plan ahead to 2018, dates are available.

GIVE THE GIFT OF LOAF

We sell gift vouchers, redeemable against any course at Loaf, in multiples of £10. These can be purchased online via our cookery school page – see ‘Vouchers’ which is the first tile on the page. You are able to select your design (there are four available), you can add the name of the recipient, as well as a short message. You’ll receive a PDF of the voucher which you can print at home. Alternatively, physical gift vouchers are available to buy in the Loaf shop in the run up to Christmas – printed on coloured card.

HOW TO BOOK

Hopefully the booking process is relatively straight forward, but we can understand not everyone has done this before! If you would like to book on any course at Loaf, please click through to the relevant course on our cookery school page of the website or the calendar. You will then be able to select the date of the course you’d like to attend and make a payment from there. If you have any accessibility needs or dietary requirements you’ll have the opportunity to add this as a comment on your booking. Because the courses vary, please do read the descriptions for any allergens. You’ll receive an email confirmation of your place and a receipt. We’ll also send you a reminder nearer the time of your course. If you have any questions not covered by the course description please get in touch via the contact page. We look forward to welcoming you to Loaf!

Booking T&Cs