@Shelovescake

Each week I continue to be impressed by the breadth of the curriculum and the high standard of teaching at Leith’s. This week we got to grips with whole pig butchery, learnt about pickles, fermentation and plant-based cooking, came face-to-face with an octopus (which we then ate), and were given an insight of a charity project we’ll be taking part in with City Harvest.

By far the most challenging day of the week was Wednesday, which marked our second all day cook of the term. The pace did not let up from 9.25am – 4.45pm. Our multi-tasking and remaining calm under pressure skills were tested to the full. We started the day making a very sticky soft dough for our spiced raisin and pecan buns. The dough is so sticky that initially a slapping technique is required to develop the gluten and encourage the dough to come together into something smooth and useable. Next on the list was careful lining of four delicate fluted tart cases. We had done the easy bit of making the pastry the previous day. Every time we do pastry we’re given less time to do the same tasks in an effort to improve our efficiency and seemingly increase our stress! Tart cases lined and chilling, we continued to the next tasks of making honeycomb and preparing an apple gel to be served with pork tenderloin. Simultaneously whilst keeping an eye on the colour of our caramel and reducing apple juice and cider, we grated large quantities of celeriac and parsnip for rosti. The teachers were circulating the kitchen keeping us focused, offering advice and ensuring we didn’t loose momentum. Our lunch break was scheduled for 1.15pm and there were a considerable number of tasks that needed to be completed before that, including getting on top of the increasingly large washing up pile. We managed to get our tarts in to blind bake, make the filling for our buns, fill and shape the buns, and clear down somewhat before we were made to take a break for half an hour.

Back from lunch and we were required to commit to a service time for our pork dish and chocolate tarts. The kitchen took on a chaotic air. We were smiling, panicking and desperately trying to juggle plates and pans to keep us on track for service. The washing up sunk to the bottom of the priority list and we were forced to use random utensils and cutlery inappropriate to the tasks at hand. Pan fry rosti, bake rosti, slow cook chocolate tarts, blend and set the apple gel, prep pork, cook pork to medium rare and pink, make Marsala sauce, deep fry sage, bake buns, make a sugar syrup to vaseline stage to glaze…the list went on! Finally I called service – all elements done. Marsala sauce nailed; pork pink, juicy and prettily plated with elegant ‘blobs’ of apple gel; chocolate tarts silkily set with honeycomb which tasted like a Crunchie; spiced buns soft and bursting with pecans and plump raisins. So good to have finished and have such a bounty to take home to the family.

The other two kitchen sessions of the week were considerably more relaxed. Tuesday we made our pate sucree and chocolate tart mix ready for Wednesday and then tried our hand at charring and roasting a January King cabbage. We basted it in miso butter and served it with a spicy, sweet salty dressing, sesame seeds and seaweed powder. Unexpectedly delicious. Friday was a skills practice session where we picked a few skills we wanted to perfect. I had another go at filleting a round fish. Navigating the rib cage is tricky; it is all too easy to tear through the skin. I also rehearsed prepping and cooking a duck breast, and separately made pasta, ahead of upcoming assessments.

In exchange for our all day cook, we were treated to an all day dem. On entering the teaching room, we were met with an entire half pig, head included. The other half of the head was already in the oven roasting for our delectation. The session was led by the very experienced and highly engaging Steve Lamb. Steven is an expert in curing and smoking and has been a key part of the success of Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s River Cottage. Steven encouraged us to be mindful when sourcing pig and pork products, taking us through the hard to hear differences in treatment between higher and lower welfare animals. With the help of some brave students, Steven took apart the pig and helped us understand the different parts and how they could be cooked to get maximum value and flavour. The session was peppered with delicious treats evidencing his teaching: chorizo scotch eggs; faggots (nothing like what I was given in a Birmingham hall of residence 25 years ago!); roasted pig’s head; brined pork tenderloin with salsa verde and pork sausages wrapped in pork! We left brimming with ideas and tastebuds tickled.

Difficult to believe how we packed it all in, but there is still more to recount from the week! The introduction to pickles and fermenting was enlightening and somewhat mind-boggling. Particularly coming face to face with a SCOBY for the first time. I’m a big fan of pickles but I wasn’t totally sold on kimchi or kombucha. The final session of the week was fish and shellfish – much more up my street. A whole octopus was cooked, chargrilled and plated in three different ways with aioli and paprika dressing; a delicate sea bass dish (which we’ll be assessed on later) was served with clams, samphire and a dill split sauce. And the final show-stopping crowd-pleaser to round off an awesome week: salt and pepper squid with a chilli and ginger relish. Half term now and time for a well-earned break for teachers and students alike!