Demuth's Cookery School mezze evening

I was lucky enough recently to be taken to Demuth's Cookery School to do an evening course in Vegetarian Mezze cooking. In all honesty I played a complete blinder by giving my Ma some vouchers for Mother's Day. She (obviously) didn't want to do it alone and so I found myself with a baby free, mother-filled and wine-fuled evening to look forward to!

The course was part demo, part practical and part communal meal and as with almost any course I have been on there was the obligatory know it all,  the class clown, the gentleman looking for love, the couple doing something together and the mother and daughter duo (!). We were really lucky to be taught by Rachel Demuth herself which was a great treat. Rachel is part veggie pioneer, part reluctant local celebrity and after  running  the ever popular Demuth's Restaurant in Bath for nearly 30 years, her focus is now on the Cookery School and rightly so; she runs the classes in an informative yet relaxed way and is on hand to answer the multitudinous basic questions asked by her students. We were also lucky to have as Rachel's assistant Simi Rezai, who lives in Bath and runs her own Persian Azerbaijani cookery classes (which will be the next class I take).

All the recipes are given to you at the end (although are not much use if, like me, you leave them in the bar after the lesson!) and our course included one of my brunch staples Shakshuka, Zaatar, a simple, versatile spice mix which we had on flatbread and the super delicious broad bean filled parcels below.

It was a really great evening, topped off by wine at Art Bar and a Christmas list complete with a Japanese pestle and mortar (seriously the best thing I have ever used!).