Coldsmoking Digital Cookery School

Have you ever wondered how food ferments? I'm constantly enthralled by the action of bacteria, yeast and moulds. While some of these organisms can give us problems by causing food to spoil, some can benefit us in surprising ways.  I was recently hosting a sausage making workshop at coldsmoking HQ and I met up with a guy called Kevan who had a keen interest in fermenting, bushcraft and outdoor cooking. One thing led to another and he is now hosting a fermenting food workshop at the cookery school.  On this hands-on workshop led by a former pathology graduate Kevan Palmer, you'll learn the fascinating art of lacto-fermentation. He has years of experience with fermented food and bush craft. He will teach you the theory behind this process and the importance and benefits from maintaining a healthy gut. You'll learn how to create Sauerkraut, making a batch to take home and ferment for yourself. You'll be taught how to make Kim chi, making Pa Kim chi, a punchy blend...

Food smoking has for many aficionados focussed heavily on MEAT. Whilst there's nothing inherently wrong with that, there's a lot more to food smoking than just meat! Over the past ten years I've experienced a wide variety of vegetables that have benefited from a dose of smoke.  So, if the idea of smoking a vast array of different vegetables, nuts and cheese we are hosting our first Vegetarian Food Smoking Course here at Coldsmoking HQ. If you'd like to know more check out the course detail on our website . 

Have you ever wanted to make your own salami and fermented sausage? Well, using a starter culture can be the answer to achieving a realistic, tasty and importantly, safe product.   We make an authentic chorizo sausage that can either be eaten raw or cooked. When I say raw, I do of course mean once fermented and air dried. The fermenting process is an important safety step as the culture which is introduced into the sausage mix starts to work immediately by feeding on the added glucose, multiplying tp out-compete other harmful bacterial that could cause food poisoning or spoilage. One advantage of using a starter culture is this sausage has a really authentic tangy flavour and develops a deep red colour. If you'd like to know more about fermented sausage or starter cultures why not get in touch .

Turan has been smoking and preserving foods for many years. his ethos is to make these artisan subjects accessible to everyone. He hosts bespoke one day food smoking courses and Meat Curing & Charcuterie courses with the theme of low impact living.  The golden thread running through all his work is accessibility, simplification and safety. Turan's easy teaching style and his ability to simplify and communicate these subjects in an understandable and relaxed way has lead to many excellent reviews from previous guests. Turan has written many food articles for magazines and has also written two books on food smoking. Curing, Smoking and Drying food the latest was published in May 2015. Turan's previous career saw him serving as a senior officer in the London Fire Brigade. Turan retired in May 2014 after serving as an operational officer for more than 30 years. He served in all ranks up to temporary borough commander with over 200 staf...

 Coldsmoking The artisan Cookery School in Great Linford will be hosting a series of Summer holiday activity sausage making workshops for kids this year. If you are stuck for something to keep your children busy this summer holiday then look no further. Our fun sausage making workshops are just the thing.  If you would like your children to take part in a summer holiday activity that is hands-on, creative, fun, engaging and if that wasn't enough, educational. All this packed into two hours of fun with food.  This is a rare opportunity for your kids to get involved in the artisan production of one of Britain's most popular foods. We only use locally sourced meats and fresh produce to make our sausages. A great Sausage starts with fresh top quality ingredients and your kids will learn where all our ingredients comes from and how it all goes together. We like to focus on some of the key elements of maths and science when teaching this craft. Your kids will...

For years I have had the pleasure of making my own salami and Chorizo and very tasty they are too. I just love that process of making stuff - Can't really explain it other than to say I get a buzz from it. It's exciting to be able to recreate these wonderful air dried charcuterie and a delight to sample them when they are eventually ready to try. On a recent trip to Turkey I was enjoying a breakfast of warmed black olives, fried eggs, bread and an air dried sausage called Sucuk (pronounced Soojook). Which is a bit of a staple over there. It got me thinking. Could I recreate this back home. Having done a little research I came up with an ingredient list. Now having a list of ingredients is one thing, getting the ratios right is another. The ingredients I researched are - minced Beef, minced lamb, Ground Cumin, Paprika, Cayenne pepper, Black pepper, Garlic, Salt and Sumak. There is some curing salt in this too which contains Nitrite. As this was an air dried sausage I use...

This is a deliciously tasty little recipe for anyone who has a glut of ripe tomatoes and windfall apples and like me loves a bit of heat and hates waste. This is a one pot job that couldn't be easier. Goes really well with smoked food too. Prep Time. 90mins. You will need 1kg Tomatoes 1kg Apples 900g Sugar 350ml Red wine vinegar 100g Chilies (medium hot) 1 Onion (large) 2 tbs Vegetable oil 1 tsp Salt 1 tsp Pepper Makes 2.1Kg of chutney - 6 x 350g jars.  What you need to do. Core the apples and along with the tomatoes, chilies and onion roughly chop them. In a large pan, sweat the onion in the oil until translucent. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until combined.  Slowly bring the mixture up to aa gentle simmer stirring briefly every 20 mins. Simmer gently reducing the mixture until you can briefly see a clean base when a wooden spoon is drawn through the mixture. When heating the mixture make sure not to overheat it. You don't want...