Set in a beautiful listed riverside house, Helen Scull runs a series of innovative and varied courses, designed for both the serious and more novice individual, to make techniques, ingredients and flavours come together in easy food demonstrations.

Although Helen is working on a 4 oven Aga, all directions are given for conventional oven cookery, and techniques adapted to suit individual cookers.

The courses are from half days –through to full or two day courses, and are individually designed where possible for small groups of up to 6 people. All ingredients are sourced locally, and courses are very much based on what is currently in season, many ingredients are home grown, and the garden is run organically.

Full day courses

Start with homemade breakfast at 9.15 – then starters, soups, main course and desserts all made in the morning- a break for hot canapés and a drink, then completion of the cookery course, followed by late lunch with wine, all the food is then enjoyed in the elegant dining room of Ringmore House. This course always includes a full dinner party within the course that can be prepared ahead.

Half day courses

Start at 1245 with a light hot lunch item and glass of wine- baking, quiches, strudels, scones and pastry making, –completion of the course with full tea to sample all the food prepared earlier, again served in the dining room, or sometimes in the conservatory overlooking the gardens.

Course may be designed to suit individual requirements, vegetarian, gluten free etc

All recipes are printed to be taken home, and space is provided to write personal notes as the day progresses.

All available dates are emailed to contacts, if there is any space on pre-booked days. To receive updates please email Helen on HScull@aol.com - however we can arrange a date to suit if at least two people book together.

Course Prices £80 full day course £45 half day course

Some group discount availiable

Gift Vouchers available

The January kitchen at Ringmore House

Maybe a sigh of relief for many people, now that the Christmas and New Year holidays are over –too much food, too many parties, and maybe too many guests as well !
The cold weather has been quite alarming, with difficulty in obtaining many ingredients in local areas, but we will be through it all soon.

My kitchen has been busy with warming seasonal smells –making the most of my butchers plentiful supply of items such as pheasants, venison and occasional wild duck and partridge. Pheasant and Venison I tend to deal with in the same way- cooking caramalised onions, then browning the meat, putting all back into a casserole with crushed juniper and garlic, then sometimes a flambé ! but then slow cooking for a few hours in some decent red wine and a small amount of strong stock, and finishing by adding some buttery mushrooms. A heap of mashed potatoes and a green vegetable- what more could you want !

Soups are also plentiful here- when the ground was not frozen we still were digging Jerusalem Artichokes, and using a lot of Butternut Squash with various additions such as Chestnuts, or with Thai spices and Ginger. Carrot Soup also –Carrot and Coriander of course, sometimes with a dash of Orange for good measure. I make stock from bones and left over vegetables , slow cooked for about 5 hours in the simmering oven, and I manage to get plenty of Chicken Bones from the butcher- this is a must for French Onion soup !! Served with a cheese Crouton melted in the middle.

The Seville oranges are about to arrive in the greengrocer, I make so much Marmalade for my B & B guests, friends and family, and to sell to many people locally, that I usually buy a whole crate. Slow cooking whole oranges with a high proportion of Lemons to give a light and less sweet Marmalade, then chopping them once cooled I find is the easiest method of making a large quantity.

One final thought- if you have some left over Christmas pudding lurking in the fridge-crumble it into small pieces and soak a few hours in Grand Marnier, then stir into good quality Vanilla ice cream that is slightly softened, then re-freeze !