Food Sorcery Cookery and Barista School – Pasta Making Class*

I have always wanted to learn how to cook pasta, but never had to opportunity to learn it, so was thrilled when I was invited by Food Sorcery which is based in Didsbury, Manchester to review their pasta-making class conducted by Chef Jason Palin. I am a huge foodie as you have realised by now, hence cooking and baking is something that I love but pasta making…well I have never tried it.  Heading for the class I was a little apprehensive but was not going to let my fear get the better out of me, so armed with an apron, a tupperware and a bestie for company, I headed to Food Sorcery to learn this important life skill or create pasta good enough for my family to eat. If you would like to head to Food Sorcery to attend one of their classes, remember to use the discount code : yeah10 to be eligible for a 10% discount off the full price.

Getting to Didsbury was a breeze and soon as we arrived, there was ample of parking in front of the cooking school (just remember not to head to the housing area but towards the Waterside Hotel). We got there with 10 minutes to spare which was great as we got served a welcome drink of our choice by Helen our host, got our apron on and casually chatted with the Chef and waited for two more participants to arrive. It was a full class of 10 eager pasta enthusiast comprising of both young and old. I was surprised to see a balanced amount of men and woman there as was expecting more woman. Most of them had been gifted with gift vouchers to attend class or purchased a place for the class as they were passionate about learning to make pasta.

Firstly, I can’t praise Chef Jason enough, he is such a lovely and warm soul who not only makes you feel so comfortable with his life-stories, but emphasizes that if something does go wrong when you are making your pasta ,(which it did from dough getting stuck in the pasta machine, to me not kneading the dough properly) it is okay, life goes on and he also showed how we could rectify the problem easily without panicking (as you might when one is not Italian).

Chef Jason did a demonstration for each of the pasta he taught us at his station and then we headed to our station to make our version of it. We learnt to mix, knead, bash, squash and shape the dough into several of the most popular varieties such as tagliatelle and ravioli (round and square).

To be honest, there is a lot to get through in this masterclass as we tried to make as much pasta in many different ways as possible. So it was time-consuming and it was a little rushing towards the end but we were taught to make a variety of pasta ie plain egg pasta, red beetroot pasta as well as, green spinach pasta (which is fabulous if you have kids and are always looking at ways to get some vegetables into their diet).

Food Sorcery is a beautiful place, I loved how beautiful the layout is, from the kitchen area, to the demo area and the eating area. It is very spacious and perfect if you want to organise a private event for your family or office staff. There are a variety of drinks available to be purchased throughout the night from hot drinks, juices, wine and beer.  The whole class was very fun, relaxing and chilled as everyone was enjoying a drink and learning at the same time.

Each class is different, so here are some of the examples of what you might cook during a pasta class:

• Egg pasta dough
• Beetroot (pink) pasta
• Ravioli
• Tortellini
• Tagliatelle
• Farfalle

Skills you will learn during the class:

• Kneading
• Drying
• Shaping
• Colouring – with beetroot and spinach

We packed up all the fresh pasta which we made (which was enough to feed a family of 4 for 2 hearty meals) and sampled the pasta which the chef made on the day. What I totally loved about the class was that I came out not afraid of making pasta anymore and have decided to purchase myself a pasta making machine this Christmas so I can continue making fresh pasta at home.

We were running short of time towards the end, so we did not get the chance to see the Chef demo-ing how he made the pasta sauces (which I would have liked to see) but we were sent the recipe so we could recreate it. The sauces which the chef made on the day was the fresh tomato puree/sauce which he served with the beetroot tagliatelle and spinach ravioli which is filled with cheese/chicken filling and the delicate vodka and cream sauce which was served with store-bought penne (this sauce was everyone’s favourite).

To make our meal even more special the chef served lots of additional side dishes such as Italian bread, melons, asparagus, mushrooms and prosciutto ham.  Chef Jason also made an extra sauce to go with the egg pasta which was my favourite of the lot – Salmon and Spinach Cream Sauce. This tasted really nice especially as I ate this immediately after it was prepared. All in all, it was a fantastic experience and my friend who joined me, who I quote “says that she can’t even boil an egg” has come out making beautiful pasts as she said that it was not really cooking but like making playdough!  The class has boosted our confidence in the kitchen and I would totally recommend attending the class. There was only one minor set-back and that was, we did not get any printed recipe on the day but the recipe was sent out a week later. Which meant that we could not recreate the dishes at home the next day for our families using pasta we made but had to create our own sauce/or get ready-made ones from the shop.  Either way, my kids enjoyed eating the pasta and I am going to get them to help me make my next batch of pasta using the Fresh Pasta Cooking Set starter kit.

How much did the class cost and how do I book a cooking session?

The pasta making class cost £75 per person, different classes have different fees. Do head to their website here to see what classes are available and to book a session. Especially for our readers, please use discount code : yeah10 to be eligible for a 10% discount off the full price.

Here a short video of my cooking experience at Food Sorcery

Where is Food Sorcery? 
Wilmslow Road
Adjacent to Waterside Hotel
M20 5WZ
(Head down the drive and look out for the sighs to the Waterside Hotel and not the housing area, you’ll find Food Sorcery in the first car park, just buzz the buzzer and they will let you in).

About Food Sorcery

About Chef Jason Palin
Food is my passion – my art is creating a delicious and surprising menu that will overwhelm your every sense. I have cooked around the world and I am bursting to share all my knowledge (and stories) with fellow foodies! I have worked as a head chef at leading luxury resorts and as a private chef to A-list names. My style is a fusion of worldwide flavours. I am, a regular face on the North West foodie scene, cooking and teaching in a friendly, relaxed way. I am a qualified lecturer, delivering courses to professional chefs, foodies and children. I am experienced in corporate team building and mentoring around confidence in the kitchen. I have also launched many products and as well as cookery schools in and around the North West. Come as a guest, leave as a friend…

Photo credit: Food Sorcery

Things to note: 

• If you have an apron bring it along, if not you can use theirs
• Bring a Tupperware along with you as there is often more food than you can eat
• Try to get there at least 10 minutes before the class starts as they will have to keep to the time and won’t wait for you if there is a delay
• There is plenty of free car parking space

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*Disclaimer: I was invited to attend the cooking class in return for a feature. All opinions are my own.