Food Sorcery Cookery and Barista School – Sushi & Gyoza*

It was lovely to be back at Food Sorcery in Didsbury, Manchester and this time to review their Sushi and Gyoza making class by Chef Jan Cron.

We are huge foodies at Yeah Lifestyle and you will often see us sharing recipes, restaurant reviews, wine pairing recipes as well as cooking school reviews. We have previously attended Food Sorcery’s Pasta Making Class as well as their  Big & Little Cooks Class and really enjoyed both our sessions so were excited to be back again.

For those who are not familiar, Sushi is a Japanese dish prepared with seasoned vinegar rice and this is accompanied by your favourite ingredients such as vegetables, avocado, prawns, tuna or salmon.  Gyoza on the other hand is a dumpling filled with a mince pork filling or sweet potato filling.  This is a great meal to make and serve vegans, vegetarians or meat eaters as everyone will find a filling they enjoy trying. So keep on reading to find out more about how our class went.

What did we think of the class?

I personally love Sushi and seafood and could eat this everyday for breakfast, lunch or even dinner.  My children love eating sushi as well and we often grab a sushi takeaway box whenever we visit Manchester.  Hence I was looking forward to the class as this is something I am going to head back and attempt making on my own so we can have it more often as a meal at home.

Upon arrival at the class, we were offered a drink of our choice (Prosecco/beer/soft drinks) and relaxed while waiting for the others to arrive.  Our class was full and soon we were guided to our cooking stations. Chef Jan was very friendly and funny, he demonstrated each dish before we went back to our stations to make it on our own.

Our first dish was Gyoza, Chef Jan demonstrated how to fill the dumpling, the best way to pinch it and how to cook it. He later came around our work stations to guide us, as many were struggling with the pinching technique.

We were taught to make the most common type of Gyoza in Japan which is Yaki-Gyoza. This style of Gyoza is very similar to the Chinese ‘potsticker’ dumplings.  The prepared dumplings are placed in a pan and fried for a short time, water is then added to the pan and a lid placed on top, to steam the dumplings. When the steaming process is complete the lid of the pan is removed and the Gyoza are left to continue to crisp. This is then served with a dip, best eaten warm or cold.

One of the reason I love eating sushi is that its healthy and a great way to get kids to eat raw fish such as salmon or vegetables and avocados without them realising it.

So for our next dish, we made the Uramaki which is sushi with the on the outside such as California rolls and sashimi and served with raw fish/prawns inside.   We were assured that the fish was all bought locally and sashimi grade so it was safe to eat. Again Chef Jan demonstrated to us the art of rolling the sushi and then we went back to our stations to make this on our own. The rice was prepared in advance, as the other ingredients so it was easy to prepare the sushi. Chef Jan assured that it was easy to cook the rice at home (as this was not demonstrated) using the stove-top method or rice-cooker method following his recipe.

For our next sushi dish, we made the makizushi  which is sushi rice and filling wrapped in nori wrapper (dried seaweed wrapper). Everyone looked very excited and was enthusiastic in trying to create a perfect looking sushi.  Each of our sushi looked different, but it did not matter as it tasted fresh and delicious. We also had plenty to bring back despite us all snacking while making it.

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

The Gyoza and Sushi making class cost £95 per person. All ingredients, takeaway boxes and a drink on arrival is provided. Additional drinks can be purchased for a small fee.  You can book your class here.  Do note they also offer many other cooking classes as well as host private cooking classes/events, team building sessions and weddings.

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

Food Sorcery Cookery and Barista School offers fun, hands-on cookery classes and team-building with a twist – Learn to Create and Enjoy.  From novice to expert, healthy to gourmet, they’ve got classes to suit all and can adapt to dietary or allergy requirements on request.  With views over the river, easy transport links and a Hotel, pool & gym onsite, it’s the perfect place to have fun with food, learn tips and tricks from experts and to gain cooking confidence.  Their unique Cooking Together Friday nights are a fresh take on dining out, ditch the conventional meal out and cook your own!

About Chef Jan Cron

Jan is a chef with over 17 years of experience in prestigious establishments including Michelin starred restaurants in the UK and around the world. He is an accomplished personal chef specialising in healthy modern cuisine. His attitude to cooking is that it should be enjoyable and relaxing.

Things to note: 

• Don’t worry about aprons, they will provide disposable ones
• Do not bring Tupperware as they will provide take-away food containers as there is often more food than you can eat
• Try to get there on time 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
• Recipes are e-mailed out after the class

You may want to read this:

Food Sorcery Cookery and Barista School – Big & Little Cooks

Food Review: Cheshire Farm Chips’s Pre-prepared Potato Range

Giveaway & Vegan Cookbook Review: Lets Go Nuts by Estella Schweizer

*Disclaimer: We were invited to attend the cooking class in return for a feature. All opinions are our own.