Seasonal Showstoppers

About this workshop

A rotating workshop built around the best ingredients of the moment. Expect a different menu each season, from spring leaves and asparagus to autumn squash, pears and chicory.

We design each Seasonal Showstoppers menu around what is genuinely good in the UK at the time, so it changes through the year. Spring means peas, radishes and tender leaves; summer is tomatoes, courgettes and stone fruit; autumn brings beetroot, squash, apples and chicory; winter is citrus, brassicas and roots.

Whatever the season, the format is the same. We begin with a tasting of the main ingredients, talk about how to choose and store them, and then cook three dishes that show off different techniques: one raw and sharply dressed, one roasted, one assembled warm. You will learn how to recognise what to do with an ingredient rather than following a recipe by rote.

The final dish is always a centrepiece salad that you plate together as a group.

On the menu

1. A seasonal centrepiece salad (menu varies)
2. A roasted vegetable plate with a fresh sauce
3. A raw, sharply dressed side
4. A seasonal dessert-style fruit plate (when suitable)

Techniques you’ll learn

• Choosing and storing seasonal produce
• Roasting and caramelising vegetables
• Raw preparation: shaving, salting, marinating
• Pairing by season and by contrast
• Plating for height and colour

How the session runs

1. 0:00Welcome and ingredient tasting
2. 0:20Roasting and prep
3. 0:50Raw dishes and dressings
4. 1:20Centrepiece assembly
5. 1:40Eating together and swap notes

Timings are a guide and flex with the group.