Love on the rocks? A cookery course will heat things up. Sophie Farrah finds the recipe for romance...
Do you ever cook with your partner? I have a wildly romanticised idea of what it should look like in our tiny kitchen – dancing around the worktops together, him happily chopping herbs while I casually stir the pot, occasionally spoon-feeding him a taste.
The reality? Considerably less cinematic. He uses every single pan and utensil available, while I get distracted and forget to pay attention to whatever’s cooking. In the wake of our umpteenth burnt supper, my husband Tom now point-blank refuses to share the kitchen with me.
So this month – the month of Saint Valentine – we decided on a drastic remedy: a cooking experience together beyond the calamitous confines of our own domain.
Gordon Ramsay Academy
We set off for Woking, home of the Gordon Ramsay Academy. The multi–Michelin-starred chef and TV personality opened his first cookery school here in 2021, followed by a second in London’s Bishopsgate last year.
The Woking site is instantly impressive. From the moment you cross its modern threshold there’s a smart, high-end feel. Several spacious kitchens, all gleaming stainless steel, host a multitude of classes seven days a week.
You can learn how to make pasta or Beef Welly, tackle bread, bao, steak or seafood, dive into chocolate desserts or explore flavours from around the world. All experiences, with a maximum of 10–12 per class, promise to be hands-on, informative and fun.
Tom and I were all set to channel our inner ‘star baker’ on an afternoon tea course. Ramsay doesn’t host the courses himself – instead, we had the lovely Andrew Roberts, the Academy’s less sweary head chef tutor.
After a brief introduction, Andrew handed out aprons and name badges, and the fun began. We started with a flourless chocolate cake: Tom took charge of the batter while I tried not to ruin the silky icing, a mouthwatering mixture of quality dark chocolate and butter. It was the perfect confidence-building opener, and soon we were well on our way without a single cross word (or look) exchanged.
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Next came something more complicated: macarons, which are famously finicky.
Thankfully, our teamwork seemed to, well, work. I mixed the batter while Tom carefully managed the boiling sugar. Andrew guided us every step of the way, striking the perfect balance of professionalism and patience – especially when I began to panic about my egg whites scrambling.
It all went to plan, and soon Tom and I were side by side piping peanut-butter buttercream onto our (almost) perfect macarons, adding a dollop of strawberry jam before sandwiching them together.
I felt like I was on Bake Off, my enthusiasm only momentarily curbed by Tom’s competitive urge to pipe “the best macaron” (mine were, obviously, superior).
The final flourish of the day was a batch of scones. They took hardly any time to make, and before we knew it they were puffed up, golden and begging to be eaten.
We left feeling genuinely accomplished, newly skilled and still married – a victory in itself. Better yet, we had a humongous haul: boxes of macarons, piles of fresh scones and several deliciously rich chocolate cakes, which we spent the evening devouring together on the sofa until we both felt ill. And if that’s not romance, I don’t know what is.
This month, the Academy is dialling up the romance with a Valentine’s Day evening class (Feb 14, 6.30pm, £100pp), where you’ll cook a delicious dinner together and enjoy a spot of wine tasting too. If you prefer your date nights a little meatier, the Bishopsgate steak masterclass – served with stunning skyline views (Feb 1, 13 & 14 + dates throughout the year, £160pp) – should do the trick.
The afternoon tea course at the Gordon Ramsay Academy in Woking (Jan 23, Feb 27 and other dates throughout the year) is £110pp; gordonramsayacademy.com.
