New cooking classes on Waiheke Island – winter never looked so good!

Flavours of Spain – Exceptional dishes 

10^th June 1.00-4.00pm approximately

We’ve got a Spanish theme going on in this class – and why not? The food is some of the most exciting, adventurous and enjoyable on the planet! Of course there are a few twists with the recipes: many followers of Shared Kitchen will be familiar with Romesco Sauce – in this new recipe I am serving it atop a smoked fish pie. Now you just know that combination is going to create magic. We’ll start with a roasted cauliflower soup with smoked paprika & lemon croutons, and move through meat dishes, including tender pork with olives and sherry vinegar – oh, and we’ll have a tasting of sherry vinegars because they are sensational – and carry on with a classic potato tortilla, although I’m likely to throw some chorizo in to give it a little zing, and finish with two stunning desserts: a Galician Torta de Santiago and a creamy rice pudding scented with fragrant orange blossom water and woody notes of cinnamon, served with caramelised oranges. Everything’s sensational. Everything’s delicious. Not to be missed.

A Winter’s Table – Home cooking at its best

17^th June 1.00-4.00pm approximately

Hunkering down for winter and looking for new inspiration to get you through the chilly months? I love family favourites and trot them out at the start of a new season, but I’m always looking for new dishes, new ideas to add to the repertoire, especially once I’ve rattled through the old faves a couple of times. With winter upon us, at least in this part of the world, I’m soon to be getting pots of soup bubbling, getting the slow-cooker out to cook meats until they fall off the bone, and serving up bowls of piping hot mash, interesting dishes with grains, and tasty, filling pasta dishes, and, of course, bringing on warming and homely pudds. Yeah! The sort of dishes that warm you up, fill you up and make you feel good. Family cooking at its heart it may be, but gorgeous enough to share with friends on a leisurely Sunday. A Winter’s Table will be full of seasonal vegetables, fruits and herbs, golden-topped pies and fork-tender meats and scrumptious pudds. All the better to provide you with the basis for a great repertoire of winter dishes.

Cooking Class information

The theme for all classes is SEASONAL, EASY, DELICIOUS food that you will want to cook again and again. I don’t waste time with aspirational dishes that you might make ‘one day’, but concentrate, instead, on dishes that you will want to cook immediately. PRACTICAL, USEFUL, HEALTHY food, with some treats thrown in. There’ll be plenty of things to taste including Waiheke award-wining olive oils, artisan slow-fermented breads, Waiheke wines and infused honeys and other bits of gorgeousness that come our way.

As on all classes, you will get a full taste of all the dishes, be served some fabulous wines, and come away with a great set of recipes having picked up numerous tips and techniques.

Waiheke is such a magical place to visit (it’s a pretty amazing place to live, too). You could spend the morning shopping, visiting art galleries, enjoying great coffee at some of the island’s hidden gems, or enjoying a wine tasting at one of the award winning vineyards, then come along to the cooking class at 1.00pm. It doubles as lunch! You could finish the day with a glass of bubbles at The Oyster Inn in Oneroa, looking over the sparkling harbour. It’ll be a day to remember, and you’ll not want to leave.

Come over and enjoy a day eating, drinking and getting inspired. It’s great fun!

The classes run from 1.00pm – 4.00pm approx.

Cost $125.00 per person, payable on line

Please email early to avoid disappointment

[email protected]

*Not all the classes are advertised, as some fill up so quickly. If you would like to have a private class (groups of up to 8), or if any advertised dates don’t suit you, please email for more information.