Summer cooking classes on Waiheke – just a few January days left!

We’re introducing something new for our summer classes!

I’m just too excited to express in words about collaborating with the fabulous Cat Vosper at Casita Miro on our Shared Kitchen summer classes. We’ll rendezvous at the fabulous and funky Casita Miro at 11.00am for a tutored sherry tasting with Cat. Cat’s an expert, with a genuine love of all things sherry, from bone dry to medium palate, through to decadently rich and syrupy sweet. You thought sherry was an old ladies’ drink? (Settle down!) Cat will show you its amazing range, the beguiling scents, nutty nuances and rich fruitcake complexities which linger on and on. This is an amazing opportunity to learn about one of Spain’s treasures. Then you will be transported to Rocky Bay to my place for a cooking demonstration which will form a 3-course lunch. You’ll taste some Waiheke specialties and enjoy some great wines, along with the food, and go away informed, inspired, and with a great set of recipes.

Sherry is often misunderstood, but it is a fascinating drink with a rich history and a range of styles. The lovely Cat Vosper, owner of Casita Miro, will take you through the paces, giving you a wonderful opportunity to experience the complexities of sherry. It will also give you a glimpse into a very special place on Waiheke. Spanish and Gaudi-esque at every step, you can’t help but be enchanted by Casita Miro, with its mosaic walls, magic staircases, hideaways and olive trees. And on Waiheke! An opportunity not to be missed. (And definitely stop and smell the roses as you walk along the path to the entrance!)

However, if you prefer a standard cooking class (without the sherry tasting), please let me know.

For the cooking class / lunch, you don’t need to bring anything (just good humour and a rumble in your belly!). You will be at my place before midday, and we’ll rock straight into it. There will be a great set of recipes based on fresh seasonal food, much from my own garden (or what I can pinch from my friends’ gardens on Waiheke!), and local products, including award-wining olive oils, honeys, preserves, edible flowers, our famed oysters and breads, and  lovely wines, too. The cooking demonstration dishes will form a 3-course lunch. The atmosphere will be convivial, but you will learn heaps of tips. That’s the most common comment made about Shared Kitchen classes – picking up tips and hints, and seeing how it is really done. The class will conclude around 2.00pm.

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. While there is a great emphasis on plant-based dishes, I include plenty of healthy seafood, some meats, and there is always a sweet treat, often fruit-based, to finish.

I look forward to hosting you at my Waiheke home over summer, and I am thrilled to be able to offer the sherry tasting at Casita Miro. It’s a unique combination. There are plenty of dates, but remember Waiheke is at peak capacity during January, so book early, especially for groups (maximum size is 8, though bigger groups can be accommodated at another venue – or we can come to you).

Email me [email protected]

Available Dates for Summer Classes

January classes are now closed. Please see February schedule.

See February Schedule

Cost

Sherry tasting, cooking class and lunch $135.00 per person

Transport

If you are coming from Auckland you will catch the Waiheke ferry to Matiatia Wharf.

The ferry leaves from the Ferry Terminal, 99 Quay Street. Take the 10.00am ferry (leaves same time 7 days a week and on pubic holidays). The trip is 35 minutes.

Transport from the ferry to Casita Miro at own cost.

Either organise a taxi, shuttle taxi (Island Taxis or Waiheke Executive Transport), or take the Onetangi bus from the ferry at Matiatia Wharf (there is a bus to meet every ferry), get off at the last stop and walk up 7^th Avenue, turn right and you will see the sign. It’s a wee bit of a hike, but certainly do-able, though not in fancy shoes. If coming by bus you will need to take the 9.30am ferry. There is plenty of parking at Casita Miro if coming by private car.

Transport between Casita Miro and Shared Kitchen cooking class and lunch is included (please indicate if you require this).

Transport from Shared Kitchen cooking class to ferry at conclusion of class at own cost. Ferries return to Auckland every 30 minutes, leaving at a quarter to and a quarter past the hour, until 7.15, then it drops back to every 45 minutes.