Home cooking classes
You may be interested in learning a little about home cooking classes. But does this mean cooking classes for the type of food you get at home, or cooking classes that are actually given to you in your own home. Generally speaking the question refers to the former. Home cooking classes are normally found in the curriculum of any good cooking school. Depending on the school, the classes can be quite mundane, but on the other hand they can sometimes be quite groundbreaking. It basically all boils down to the cooking school.
Tucked away in the quiet little garden suburb of Hennopspark in Centurion is the Prue Leith College of Food and Wine. The Prue Leith College, where you can take home cooking classes, was founded in 1996 by Tiny Barnetson and Graham Ledger, and the name Prue Leith is used with the permission of Prue Leith OBE herself. Prue is an internationally renowned culinary expert in the restaurant and catering field. She was born in South Africa and studied at the University of Cape Town. Shortly after graduating, she left for Europe where she became a household name and was awarded an OBE for the contribution she made to the food industry in the United Kingdom. She also sits on the Boards of a number of London Stock Exchange listed companies, has been awarded numerous honorary degrees and doctorates and spends a considerable amount of time doing charitable work. Prue is the Patron of the college, which she visits on a regular basis. On successfully graduating from the college, students are awarded the Prue Leith Diploma, which is recognized throughout the entire world.
The college accepts students after they have reached the age of eighteen and have passed their Matric exam. They must also attend an interview and complete a comprehensive questionnaire. The Diploma Course lasts for eighteen months, which are split up into three semesters of six-months each. Huge emphasis is put on the practical aspect of catering – not just in the kitchen classroom, but in actual work conditions. At the very end of their course all students get to spend six months at a recognized catering establishment – this could be a game lodge, an hotel or a restaurant. Although most venues are dotted about over all of South Africa, there is every chance that a student could find him/herself in Ireland, the United Kingdom or even in Dubai.
But this is not the only place that students gain valuably hands-on experience. From as early as week two of the Diploma Course, students will be spending several nights a week working in Prue Leith’s, the college’s very own restaurant set in the college grounds. Here they will be putting their home cooking classes to good use and can be seen taking orders at table, preparing and cooking meals in the kitchen, and serving the meals at table. The curriculum of the Prue Leith Diploma course is extremely comprehensive, and of course includes home cooking classes. The college also runs regular short courses and team building exercises under the direction of various qualified chefs.
