The School of Artisan Food at Welbeck reopens to students

It’s back to school to celebrate Sourdough September!


The School of Artisan Food at the heart of Nottinghamshire’s Welbeck Estate has reopened and welcomed back students for the first time since lockdown.

A new programme of culinary and baking courses has been launched, as well as activities to celebrate Sourdough September.

“We are delighted to welcome people back to The School of Artisan Food,” said director Simon Pittman. “During the last few months we have hosted various online courses but we are thrilled to see people back in our building here in Welbeck.

The School of Artisan Food has very spacious teaching areas

“One thing we’re not short of here is space. As we’re based in a huge building we’re able to host courses in a safe environment where people can feel comfortable. Our training rooms are large, plus we’re able to open up our doors and spill out into our spacious courtyard.”

Over the summer the team worked behind the scenes to ensure it was ready for the reopening and received Visit England’s ‘Good to Go’ accreditation.

During that time, they were able to devise a new programme of courses, including events to coincide with this year’s national Sourdough September festival. The School of Artisan Food will be hosting a Sourdough Demonstration evening and a two-day Introduction to Sourdough course from a renowned international baker.

Sourdough September was originally launched by the Real Bread Campaign to encourage more people to buy genuine sourdough from independent bakeries and to have a go at making their own.

The School’s expert baker, David Carter, will be sharing his expertise during a Sourdough Demonstration evening on September 15. There will be the chance to taste some freshly baked sourdough bread and take away a portion of sourdough starter to practice bread baking at home.

David said: “I look forward to welcoming everyone to the School and sharing our passion for real bread. As a process, a lot of mystique has a grown up around sourdough. While there is advice online, there is no substitute for a step-by-step myth-busting practical session.”

During the event he will go through the entire sourdough process. The evening takes place at the School in Lower Motor Yard within Welbeck from 6pm until 8.30pm. Tickets, £20, can be booked here.

For those looking to extend their practical sourdough skills, there will be a two-day hands-on ‘Introduction to Sourdough’ course led by the internationally renowned baker and author, Emmanuel Hadjiandreou. Taking place over the weekend of September 19-20, the course offers the chance to learn all about sourdough baking from fermentation and mixing to proving and baking from one of the very best. More details can be found here.

Other courses coming up range from baking, pizza-making, and beer and cheese tasting to foraging, how to prepare and cook fish, and preparing venison and game.

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