A pop-up cookery school… at Harrods

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I like to shop (what girl doesn’t?), but rarely do I find myself on the second floor of
Harrods holding a freshly caught trout. Today, though, I’m not here to buy – I’m here to learn.

Known for its gamut of luxury goods, this April the upmarket department store will for the first time host a series of cookery classes in its Gourmet Cookshop – and I was lucky enough to attend a sneak preview.

Headlining Harrods’ month-long Summer Kitchen event is esteemed Gloucestershire food school
Thyme at Southrop Manor
, who will be delivering demonstrations, tastings and lessons in all things culinary – from sausage-making to seasonal baking. I’m here to sample the fish class – hence the trout…

Culinary director Daryll wields the knife

“How are your knife skills?” asks Thyme’s culinary director Daryll Taylor.

“Amateur,” I reply, giving my fingers a nice-to-have-known-you waggle

(I’m a sub editor, not a member of the
delicious. food team)

.

“We’ll soon change that,” he says with a knowing smile.

On the menu is citrus ceviche made with scallops and seabass, with Bibury trout wrapped in air-dried ham to follow – all using seasonal produce grown or sourced from Thyme’s home in rural Gloucestershire.

After Daryll demonstrates the expert way, I’m soon at my workstation attempting to master the knack of opening a scallop shell, finely slicing a fillet of sea bass and filleting and de-boning a trout.

As the saying goes, it’s easy when you know how. Daryll’s tips and tricks make chefy-looking dishes do-able for the home cook – from his advice on buying and growing ingredients, to preparing and serving the goods.

An hour later and I have two new dishes to add to my repertoire and some handy kitchen tips. I’m pleased to report I still have 10 digits firmly intact.

Harrods is on to a winner here. While cookery demos are nothing new, Thyme’s pop-up classes will surely whet customers’ appetites for gaining and improving kitchen skills. And popping up in one of the UK’s most famous shopping meccas makes a spot of post-lesson shopping a tempting digestif.

Stuffed Bibury trout with air-dried ham

The details

Visit The Gourmet Cookshop, Second Floor, Harrods throughout April for tastings, tips and recipe ideas.

Live cookery demonstrations will take place 6-7 April and 4-5 May.

Cookery classes:

Monday 8 April, 6pm – FISH: AN INTRODUCTION, £50

Tuesday 9 April, 6pm – ITALIAN: PERFECT PASTA, £50

Wednesday 10 April, 6pm – SAUSAGE MAKING, £40

Thursday 11 April, 6pm – BAKING, £40

Friday 12 April, 6pm – CRAB AND CRUSTACEAN, £50

Classes are ticketed and limited to six people per lesson. For more information and to book, call Harrods Concierge on 020 7730 1234 or visits Harrods.com.