Spanish born, London based Patissère  Javier Cervantes will safely guide us through all the techniques behind these amazing  cakes,  including French Meringue, Buttercream, Lady Fingers Roulade, Marzipan and enriched, yeast based butter Stollen dough

Javier runs sell-out worshops for Divertimenti Cookery School in London and is in high demand for private client work. This class is the culmination of a series of classes Javier has agreed to run for us and a first for Cambridge. Javier’s master classes offer an unrivalled opportunity for competent bakers wishing to learn from a master and sheer heaven for those who simply love baking and fancy the idea of upping the ante for the festive season.

Coffee, tea and cake, a light savoury snack to keep blood sugar in check and a glass of bubbly are included in the class as is our usual full recipe pack. Bakers will of course leave with their own version of both cakes as well as sampling Javier’s master pieces  in class.

This class kicks off with simple and quick combination sauces such as Pesto and Mojo, moves on to a classic Bolognese to illustrate how to build depth and transform an average sauce into something extraordinary and then moves on to awesome and impressive emulsion sauces like Mayonnaise and Hollandaise. To finish off, we will teach you how to succeed with Crème Anglaise, aka custard.

As usual, the class is 100% hands-on and includes a full lunch with wine.

Coffee/tea and something home baked on arrival and full recipe pack included.

We focus on easy-to-make food that can be prepared in advance yet delivers great flavour and looks elegant on the plate. We start with coffee and cake and finish off with lunch and wine. Recipe packs included.

The course covers:
Week 1 27/9: Knife Skills, boning, health & safety in the kitchen
Week 2 4/10: Stocks, soups and vegetables – the classic kitchen basics
Week 3 11/10: From Pastry to Panade – flour in baking, pastry, sauces and soufflés
Week 4 18/10: Everyday cooking – speed, health, seasonality
Week 5 1/11: Meat master class – prime cuts and slow cooking
Week 6 8/11: Fish master class – freshness, filleting, cooking methods
Week 7 15/11: Bread master class – all about bread, flour, yeast
Week 8 22/11: Italian master class – pasta, classic sauces, desserts

Testimonials “A fabulous, well-structured course exploring a broad range of culinary skills and providing an interesting challenge for novice and seasoned cooks alike. All conducted in a professional and good natured environment with just the right element of competition …or was that just me? Would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone with an interest in food, whatever their ability.” John Adamson

The autumn class includes sublime steamed Plaice en Papillotte, a classic open Danish “smorrebrod” of pan-fried plaice, a sumptious but super easy saffron scented fish soup and some of the best cold emulsion sauces to go with fish; Mayonnaise, Remoulade and Rouille.

Classic sauces are classics for a reason – they are quite simply the match made in heaven for the dishes they are teamed with. In a day and age when, so often, good food has come to equal quick food, it is particularly enjoyable to occasionally make time for these delectable classics.

This class kicks off with simple and quick combination sauces such as Pesto and Mojo, moves on to a classic Bolognese to illustrate how to build depth and transform an average sauce into something extraordinary and then moves on to awesome and impressive emulsion sauces like Mayonnaise and Hollandaise. To finish off, we will teach you how to succeed with Crème Anglaise, aka custard.

As usual, the class is 100% hands-on and includes a full lunch with wine.

Coffee/tea and something home baked on arrival and full recipe pack included.

Classic sauces are classics for a reason – they are quite simply the match made in heaven for the dishes they are teamed with. In a day and age when, so often, good food has come to equal quick food, it is particularly enjoyable to occasionally make time for these delectable classics.

This class kicks off with simple and quick cold combination sauces such as Pesto and Mojo and moves on to Italian tomato sauce. We approach the awesome and impressive emulsion sauces by building up confidence and understanding, starting with  simple Vinaigrette and building up to Mayonnaise and Hollandaise.  We make a modern pan jus of red wine and red currant, demonstrate how to pan fry perfect steak and how to oven bake salmon, to enjoy with the magnificent sauces we make. We finish off by making delicious sweet sauces such as caramel sauce and Crème Anglaise, aka custard.

As usual, the class is 100% hands-on and includes a full lunch with wine.

Coffee/tea and something home baked on arrival and full recipe pack included.

We use fresh fish straight from Billingsgate and guests prepare individual whole fish for each recipe.

We start our summer morning with coffee, tea and cake and finish with a large fish lunch with a glass of chilled white wine, enjoying everything we have cooked. Full recipe pack included.

Welcome coffee/soft drinks and cake, a hands-on class and plenty of lovely fresh bread to take home.

Javier will guide us through all the thechniques behind two complex French desserts; Strawberry and Champagne Bavarois and Peach and Crème Chiboust a la Canelle Tart which means we will be making Strawberry Mousse, Champagne Bavarois, Italian Meringue, Vanilla Sponge, Pâte Sucrée,  Crème patissière and Raspberry Coulis!

At the end of the class, after coffee breaks, a light savoury snack to keep blood sugar levels in check and a glass of chilled Prosecco, each baker will take home their creations. We will of course also sample Javier’s master pieces in class.

Javier runs sell-out classes for Divertimenti Cookery School in London and is in high demand for private client work. This is the first of a series of classes Javier has agreed to run for us and a first for Cambridge. Javier’s master classes will offer an unrivalled opportunity for competent bakers wishing to learn from a master and sheer heaven for those who simply love baking and fancy the idea of upping the ante for summer events!

Full recipe pack is, as always, included.