The Nigel Brown Cookery Academy
Review by Tina Draper
Flavours Magazine
After an easy drive from Southwell to Goxhill in
North Lincolnshire, I arrived at The Nigel
Brown Cooking Academy to begin my course entitled
'Meat, Poultry and Game Galore'. Nigel's wife
Lisa greeted me as I pulled up in front of their
lovely home, and guided me through to the
kitchen, where I was introduced to Nigel, and
given a welcome drink of warm winter berry
mulled wine and a plate of perfect homemade
florentines. As Nigel and I began to chat, Lisa
made the first of many pots of coffee, so I knew
that I would be in for a great day with lots of
fresh coffee to help me along.
Nigel runs private cookery courses for
individuals and small groups of up to 4 people
at his home, but will host larger groups at other
locations. Nigel feels that it is good to give
lessons in a domestic kitchen, rather than a
large industrial restaurant kitchen, as it
demonstrates to his clients that they can achieve
the same results at home without the aid of
expensive equipment.
Nigel told me that they had received a late
cancellation due to a family bereavement from
the other guests, and that I would be having his
attention exclusively. This made for a very
relaxing day for both of us, as we were able to
chat about various aspects of the food chain,
from growing and sourcing quality raw
ingredients, through storage, preparation and
cooking, to finally savouring the delicious
results.
We soon began to prepare the first dish of the
day; a Game Terrine made with venison, rabbit,
pheasant, bacon and sausage meat blended with
sage and juniper berries. Nigel brought out the
meat we would be using, and we discussed the
merits of having a good, local butcher who takes
great care in sourcing the very best meat and
game.
Nigel explained that we would line the dish with
the bacon, then layer the strips of meat and
sausage meat until we had filled the dish. He
suggested that we add other ingredients, and gave
me the choice of pistachio nuts, fresh
cranberries, toasted pine kernals, quail's eggs,
sundried tomatoes and soaked apricots. It was fun
to experiment with the different flavours and
customise the dish to my own taste. Nigel
recommended that the terrine be served with a
Cranberry Cumberland Sauce, and quickly
demonstrated how quick and easy it is to make
this wonderful accompaniment.
After a quick coffee, and some more florentines,
we moved on to the next dish, Chicken, Ham and
Asparagus Roulade.
We cheerfully set to, bashing the chicken breasts
to flatten them, and covered the raw chicken with
slices of ham. After seasoning, we added a layer
of fresh spinach, then blended another piece of
chicken with basil and seasoning. The resulting
puree was carefully spread over the leaves, and
a piece of raw asparagus was placed at the
centre. This was then rolled tightly into a
cylindrical shape, wrapped in cling film and
poached in simmering water.
Next, we prepared Anna Potatoes - an easy dish
made up of layers of thinly sliced potatoes and
onions, layered together with clarified butter
and seasoning. Easy to prepare and cook in
advance, it slowly bakes in the oven, and is a
prefect dish for a dinner party.
Nigel then took me out into the garden, and we
looked at the various home grown vegetables,
fruit and herbs which are thriving in a small
greenhouse and vegetable patch. The rest of the
garden was beautiful, and perfect for summer
entertaining - Nigel even runs outdoor cooking
courses when the weather is fine.
Back into the warm kitchen, it was time for
lunch, so I took the opportunity to have a break
and chat to Nigel while he cooked a wonderful
meal of Fillet Steak with a Blue Cheese Crust,
accompanied by finely chopped baby courgettes,
broad beans and asparagus tips, which Nigel
quickly sautéed in rape seed oil.
Nigel was born in Bridlington, into a family who
have spent a lifetime in the Hotel and Catering
industry. He spent much of his teenage years
helping in their family restaurant, and his
formal catering training started when at 16 he
spent 2 years at Hull College, 2 at Scarborough
and a year each at Grimsby and Beverley College.
Nigel told me of his great admiration for Ken
Allison, former Senior Lecturer at Scarborough
Technical College who had a profound influence on
Nigel's style of cooking. James Martin whom Nigel
occasionally works alongside, was also a former
student of Ken Allison's.
During his years working at some of London's
biggest and busiest hotels Nigel enjoyed
competing in many national competitions. He won a
place in the Trusthouse Forte Chef of the Year
competition and entered the London Hotelympia
Salon Culinaire competitions on several occasions
where he thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere and
camaraderie amongst his fellow competitors. He
became a qualified teacher at the age of 21. In
his more advanced training, Nigel spent time at
the highly acclaimed French cookery school Ecole
Le Notre where he picked up a wealth of
experience and knowledge in areas of specialist
patisserie work.
In 2007 Nigel and Lisa launched Superchef Secrets
Ltd and produced their first set of 3 cookery
school DVD's. These were aimed at teaching
children and young adults and students how to
produce nutritious food, bearing in mind the
budget, and adhering to food hygiene practices. A
sophisticated dinner party for adults was also
demonstrated; an easy to follow guide, from
initially writing a shopping list, through to
presenting guests with a stunning 3-course
dinner.
The DVD's were an instant success, and due to an
ever increasing demand for real hands on cookery
courses, Nigel decided to open a Cookery Academy
at his home in Lincolnshire
Nigel particularly enjoys demonstrating his
skills on stage at many of the UK's biggest food
festivals, and welcomes the opportunity to meet
people from all over the country to discuss his
recipes and cooking styles. He is the resident
celebrity chef for BBC Radio Humberside, and has
recently done a screen test for Ready Steady Cook.
Nigel also works closely with Jean-Christophe
Novelli at The Novelli Academy offering corporate
entertainment and teaching specialist
patisserie/cookery courses, and is currently in
discussions with Highgrove House regarding their
organic food programme.
Whether Nigel is filming, writing, demonstrating
at food festivals, catering for high profile
private functions and VIP hospitality he so
obviously loves the world of catering, and is
passionate about spreading the word about good
quality, healthy food.
I was telling Nigel how much I enjoy canapés, so
we spent the afternoon experimenting with some
delicious combinations: simple basil leaves with
balsamic vinegar, and baked brioche with a
spinach and goat's cheese filling, finished off
with a thin layer of fois gras. When the dishes
of the morning were cooked, we tasted the Game
Terrine with Cranberry Cumberland Sauce, and the
Chicken, Ham and Asparagus Roulade with Lime and
Chilli Dressing, two more ideas to add to my
party canapé repertoire. We also had fun with
some napkin folding, and Nigel kindly made no
comment as my gondola turned out to look more
like a shipwreck!
This wonderful day was too quickly coming to an
end. I thoroughly enjoyed the easy company of
Nigel and Lisa, and so appreciated that Nigel was
flexible enough to tailor the course to my own
requirements. I learnt not to be overwhelmed by
the idea of cooking sophisticated dishes for my
guests, and to prepare in advance to make
entertaining a much more relaxing experience.
By Tina Draper
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Adelanta Travel Services
2, Commercial Road
Nottingham NG6 8HA England
Tel; (44) 115 975 6979
Fax; (44) 115 975 6907
Free FAX from the USA; 1-800 688 0345
Web; www.adelanta.co.uk
For information about cookery courses with Nigel Brown visit www.nigelbrownchef.co.uk
