Cookery school

Schools Essential Skills Course

Did you know that Tante Marie can run a special Schools Essential Skills cookery course at your school?

This excellent introductory cookery course was launched in 2004 at St Catherine’s School, Bramley, near Guildford and has been taken up since by other schools including Notre Dame in Cobham, Surrey, St. Georges in Ascot, and Priors Field School. In each case, the students are benefitting hugely from the course.

The course is taught at your school, by Tante Marie’s own professional teachers, in small groups of sixth form students with the emphasis on learning a life skill in an enjoyable and relaxed atmosphere. The content of the Schools Essential Skills course is similar to Tante Marie’s full time four week Essential Skills course, adapted to thirty (2½/3 hour) sessions spread over three school terms, usually as an after school activity or to fit in with your school timetable.

As well as teaching a real life skill the Essential Skills Course is valued by a considerable number of ski chalet operators and other companies offering gap year and vacation employment with which Tante Marie has excellent links.

The course also counts as a qualifying activity for the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award and for the International Baccalaureate which an increasing number of schools are now offering as an alternative to A-levels.

Skills covered include the preparation of sauces, soups, eggs, pasta dishes, seafood, meat and roasts, poultry, vegetables, salads, canapés, desserts, pastries, cakes, biscuits, bread and ice creams.

As well as taking some of their creations home, students are encouraged to demonstrate their new skills to their families at home as the course progresses. The students are not examined but receive a certificate of attendance at the end of their course.

As with all our courses, there are no “extras”. Everything is included in the course fee: tuition, ingredients, and the students’ own special Tante Marie chef’s knives and knife wallet, recipe file and apron.

If you would like more information about running the Schools Essential Skills course in your school, please contact us on 01483 726957 or alternatively send an email to info@tantemarie.co.uk