SHAPES (3) - AUGUST CHALLENGE

As I mentioned yesterday, today was the day I went on my Thai Cookery Course, and it was absolutely brilliant. It was run by Des and his wife, Amy, at their venue, Flavours School of Cookery and from the minute I walked in and was greeted by them, I was sure we would have a good time and I wasn’t mistaken! Des remembered everyone's name as he introduced us and he was so friendly with a great sense of humour, as was Amy - they make a fantastic team.

There were 7 of us there, of all SHAPES and sizes (to fit in with the August Challenge) and I have never known 4 hours to pass so quickly. There was quite a lot of banter between us all - and particularly the two guys in the bottom right photograph, Andy and Steve, as we shared the same work station.

We learnt so much and Des was a great teacher - we got used to shouting “Yes, Chef” when he told us something, and we could ask as many questions as we liked. There was Thai beer there if we wanted it, but I preferred water and coffee and also as many shrimp crackers, or in my case, banana cake, as we wanted.

In the background Amy, Tom and two young students beavered away, putting all the ingredients onto trays ready for whatever dish we were making and then afterwards taking the empty trays and containers away, washed them all up and then brought fresh trays back ready for the next meal we would be preparing - they did a great job and I made sure I told them.

The dishes we made were:

Tom Yum Soup (Hot and Sour Soup) and also
Tom Kha Gai (Hot and Sour Soup with Coconut Milk)
Sticky Rice
Pad Thai Noodles with Tofu
Thai Fish Cakes with a Chilli Dipping Sauce
Red Thai Chicken Curry
Chicken Massaman

I have certainly overcome my fear of cooking with chillies and have learned how to dice an onion without crying! Des also told us that if you eat something made with chillies for breakfast, it takes the edge of your appetite for the rest of the day - that sounds a good idea to me!

A special thank you to M & D for their thoughtful Christmas present - an afternoon well spent with congenial company and an evening meal to be proud of - it’s just a shame they aren’t here to share it with us - but I now know what sort of food J, our other son will be eating most of the time.

“One cannot think well,
love well,
sleep well,
if one has not dined well.”
Virgina Woolf

I did invite some friends, but sadly they can't come, so we shall certainly be dining well tonight!