New cooking courses at Trill Farm

The Trill Trust, the educational charity based at Trill Farm, in Axminster has just added five new one-day cookery and butchery courses to its programme this year, each one with distinct focus on preparing seasonally available produce from the farm: Trill Summer Tapas, Summer BBQ Cooking Class, Fermenting and Preserving, Lamb Butchery, and Trill’s Garden Christmas.

Each course will be led by Trill Farm’s chef-in-residence, Chris Onions, who works his daily magic in The Old Dairy Kitchen, using the farm as a class room and larder to demonstrate the abundance of good food available at our finger tips.

Director of education for The Trill Trust, Jolyon Chesworth says: “We are very excited to be expanding our programme of natural and sustainable living courses to include these new one-day cooking courses led by chef, Chris Onions.

He continues, “Chris has a genuine passion to show people the benefits of using local seasonal produce, and nose-to-tail cooking. This spirit is very much at the heart of The Trill Trust and its ethos of sustainability and living lightly off the land.”

The new one-day cooking courses will complement the popular seasonal residential cooking retreats, Living Nutrition - led by chef and nutritionist, Daphne Lambert - that are already part of the educational programme at Trill.

New One-Day Cooking Courses in Detail:

Trill Summer Tapas: 13th June / £65

Taking influences from around the globe and using the finest of Trill Farm Garden’s summer vegetables, flowers and herbs, this course will teach participants how to prepare a range of delicious tapas from the plant kingdom.

Attendees will learn useful kitchen skills such as knife sharpening and safe and efficient chopping. They will then put these skills into use by creating vibrant, flavour filled meals ideal for parties, quick lunches and family gatherings.

Summer BBQ Cooking Class: 2nd August  / £75

This one-day workshop is a celebration of deep smoky flavours, exquisite summer vegetables, the rituals of fire and sharing a meal outdoors with friends. A world away from blackened sausages with tomato ketchup.

During this hands-on day, participants will create a range of edible delights including preparing meat from the land at Trill, day boat caught sustainable fish from the South West and fresh seasonal vegetables from Trill's garden. They will cook up a fantastic feast for the BBQ lunch and take away a selection of relishes and accompaniments that they have created, along with recipes and a host of new skills and ideas.

Fermenting and Preserving Workshop: 29th September / £65

A look at quick pickling; working with lactic cultures to create unique ferments and turning the last of the garden and the hedgerows’ summer harvest into sweet and sour delights. This is a practical, hands-on course. Attendees will work in small groups to prepare a range of different products.

Participants will leave with new skills, recipes and a selection of their creations to take home with them.

Lamb Butchery: 24th October / £160

A hands-on, step-by-step guide to butchering a lamb. This is not a demonstration – participants will butcher a whole lamb each in pairs. As well as learning invaluable skills, they will leave with about 7kg of jointed and packed organic Trill lamb, and sausages that they have made themselves.

A good grounding in the skills of butchery, this course will teach knife skills and sharpening, how to recognise quality lamb when buying, and the best cooking techniques for getting the most out of each cut and their many uses. As well as jointing the lamb, attendees will also experiment with boning, rolling and tying. After a delicious lunch there will be sausage making; created using a unique blend of herbs and spices to delicious effect.

Trill’s Garden Christmas: 29th November / £65

This course will inspire participants to cook a fantastic plant-based Christmas feast for all the family. Beginning in the morning with the perfect Christmas breakfast, creating delicious seasonal nibbles, a meat-free main course and end with a delicious dessert. This Christmas dinner will leave every turkey-lover in awe.

Attendees will eat all the delicious dishes that they create for lunch, and will leave with treats to take home, recipes and festive inspiration.

Visit www.trillfarm.co.uk for further information and to book.