Echo Woman
Just like mother-in-law used to make!
As the perils of fast foods become increasingly apparent and
the pendulum begins to swing back to wholesome home-made
dishes, Marjorie McIntyre tries her hand at bread making at
one of the country's most prestigious cookery schools
FREDERICK Belmont, the Swiss founder
of Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms believed everyone
should be self-sufficient. "If you
want something right, do it yourself," was his abiding tenet.
The original Bettys opened in Harrogate in 1919
and the same wholesome fine food principals
which saw it flourish then are still held firm as the
company continues to expand today.
As a third generation of the Belmont family, Lesley
Wild was furious when as an A-stream schoolgirl
in the 1960s she was denied cookery lessons.
For many years the director responsible for the
tearoom side of the business, Lesley finally saw
her burning ambition realised in 2001 when she
opened the company's own cookery school.
Its philosophy is grounded in the company's
Swiss-Yorkshire heritage: simple, honest food
made with the very best of ingredients.
Bettys' success is legendary, so I have to confess
that it was with some trepidation that I accepted
an invitation from the school to attend a
one-day practical course in Yorkshire bread making.
I was even more daunted when I entered the
frighteningly professional-looking unit in Harrogate,
with its 18 workstations and demonstration
section.
A cup of tea and a delicious
home-made croissant helped
calm the nerves, but as I slipped
into my crisp white apron, my
late mother-in-law's words still
rang in my ears. It was just after
my wedding when she announced
rather haughtily: "I
make all my own bread and have
never bought any shop-made
rubbish since I was married."
Though I love cooking, those
words planted a stubborn determination
in me never to emulate
my mother-in-law. Yet here I was
at Bettys Cookery School preparing
to spend a day doing nothing
else but making bread.
I will admit, however, that I
had increasingly begun to hate
white shop-bought bread with its
contents list of frightening e-numbers and promises
of a long shelf life. My concession had been to
turn to bought brown bread.
But now I was about to enter the world of my
bread-making mother-in-law. Apron on, I took my
seat with the other students in front of our tutors
for the day, Robin Osburn and Roxy Warrick.
Without appearing to draw breath the laid-back
and indecently youthful Robin endorsed our fears
of glutinous long-life breads and waxed lyrical
about the freshly milled flour he had sourced
nearby.
And step by step, with some input from Roxy,
the pair deftly prepared the "sponge'' which would
combine with the strong organic flour, vegetable
fat and yeast into a wonderfully kneaded dough.
I thought I had been paying attention until we
were all sent off to our work stations where all
the meticulously weighed-out ingredients were
waiting for us to begin our Yorkshire miller's cob.
Clearly I hadn't been listening well enough and
I seemed to have completely forgotten everything
we had just been told. Mercifully, posted next to
me was an old hand at Bettys cookery courses,
Marion Alexander, who had travelled from
Northallerton to attend yet another session. She
smiled encouragingly and talked me through the
first few steps to help me get my cob on its way.
Also working effortlessly opposite me was
Elaine Speak, a home economics teacher, from
Harrogate. Keen to muster all the help I could, I
asked her what she did. "I'm a retired cookery
teacher," she told me.
What hope was there for me, I wondered, as I
warily asked the fourth member of our quartet,
Linda Brunton-Douglas, what her day job was.
"I'm the newly appointed catering, retail and
bakery director of Bettys," she revealed, explaining
that she was undergoing her own top-level induction
course by trying her hand at the company's
many disciplines.
Should I just leave now, I thought. Flanked by
Bettys new boss, a cookery teacher and a devotee
of the cookery school, what hope did I have of ever
producing anything to match their efforts?
And as I resignedly plopped my dough onto the
marble top, I watched mesmerised as the three effortlessly
kneaded their mixture like consummate
professionals. A quick glance behind at the four
blokes and another female student made me even
more despondent.
It all looked so simple in Robin and Roxy's
skilled hands, but I just couldn't
get the hang of it. The omnipresent
tutors were soon by
my side and surprisingly, with a
few encouraging words and even
more practical tips, I began to get
the hang of it.
With our dough safely in the
proving cupboard, it was Roxy's
turn to show us how to make
Ripon spiced bread, one of the
favourites at Bettys outlets.
As my confidence grew exponentially
alongside my dough
our miller's cobs were placed in
the ovens, while our spiced bread
replaced them in the proving
cupboards.
It was time for food and the apprehension
which had rendered
most of us silent in the morning
had now developed into friendly
chat as we ate our delicious lunch hosted, prepared
and presented by the school's Steve Pugh
and Dawn Hagerty.
The smell of baking bread began to fill the air
and I proceeded to my oven to find two beautiful
cob loaves. Out they came to cool and in went my
spiced loaves.
There was no stopping me now and this time
Robin's words actually began to penetrate, as he
made a spelt and honey loaf before despatching us
to our work stations. Kneading was becoming easier,
though I'll concede my three compatriots still
seemed a mile ahead.
But the appearance of our freshly-baked spiced
loaves was even more cheering and as our spelt
loaves proved, we began to make a batch of
pikelets.
Questions were now flying fast, ladles were dipping
deftly into the pikelet mixture and all was
well in the wonderful world of bread making. No
wonder Marian can't keep away from the place.
As our home-made produce was packed into environmentally
friendly brown paper carriers, I
scoured the school calendar to see how else I could
hone up my culinary skills. The list was endless,
from courses on Chocolate for Beginners, Delicious Desserts and Fabulous Fish to Easy Entertaining,
Mediterranean Cookery and Real Fast
Foods, all headed by expert tutors from the famous
company.
For those of us who have been turning out
meals for more decades than we care to remember,
believe me, there is still a lot to learn. And
after just one day at Bettys Cookery School - like
Marian - I have really got a taste for learning
more.
If my mother-in-law is looking down, I can finally
concede: "You were right!''
* Anyone wanting any information on the
school should telephone 01423-814016 or log on
to www.bettyscookeryschool.co.uk or Email
cookery.school@bettysandtaylors.co.uk.
9:57am Tuesday 25th March 2008
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