Colstoun House is home to Scotland’s first sustainably focused cookery school
Basic ingredients: Scotland’s first sustainable, organic cookery school is based in the beautiful grounds of Colstoun Estate, just 30 minutes from central Edinburgh. Courses take place in two converted cottages next to a kitchen garden and are designed by head chef and tutor Fiona Misselbrook, a Cordon Bleu graduate with years of prestigious catering experience. There is a range of full day courses each month, which focus mainly on national cuisines such as Italian, Indian, Thai and, of course, Scottish – Balmoral chicken with haggis, anyone? Each costs from £110, last about six hours and accommodate up to 10 students. An intensive week-long residential course is also available (from £695), which is ideal for students or anyone wanting to grasp the fundamentals of cooking, where each participant gets a chance to plan and host their own dinner party.
They say: At Colstoun we like you to feel as if you are a part of the family, stepping into our country kitchen for a fun day (or week) out to brush up on your basics and learn a few new tricks. We’re proud to be one of the most sustainable cookery schools in the UK with all of our hot water and heating produced by a newly installed woodchip powered boiler.
We say: The school uses its own vegetables and locally sourced ingredients where it can, which backs up its claim to being super eco-friendly. What’s more, the Foundation course includes free accommodation and a free set of professional knives. For a taster: the online ‘Larder’ shop sells the estate’s own farmhouse pickle.
01620 822 922; www.colstoun.co.uk
