Experts at The School of Artisan Food have been cooking up bright ideas with top Chefs from the National Trust to take back to share with their millions of visitors at Trust properties around the country.

 

Chefs from National Trust’s Food Innovation Group have been travelling to the School, which is based on the historic Welbeck Estate in the heart of Sherwood Forest, for hands-on food production lessons in curing and smoking, BBQ-ing, cheesemaking and breadmaking.

 

Dozens of the Trust’s top Chefs have been using the extensive kitchens and teaching facilities and working alongside the School’s acclaimed food producers to develop innovative menus using locally-sourced, seasonal and sustainable ingredients like, for example, venison from a  Hertfordshire estate.

 

 

 

“Our partnership with The School of Artisan Food is working well with many of our chefs benefiting from their expertise and more to come. We share the same food values – the National Trust is committed to using responsibly sourced ingredients with provenance. The butchery workshop used venison from the National Trust’s Ashridge Estate in Hertfordshire, where the team there manage the estate’s population of deer to support nature conservation,” said Tim Howard, Food & Beverage Development Manager.

 

The School of Artisan Food is a not-for-profit organisation and registered charity dedicated to teaching skills in all aspects of sustainable and artisan food production. Courses run several times each year for National Trust chefs as part of a long-term partnership agreement to develop their skills in butchery, brewing, charcuterie, chocolate-making, patisserie and much more.

 

“We’re passionate about what we do so working with the National Trust’s Chefs means we can promote the benefits of seasonal and sustainable food far and wide. By working together we can help deliver great food for the millions of people who visit their wonderful properties every year,” said Julie Byrne, Managing Director at The School of Artisan Food.

 

The School of Artisan Food is launching the UK’s first-ever artisan food production degree this year. It already hosts an FDQ accredited 6-month Advanced Diploma in Artisan Baking and professional business courses for new food start-ups and existing enterprises as well as running dozens of short courses each year to teach practical food skills.