Say Cheese!

by Tara Guinness

My name is Tara and I'm a chef. In February this year I took the leap and started my own business called 'Tara Cookery'. I had been working in restaurant kitchens, always being the only woman, for the last 5 years and decided I wanted to start passing on what I had learnt.

My love for teaching began when, after cooking school, I moved to India and worked in hotel kitchens, training Indian chefs how to cook western food. Most lessons had to be conducted in mime without there being a common language between us! I teach cooking privately in peoples homes now as well as running group cooking classes.

I'm still running 'Tara Cookery' on my own at the same time as working 5 shifts a week in a restaurant, I absolutely love it as i'm able to have a career in what i'm truly passionate about.

The sky is the limit when it comes to learning new skills in the kitchen. My new passion is cheese making. If you are a cheese lover like me you can imagine the joy in making your own mozzarella and then slicing it up to make a vibrant tricolore salad - all in half an hour! Learning new skills and sharing them with friends and family brings great fulfilment and excitement to our lives. It's never too late to start a new hobby. 

This Saturday I am running a class at Carousel, where we had our fantastic brunch, on how to make mozzarella, butter and ricotta. The class will be held in the 'Next Door' space, the light, spacious gallery on Baker Street at 11am.

During the class you will:

- Learn about the processes of cheese making.

- Enjoy a cheese tasting.

- Make your own ricotta and prepare chilli, basil and ricotta bruschetta. Use your home made mozzarella to make a salad while its still warm.Flavour your butter with salt and different herbs, wrap it up and take it home with you.All enjoyed with a glass of wine!

I'm desperate to meet more of you lovely ladies who i didn't get a chance to meet at the 'Ladies who Launch' brunch. On top of that, I want to share with you this fantastic new skill. This would be an excellent gift for a foodie and a lovely treat for a family member or friend. I know all of you would absolutely love this class so i'd like to offer £10 OFF the ticket price using voucher code TC10. 

This Thursday I am teaching two classes to the prisoners in Brixton Prison. I am passionate about trying to help the excellent team trying to decrease reoffending rates of prisoners. I aim to do this by teaching new skills that they may be able to use to find a job once released from prison. I work with The Clink Charity. This week they will be taught the condensed (without wine) Cheesemaking Workshop.

For more information and tickets head to www.taracookery.com/lessons