If you live near Clapham Junction you're in luck. Jamie Oliver's takeaway-cum-cookery school Recipease has opened on your doorstep.

Basically it's an upmarket version of his Ministry of Food shop in Rotherham - they prep the ingredients: you go in and learn how to put them together. When you book you choose the dish and the quantities you want to make - say fish pie for four - book a slot then go in and learn how to prepare the dish. Then you take it home and cook it.

Most of the dishes are quite simple like lasagne, 'best ever' cottage pie, Sunday roast chicken with stuffing and veg or 'beautiful' berry crumble (the descriptions are all very Jamie-ish).

You can also go in and learn how to make a dish from scratch such as risotto, pizza or curry or attend a knife skills class.

For a student budget neither option is cheap but it compares pretty favourably with the cost of eating out or with classes at most cookery schools. If you popped in to learn to assemble a pre-prepped fish pie for four for example it would cost £13.95 or £30 to learn to make it from scratch (and you do get to eat it!).

The key thing is that there's nothing like watching someone making something or making it yourself under supervision to really fix a recipe in your mind. Once you've done it a couple of times you never really forget it.

I imagine Jamie's going to make a few bob out of this - as he does - but he's also going to give a lot of people the confidence to cook. And that can only be a good thing.

We like the idea so much we're going to offer a cooking lesson at Recipease as the main prize in our Red Nose Day competition. Visit us tomorrow for details!

Recipease is at 48-50 St John's Road, Clapham Junction, London SW11 1PR. Tel: 0203 006 0001. It's open 7 days a week - see site for opening hours.

 

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