Sunflora's Summer Social

The summer days felt few and far between in July; the overcast skies and cooler temperatures meant for a kind of grey start to the season – but on the 26th of July, heat was guaranteed as we fired up stoves and chopped up chillies during our Sunflora Summer Social at the Gordon Ramsay Cooking Academy.

We convened at the reception area until everyone arrived and was led upstairs by the lovely Catherine Jones in the Woking branch of the academy. Gordon Ramsay may not have been there physically, but as we walked the corridors, his face in every signature expression and pose adorned the walls. One way or another, he’d be watching!

The dining room, where we came to a stop, overlooked a part of Woking Highstreet that paid homage to boutique eateries of all kinds - pastries, pizzas, paellas and pancakes all at some point drawing inspiration from one of the UK’s most famous chefs. Our mouths watered as we were offered coffee and homemade chocolate brownies.

Catherine gave us an introduction that was friendly and peppered with jokes synonymous with Mr. Ramsey’s humour, which got us in the mood. The expertly decorated dining room, combining lush greenery with stoic wood, was finished off with a neon sign that stood proudly above our heads, reading: Let’s Get Cooking.

Enter the Chef, French, an impressive CV of some top, top restaurants and a commanding presence that had us a bit nervous at first. But as he explained, kitchens are not as chaotic as seen on TV and are actually a place of calm and organisation. Anything else and it’s not a well-run kitchen, so he assured us, this would be a relaxing and harmonious experience.

This helped ease us in, and we were taken to a pristine, all-steal, state-of-the-art communal kitchen. We gathered around a big table in the middle of the room, with individual working stations, Chef at the head. We were introduced to our tools, the dish we were making (Jamaican Jerk Chicken, greeted with adulation) and a brief safety check.

One by one, we washed our hands, tummies rumbling, ready to act like a professional chef at a top London restaurant for an hour. The time was spent learning skill after skill, thanks to Chef’s concise explanations – for example, how to cut peppers with the skin facing down as it’s much easier to pierce, how lime’s acidity helps neutralise chilly and how to form a kind of wide knuckle when cutting to prevent slicing through fingers!?

We chopped, mixed, blended, simmered and served before being led back out to the fancy dining room to enjoy our meal. Catherine showed herself with bottles of red and white, and we were left to pair our sips of wine with the fine dish of Jamaican Jerk Chicken, Coconut Rice and Peas with a side of Mango Slaw we had just made. Delicious!

There were happy mmm’s and aahh’s as we ate but let’s face it: Since we made it ourselves, would any of us actually admit to it tasting badly! Jokes aside, it was a wonderful experience, a great bonding opportunity between our team at a place that took good care of us all the way through.