Time to head back to the kitchen with The Herald

It is nearly time to put on your apron and head back to the kitchen for The Herald Cooking Masterclass series – which starts again in July.

The popular cookery classes – which were sold out in the first and second series – begin at Capsicum Culinary Studio in Newton Park with themed Thursday nights as follows:

● Portuguese, July 4;

● Greek, July 18;

● Mediterranean, August 1;

● Cape Malay, August 15.

Capsicum campus principal Beryldene Bain said chef Bernice Warner would present the first class.

“Our guests can look forward to a night of fun with chef Bernice preparing a lovely Portuguese meal.”

Guests will also be paired with a Capsicum student, who will guide them through the recipe – and Bain said they enjoyed the nights as much as their visitors.

“The students had loads of fun, they learn a lot through this experience,” Bain said.

“We aim to develop our students holistically and to give them as much exposure as possible to all campus events.

“We are very excited for the next series and cannot wait for it to take off on July 4.

“We enjoy having the participants in our kitchens and appreciate them coming out to learn something new.”

Mount Vernon Wine Estate representative Chantal Schoonbie said before each masterclass she selected two of the best Three Peaks wines to pair with the dishes to enhance the flavour.

“We’ve had all seven Three Peaks wines feature in the first two series – cantata (a red blend), merlot, pinotage, shiraz, unwooded chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and dry rosé.

“Pairing food with wine is all about balance,” she said.

“In most cases it makes more sense to match your meal’s sauces to a wine, rather than the protein.

“For the Portuguese masterclass, I’ll use the merlot and the unwooded chardonnay, for Greek the shiraz and dry rosé, for Mediterranean the sauvignon blanc and merlot, and for the Cape Malay class the cantata and pinotage. The best wines are the ones we drink with friends.

“And that is the beauty of The Herald Cooking Masterclass, where all the guests end up going home as friends.”

Panna Acqua and S Pellegrino will provide non-alcoholic beverages.

Each class starts at 6pm and continues until about 8.30pm at 67 Newton Street.

Tickets are R350 a person, which includes a welcome drink, head chef as host, basket of ingredients, dining experience, complimentary chef apron and a bottle of wine from Three Peaks Wine.

Buy tickets here.

For further information, call The Herald marketing department on (041) 504-7151.