Charcuterie & Curing

Charcuterie Course Overview

Join Steven Lamb for a day of charcuterie, learning the simple and traditional craft of preserving meat and fish using two of the oldest ingredients known to us – salt and smoke.

In the simplest of terms curing and smoking is preserving and flavouring. However, it encompasses craft, tradition, science and sorcery. Anyone can produce simple cured products because they offer so much value to the keen amateur cook. Our charcuterie course will expand your knowledge of food as well as taking you on a journey of discovery touching on almost every corner of the Globe. It enables you to take good ingredients and turn them into elevated versions of themselves applying minimum intervention.

Techniques and Dishes learnt:

Dry curing, brining, hot and cold smoking are techniques that take you one delicious step beyond your average recipe. These skills need not be daunting but they do set you off on a new learning curve. The cook who makes their own bacon enters a different arena from the one who roasts their own pork.

These are processes that unlock the secrets of some of our best-loved, most useful ingredients. They give you the keys to the citadel of smoky, salty-sweet-savoury moreishness: the hallowed place where bacon, air-dried ham, smoked salmon and kippers dwell.

This instructive course should inspire and give confidence to anyone who is looking to learn a new culinary craft.

Techniques include:

Traditional dry curing – we’ll take the middle of a locally sourced pig and show you how to transform it into pancetta-style streaky bacon as well as curing cheeks to make guanciale
Preparing salami & making a terrine or pate
Classic curing recipes such as coppa, bresaola, pastrami or salt beef
A simple brine to add flavour and moistness to meat such as game
Smoking – preparing ingredients for both hot and cold smoking

You’ll be taking home your own bacon & pate to share with friends and family as well as tasting all of the meats from the different sessions.

(Please note, we reserve the right to alter the dishes covered in the course, varying with the seasons and meeting the dietary requirements of our guests).

Your Chef Tutor

Steven Lamb is a writer, presenter, cookery teacher, and an expert in curing and smoking.  He has recently written the River Cottage Handbook to Curing and Smoking. Steven has been a regular presenter and has represented the River Cottage in the UK and abroad.  We are delighted to have Steven as part of the Seasoned team teaching this charcuterie course and our pig butchery course (Pig in a day) to all our students

About your day

This curing & charcuterie course will take place at Seasoned Cookery School situated on the Derbyshire / Staffordshire estate.  We are only minutes away from the A38 in a rural pocket of tranquillity. Your meat for the day will come partially from Seasoned’s founder Clare Major’s farm, ensuring you have the best produce to learn with.

Throughout the course you will be supported by the infamous Seasoned ‘kitchen fairies’ providing you with hospitality & everything you need for the day.  

You’ll be sitting down together during the day to eat the dishes you’ve created. We’ll also provide wine and soft drinks.

Our day courses run from 10.15am to 4pm. Join the team for early morning refreshments from 10am.

Book your Place

No prior experience is necessary for this fish course. This course is a wonderful experience, as you will be able to learn from a master, meet new people, and enjoy some delicious food and wine along the way.  Book online or call us on 01283 711681.