Interesting read and quite timely as my blog last week was questioning the future of our cookery skills.  Waitrose Weekend newspaper – 27th April 2017  “Youngsters are learning the benefits of cooking from scratch earlier than ever…” I teach at several local schools in Surrey and Kent and completely agree with the article in the Waitrose newspaper. Cookery classes are becoming as popular as swimming and ballet! However the reason I agree with the article is that it is not all

List of events in the diary, constantly being added and amended. So check back frequently. **** Date: Wednesday 4th October Event: Monthly ‘hands on’ supper club –  ‘Choctails – An evening of chocolate’ Venue: Crockham Hill Village Hall. Time: 7.30-9.30pm. After a popular evening at ‘Temper Temper’ in Tunbridge Wells we will be running something similar here in Crockham Hill. An evening of chocolate with two chocolate cocktails made in front of you (even a chance to have a go

This time we will be making some summer recipes : picnic ideas, preparing seasonal fruit and vegetables and summery sweets! “Cookery is a life skill and a subject I feel very passionate about! I have two daughters and I feel the more children can be involved in preparing food – from the beginning – the more likely they will enjoy eating and exploring adventurous tastes and flavours.” Date:  Friday 25th August 2017 Time: 10-3pm Cost:  £40 includes all ingredients and lunch Age

This time we will be making some summer recipes : picnic ideas, preparing seasonal fruit and vegetables and summery sweets! Date:  Wednesday 26th July 2017 Time: 10-3pm Cost:  £40 includes all ingredients and lunch Age Group: Boys & Girls aged 8-12 years Location: Crockham Hill Village Hall, TN8 6RP Please REMEMBER to bring a snack/drink and a container for you to take your goodies home in! For further details email jobanks@alivewithflavour.com Places are limited and need to

Thursday 19th April – Hazelwood School, Art Room After 8 years dedicated to food, Jo Banks brings creative recipe ideas together through fun, clear, interactive presentations and hands-on workshops/classes. “Cookery is a life skill and a subject I feel very passionate about! I have two daughters and I feel the more children can be involved in preparing food – from the beginning – the more likely they will enjoy eating and exploring adventurous tastes and flavours.” This time

Another week has whizzed past, sticking with no alcohol and watching the calories, who said this was a good idea? I have had to look harder at hardy winter vegetables that are in season and thinking about more adventurous recipes in the kitchen. Love all the swede and turnips particularly butternut squash, sweet potatoes and of course carrots, cauliflower, chard, kale, leeks, and parsnips. So easy just simply roasting these vegetables and I do like Brussel sprouts but you may

So January is quite a dull month. Short of money as we are paying off credit cards and Christmas expenses, weather is very cold and then in this country very wet… and certainly in our house we are trying to be good with cutting back on sugary, fatty snacks and its the 19th and I have not had one glass of wine, which has to be a record… With this I have had a busy week of looking at healthier after school snack options. Both of my daughters come in starving after school and of

Thursday 16th February 2017 – Crockham Hill Primary School After 8 years dedicated to food, Jo Banks brings creative recipe ideas together through fun, clear, interactive presentations and hands-on workshops/classes. “Cookery is a life skill and a subject I feel very passionate about! I have two daughters and I feel the more children can be involved in preparing food – from the beginning – the more likely they will enjoy eating and exploring adventurous tastes and flavours.”

These work for any round cheese brie or camembert. Chilli-Pecan Camembert Ingredients: 50 g pecan halves, coarsely chopped 1 fresh jalapeño chilli (or other fresh green chilli), seeded and finely chopped 70 g apricot jam 1 round (250 g) Camembert cheese (about 10-11 cm in diameter) 1/2 large French baguette (about 200-225 g total weight) Olive oil Directions: Preheat oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/Gas 5. Coarsely chop pecans. Finely chop jalapeño using Food Chopper. In small bowl, c

Saturday 3rd December 2016 – Crockham Hill Primary School After 8 years dedicated to food, Jo Banks brings creative recipe ideas together through fun, clear, interactive presentations and hands-on workshops/classes. “Cookery is a life skill and a subject I feel very passionate about! I have two daughters and I feel the more children can be involved in preparing food – from the beginning – the more likely they will enjoy eating and exploring adventurous tastes and flavours.” J

Ingredients: 250g Plain Flour 140g Self Raising Flour A Pinch of Salt 250g Unsalted butter, at room temperature 125g Golden Caster Sugar 1 egg yolk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Icing: 450g coloured fondant icing icing sugar for dusting black writing icing Method: Sieve the two flours and salt into a large mixing bowl. Set aside. Put the soft butter and sugar in another bowl and beat them together with a wooden spoon until the mixture is soft, creamy and pale. Add the egg yolk a

Ingredients: 175 g unbleached plain flour 2 and ¼ tsp baking powder 3/4 tsp salt 25 g cold butter, small dice 75 g strong cheddar cheese 50 ml buttermilk (or dairy or non-dairy milk with a little lemon juice added) 1 tsp grain mustard 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrin’s for preference) ½ raw or cooked small beetroot finely grated extra flour for rolling surface a little milk for brushing on the scones (optional) Method: Preheat oven to 220 (200C fan). Sift the flour an

It’s been a busy half term with Halloween cookery classes and ‘batty’ baking sessions. We have made ‘mummy sausages’ and spider webb pizzas and learnt the art of beautiful witches hats out of fondant icing. It’s not ideal with Halloween on a school night this year, Monday 31st but I am sure all weekend we will enjoy our Halloween goodies and as a family we are off to a Bonfire and Fireworks display on Saturday night! I have just got my slow cooker out (aka my cauldron) and fe

Wednesday 14th September 2016 – Westerham Village Hall “Living on pot noodle is an option but not a good one!” Come and spend the day learning the basics in a fun, relaxed way! You will learn to peel and chop and mash and stir – and will go home with techniques and tips that you can trust and refer to time and again. Cooking on a budget, nutritious and fuss-free meals! Talking about storage, budget, cooking for one or for 10 – you will be the most popular student around! Over

Last Monday Sue and I headed up to Shoreditch, London to attend a Thai Fruit Adventures event. We had heard about this event through Pink Sky and Adventures in Fruit, a company we had both met at the BBC Good Food Show back in May 2016, introducing us to some unusual Thai fruit and flavours. We received an invite by the Royal Thai Embassy to attend an exclusive evening party, where you would be introduced to the best fruit that Thailand has to offer. With live music, celebrit

Fancy sitting in your own kitchen or living room with your friends and learning some new entertaining ideas over a glass or two of wine?  When I am finished you sit and enjoy the rest of the evening eating all the delicious prepared food. All ingredients are included and a glass of fizz on arrival, recipes to take home, and I bring all my own utensils, everything I need (take it all away with me too). Party Themes Available – Canapés, Summer Entertaining, Pimms & Puds, Thai S

Thursday 7th July 2016 – Westerham Village Hall Getting organised is not only a skill but its the answer to a much happier, stress-free house-hold. As a working woman a lot of us are juggling school run, work and also trying to do the right thing and cook for the family! ‘Batch cooking’ can be boring and un-inspiring! Instead join a group of us ladies in the kitchen, a chance to chat, laugh and sip your wine while preparing 4 family meals from scratch, ready for the freezer!

Team Building/ Corporate Packages If you are looking to get the team together, break down some barriers or get your work force working as a team then join me for one of a Masterchef Bake- and Cook-Off! This is a fun and competitive ‘team building through food’ experience. Perfect for those employees who love food and also have a competitive edge! Spread across a whole day or condensed in to just a few hours, this experience require colleagues to cook together, supporting one

Aimed at busy Mums, working ladies or just to get ahead of the game for a few nights! Sri Racha Stir Fry – ready for the freezer Over the course of 2 hours you prepare 4 family sized and family friendly meals for you to take home and pop in your freezer. This just makes life so much easier once,twice a week when you need to grab something already ready to put in the oven and cook. Instead of spending hours on a Sunday night doing this ‘batch’ style cooking which can be boring

I am working with Caroline Sherlock at Eat Drink Live Well. Organising a range of Wellness Workshops and Nutrition Programmes on these topics and more, catering for large groups (15+ people), small groups (6-8 people) or our private programmes (1-2 people) if you prefer a more personalised approach. These small group workshops are perfect for getting a group of friends together! Wellness Workshops and Nutrition Programmes include: 7 Day Diet Reboot 14 Day Guided Detox Program