If you love food and wine, then Mudgee's likely already on your hit list. We even shared our Must Visit Mudgee Wineries here, to make organising your wine weekend itinerary a breeze. Here's one more reason to make your next foodie escape to Mudgee...
Little Cooking School has recently flung open its doors to welcome fellow foodies to savour an immersive and hands on cooking experience. Founder Tamara Howorth is a passionate foodie, bringing 20+ years hospitality experience to the table. Tamara's classes are about showcasing local produce and local wines of this stunning region for a true paddock to plate experience.
Tamara's aim is to focus on sharing ideas, techniques, recipes and ultimately sharing the fruits of your labour in a casual and enjoyable setting.
Tamara has created a welcoming space at Little Cooking School. The sun streams in to the kitchen, warming the room on a cool autumn day. The stainless steel bench tops, ovens and stoves are given a country style makeover with the addition of navy blue tiles and chic kitchen displays, giving the space an elegant country style rather than a commercial kitchen feel.
Your experience begins with coffee and home baked treats on arrival, a very pleasant way to start while waiting for your fellow foodies to gather. There are various courses to choose from depending on your tastes and interests. Some of the upcoming themes, which vary with the seasons include 'A Little Bit French', 'Gnocchi 3 Ways' or a 'Master Pasta Class". I was lucky enough to try a pasta master class with Tamara and our menu included:
Pesto and Mushroom Fettuccine with local fetta
Local Pumpkin, Burnt butter and sage ravioli
Italian Lemon, Almond & Ricotta Cake with double cream
Rosemary Foccacia and Fennel Salad
Roll up your sleeves and dive in to pasta making! Everyone loves making pasta and here you'll learn the subtle techniques for making two different kinds of pasta such as fettuccine and ravioli.
Where possible, produce is sourced from local suppliers and farmers such as the incredibly delicious High Valley Dairy Fetta, Milk from The Little Big Dairy Co and Farmer Brown eggs from Gillinghall.
Tamara is a friendly, easy-going, warm and welcoming host, which may see you chatting more than cooking! You're free to do as little or as much as you like in these casual cooking classes, which are suitable for all skill levels.
Adjacent to the kitchen a beautiful long table is set for feasting. It's another beautiful space filled with country style, complete with inspirational cookbooks and a fireplace to keep you warm in winter.
At the completion of the cooking class, you'll get to enjoy the days efforts over a long lunch matched with local wines. The 3.5-hour cooking class including 3-course lunch, matched local wine and using quality local ingredients is exceptionally good value at $95 per person and is a must-do in Mudgee. Browse the upcoming cooking classes here.
Better still; stay a little longer at the adjoining 4-bedroom house, ideal for girls' getaways, family gatherings or group getaways. It's available to be booked separately or in conjunction with a cooking class experience. For more details and to book on alluxia, click here.
There's never been a better time to eat, drink and cook in Mudgee.
Images: IG @alluxia, @_sally_scott_
The writer was a guest of Little Cooking School.
