REVIEW: Seafood Cooking Demonstration at Sudbury House Hotel

On Saturday, we at team Total were delighted to to be invited Sudbury House Hotel’s cookery demonstration. The grounds and location never fail to take your breath away no matter how many times you visit. We were also blessed with some glorious sunshine when we arrived late morning.

Sudbury House Hotel’s welcome is never anything short of impeccable, with friendly and helpful staff never far away you can be assured that your every need is tended to. On arrival we were swiftly escorted to the lounge area where delicious Teas and Coffees were promptly served. With plenty of time to relax and enjoy a coffee before our demonstration we enjoyed some delightful conversation with some of the other attendees. This was an excellent opportunity to share experiences of Sudbury House and of the prior cooking demonstrations that have been held.

After enjoying our teas and coffees we were then led through to the gorgeous open-plan Magnolia Brasserie Kitchen where chefs Andrew Scott and Nick Bennett were all set up and waiting. With Andrew having competed on series 11 of the BBC’s Great British Menu and Nick having competed on and reached the finals of Masterchef: The Professionals we were sure to be treated to a feast of culinary knowledge! With a large open view of the chef’s preparation area and a camera projecting to a screen providing an overhead view of the intricacies of each chef’s knife skills. This was a fantastic addition especially as the theme of the day’s demonstrations was fish and seafood.

The wonderful thing about how both Andrew and Nick presented the morning is that they started from the very beginning, from prep all the way to pan. Tackling ingredients such as Salmon, Halibut, Scallops, Oysters and Lobster there was a wealth of information to take on board no matter your cooking skill level. Andrew begun the demonstration by filleting a whole Salmon and Halibut. Something that to the average home cook is very difficult to build confidence on. Andrew took everything slowly and really broke down an almost step by step guide in his preparation of the perfect fillet. So much so that I may even attempt filleting at home now! We were then taken through the process of cooking the perfect fillet of Salmon; with tips on things such as cooking times and ‘touch testing’ throughout cooking I feel I could go home and attempt my own version of the dish.

After this Nick introduced us into the preparation of the shellfish. Something that I was hugely excited about as a huge shellfish fan. As I only cook fairly basic shellfish recipes I was looking forward to seeing how I could take my use of shellfish to the next level. Firstly Nick displayed how to correctly shuck and season an Oyster. Something that can make a home cook like myself makes me very nervous. Nick made it look very easy and with the detailed overhead view providing a close up of exactly where his knife entered the shell and how to pry them open. He then led on to prepare scallops and a lobster providing invaluable tips on how and where to cut - not only to get the best meat and flavour, but also how to use some of the ‘waste’ products for other dishes or stock etc.

All of these cooking demonstrations culminated in three glorious dishes and an example of the fillet of salmon prepared earlier. What was refreshing to hear throughout the demonstration was the openness of both the chefs on how much the ingredients cost and what they then charge as a completed meal. With the labour intensive nature of some of the preparation and of course the skill required to actually cook and prepare these dishes. I believe an attitude like this can only be a good thing for the high-end culinary industry. It made me leave with an attitude if I pay more to eat at a restaurant you know that the quality of ingredient and chef behind the plate that gets served in front of you is going to be worth every penny that you have spent.

After the fantastic demonstration we all retired to the wonderful Magnolia Brasserie dining room where we were served two delicious courses of seafood alongside a refreshing dessert. Each course was paired with a perfectly selected glass of white wine. We enjoyed a tasty Hot Smoked Potted Salmon with Fennel Cream and Saffron Pickled Fennel. A brilliant Gilt Head Bream, Choucroute, Chorizo and a Soya Poultry Sauce. All finished off with a refreshing Custard Parfait and Poached Rhubarb. The meal was packed full of flavour, delicate and completely unique, a truly special experience when coupled with the two amazing chefs sharing their knowledge and expertise with you. (I apologise for the picture of the main, this was not how it was served to me I got too excited and tucked in before I took a picture!!)

We had an absolutely fantastic afternoon at Sudbury House Hotel expanding our culinary knowledge and tasting some truly unique and diverse foods. As a massive seafood fan the theme was perfect for me and learning everything from the basics to the the advanced methods and techniques behind some of the dishes that got Sudbury House Hotel, Magnolia Brasserie and Restaurant 56 their name was a truly special insight. We would highly recommend a trip to Sudbury House Hotel for any of their future demonstrations, a meal or even a stay! Treat yourself to something special, trust me you will not regret it!