- Experience Length: 3 days
- Location: Jamie’s home, Spains Hall, Essex
- Group size: Intimate group of 14 people
- Learn from: Jamie’s teaching chefs, world-class food producers and suppliers
- Highlights: Exclusive classes, cooking workshops and dining experiences
- Take home: A hamper bursting with goodies
3-day course
The Ultimate Cooking Experience
Come and enjoy a unique three-day foodie experience at Jamie Oliver’s picturesque home, Spains Hall, in Essex. This intimate package is your chance to learn from the best and sample the finest in culinary craftsmanship. Each day is carefully curated to ensure you leave with a wealth of skills, cherished memories and a hamper full of delicious goodies.
Friday: The Best of Local (10am – 9pm)
- Chop & Pickle Masterclass: Sharpen your knife skills and learn pickling and fermenting with Jamie’s Cookery School chefs.
- Garden tour: Explore Jamie’s veg garden and pick fresh ingredients with head gardener, Suzie Nicholson.
- Lunch: Enjoy a Ploughman’s lunch, featuring a selection of cheeses, garden-fresh salad, pickles and homemade bread.
- Sourdough Baking with Ben Glazer: Create a sourdough starter and perfect your loaf skills with the Coombeshead Farm expert.
- Pizza Dough Prep: Make dough for tomorrow’s pizza dinner.
- Fish Masterclass: Learn to fillet fish with The Stickleback Fish Company and cook a delicious acqua pazza.
- Chef’s Table Dinner: Savour your fish supper with a selection of premium wines.
Saturday: A Taste of the Mediterranean (9am – 9pm)
- Olive Oil Tasting: Sample a variety of olive oils from premium wine company, Liberty Wines.
- Pasta Masterclass: Learn to make different pasta doughs, shapes, and sauces for lunch.
- Perfect Salad Workshop: Pick ingredients from the Walled Garden and make classic dressings.
- Wine Tasting: Enjoy a selection of fine vintages with Liberty Wines.
- Pizza Night: Use yesterday’s dough to make and enjoy delicious pizzas.
- Italian Feast: End the day with a communal Italian dinner.
Sunday: The Big Flavours of Barbecue (9am – 5pm)
- Steak Masterclass: Learn butchery and steak techniques with Jamie’s favoured meat supplier, HG Walter.
- Epic Barbecue Prep: Create marinades, rubs, and sides for your barbecue.
- Grilling with Weber: Hone your barbecue skills, including smoking, temperature control and heat management, with the barbecue pit masters.
- All-American Cookout: Cook and enjoy your steaks in a classic American barbecue style.
If you’re not local to Essex, you’ll need to organise accommodation for the duration of the course. To help with this, we’ve identified some lovely places to stay locally.
Piglets B&B Piglets Corner, Top Rd, Wimbish CB10 2XJ
T: 01799 599 800
20 min drive from Spains
Sturmer Hall Hotel & Conference Centre, Church Walk, Sturmer, Essex CB9 7XD
T: 01440 702 100
20 min drive from Spains
Wimbish Hall Cabins (glamping)
Wimbish Hall Cabins, Wimbish Hall Farm, Maple Lane, Saffron Walden, Essex CB10 2XG
T: 07932 438028
15 min drive from Spains
Shorehall Manor House & Gardens
Sampford Road, Cornish Hall End, Braintree, Essex, CM7 4HW
T: +44 1376 428859
7 min drive from Spains
Matching Rd, Hatfield Heath, Bishop’s Stortford, Essex CM22 7AS
T: + 44 1279 731441
This is slightly further from Spains (40 min drive) but is a nice spa hotel!
You can find local places to stay on Finchingfield Business Guild’s website!
Meet the A-team
Your hosts are Jamie Oliver Cookery School chefs, with some very special guests...
Take home…
Besides the unforgettable memories and new friendships, you’ll leave with:
- Your own homemade pickles
- A sourdough starter
- A hamper of goodies including Hill St chocolate, Liberty Wine treats, and organic honey from Jamie’s bees.
FAQs
Jamie himself won’t be, but he’s invited his favourite chefs and suppliers to make sure you get the full experience, based at his Essex home.
You are more than welcome to book on your own! The weekend will be filled with opportunities to mingle with like-minded people.
No, it won’t, but there are lots of nice places to stay in the area. Please find a list of options in the accommodation drop down on this page.
Sure! Yelo Taxis (01376 334455) are based in Braintree and you can book online and pay in advance.
Unfortunately, not for this particular experience – but we’re hoping in the future we can offer vegetarian/vegan-friendly weekends, too.
Absolutely! Before the course, we’ll take you through the House Policy, which will clarify where photos are and aren’t allowed.
Each day will typically start at 9am and finish at 9pm. They are action-packed days (we want to give you the fullest experience!), but don’t worry, we have factored in breaks and, of course, mealtimes.
You’ll be sent all the info you need closer to your course date. Customer service will always be on hand to make sure everything is as smooth as possible for you.
You can contact them on contact@jamiescookeryschool.com
