Forget All Telly Cookery - This Is Real
Brian B,
05 Sep 2011
This was really a memorable day. The Castle is beautiful, and David the guide transmitted his love of the place with an informative and witty tour. Lunch - great. The Cookery Demo was something else. To actually be in a professional kitchen, with serving activity still going on was good, but the Chef, Tim Hamer, really brought his passion and commonsense to the food preperation, and the taste experience was fabulous. Well done to all - a really great day out. One very small criticism, and I appreciate this course is held during a working day, but there was quite a lot of sitting around waiting for the next phase.
Excellent Day
Sandra A,
08 Jun 2011
Tim is a first class tutor who included everyone in the class - food fabulous - chocolate cheese cake to die for.
Masterclass Cooking
Eddie D,
10 May 2011
I have recently attended the Masterclass cooking course. I must say this was first class. The staff at the venue could not do enough for you. The concierge, David gave us a extensive tour of the venue with full history included, the man could not do more, considering the venue was full of other clients using the rooms for meetings etc. We had a lovely lunch and drinks before going down to the kitchen to meet, Tim our Masterchef. He was a really down to earth chap who gave us all the time needed, We had demonstrations on four various ways in cooking dishes, with tastings/Drinks, as we went along. All of us/ Six in all, and a ideal number for this event asked Tim Various question, he answered all with a good sense of humour from all of us. It was great, i really did enjoy the event from start to finish, We had a beautiful meal in the restraunt in the evening. We came away from the venue with many tips from the chef and some wonderful memories. This is well worth it, Brilliant !!!!
Fun Experience
Heidi C,
13 Apr 2011
A really enjoyable afternoon starting with a knowledgeable and engaging guide showing us around the venue and providing a background to the history. This was followed by a delicious lunch before heading into the kitchen to commence the demonstration. The Chef was talented, experienced and friendly making the session fun. The only slight criticism of the day is that there was a lot of downtime where we were sat waiting i.e - arrive at 12 and didn't start until 12.30. Back from the tour and sat waiting again before lunch. Additionally it would have been great to have more time in the kitchen and to actually be preparing rather than just observing most of the dishes being made.
Very Enjoyable Day.
Graham J,
11 Apr 2011
Pleasant location, good hosts, learnt some good ideas.
Excellent From Start To Finish!!!
Peter S,
07 Mar 2011
As soon as we drove into the grounds my Mum and I knew that this was going to be a fantastic day. The historical tour was amazing, especially looking into the various rooms of the castle. What can we say about lunch? Outstanding food, all extremely delicious. And the best was yet to come - Tim Hamer is a real character who has a no-nonsense passion regarding the food he creates together with a real sense of humour. He made us feel very welcome in the castle kitchens. Tim produced four dishes for us to sample, all delicious and reasonably straight forward - we are looking foward to having a try ourselves. He answered all of our questions and he even agreed to send us a recipe for his wife's lemon cheesecake! Tim, you are a legend! It has been an unforgetable experience that we would recommend to anyone who enjoys creating and eating good food. Many, many thanks.
Absolutely Fabulous Day, We Loved It!
Rebecca S,
07 Mar 2011
My husband and I attended the Masterclass on 07/03/11 and had a thoroughly enjoyable time. From the moment we arrived we were welcomed and treated to refreshments and biscuits, then the lovely David took our small group on a guided tour of the castle. He was really knowledgeable and found a good balance between history and humour. Following the tour we were spoilt with a glass of champagne, followed by a beautifully cooked lunch (we believe our thanks should be directed to Vicky for the stunning food at lunch). After our lunch we had a little time to enjoy the beauty of Hazelwood Castle before being taken down to the kitchen for the cookery Masterclass with Tim, the fabulous Head Chef. Tim was great, he demonstrated several recipes, all really tasty, and also shared lots of hints and tips. After the Masterclass we squeezed in afternoon tea with cakes, before heading home. Thoroughly enjoyable day had by myself and my husband. We would definitely recommend this experience to others.
Really Enjoyable Day
Susan S,
07 Mar 2011
Enjoyable day, were well looked after by hotel staff. Interesting historical tour of the hotel. The chef was entertaining and informative. Good day all round, thank you.
Very Enjoyable And Interactive Day
Phillipa W,
06 Sep 2010
My sister and I received the masterclass for a Christmas present. It was a lovely day and we both thoroughly enjoyed the experience, the tour of the castle was great, the food lovely and the demonstrations were great! Tim the chef was accomodating and a really nice bloke. The only criticism would be waiting around for the tour to start and not being offered drinks during the lunch. Apart from that it was fantastic and i would recommend to anyone. We are even thinking of booking it again.
Fantastic Afternoon And Food
Derek W,
10 May 2010
From start to finish we were extremely well looked after, from the initial cup of coffee on arrival, the tour of the castle, the lunch and finally the cookery course and sampling the food on our menu. The tour of the castle was an experience not to forget as our guide took us through all the main areas and had a comprehensive knowledge of what had occurred on the site since it was first built, including anecdotes and interesting information (a big thank you to him). The chef, Antony, was very pleasant and entertaining whilst he gave a perfect masterclass. The samples of the food he prepared were quickly eaten and everyone attending could not understand how he gave us such a fantastic meal whilst keeping us entertained. (An even bigger thank you to him).
Superb Setting And Inspiring Cooking
Anthony P,
14 Apr 2010
Hazelwood Castle Hotel was a superb setting for this cookery masterclass and from the moment we arrived we were made to feel just that little bit special. Following a short private tour of the building and a glass of champagne, we were treated to a delicious two course lunch - an excellent opportunity to get to know the rest of the 'experiencers' and find out how and why they came to be there. The main event - a cookery masterclass with Chef Tim Hamer - was truly inspiring. The ease with which he produced simple yet stunning dishes full of taste and colour was inspirational. Suffice to say my wife and I were soon planning our own dinner party for friends on our journey home. Highly recommended to any 'foodie' wishing to produce dishes of the highest quality. Thanks to all involved in making this day happen.
An Amazing Day Out
Rebecca C,
03 Aug 2009
This was much more than just a cookery class. We spent 7 hours at the castle and enjoyed every minute of it. The tour was really interesting, lunch was delicious and the masterclass was really informal. I had the chance to ask loads of questions and ate far too much of the food produced! It was a lovely group of people too and we all got on very well.
Simply Superb
Ian F,
03 Aug 2009
We were made to feel so welcome by the excellent venue. The cooking experience with Tim was so straightforward, yet, well, dare I say it, inspirational. Can't wait to try out the dishes on family and friends. We would really like to repeat the experience.
An Excellant Day
Caroline S,
06 Jul 2009
The experience started with a tour of the castle and a glass of champagne. Then down to the nitty gritty of eating! A fabulous 2 course lunch was served and then we spent a very enjoyabe and informative 2 hours in the kitchen with the head chef Tim. Having watched him cook five dishes and tasted each one we came away with a receipe card and the hope we might be able to recreate his wonderful dishes one day! I would advise ladies to wear comfy shoes as you are standing for 2+ hours. All in all a very interesting and satisfying day!
Fabulous Cooking Experience
Maria T,
13 May 2009
The whole experience was lovely. Tim (the Chef) was brilliant and amusing, and not at all condescending (which I was worried about - I'm an okay cook, but no Delia) - no Gordon Ramsay swearing or rudeness, he was great. He explained how to cook the food, gave us useful tips, and was really helpful with other queries about cooking in general. Lunch before the class was superb - although be warned - you may feel full up after the lunch - there's still more to eat when you have your masterclass with Tim - move over 'Ready, Steady Cook', I now feel confident to host a dinner party with 5 exquisite courses and still have time to enjoy the evening with guests. I will certainly recommend this experience to others, and may even go back for more! My friends are sick of me banging on about already. Thank you Tim - you're a star!
Good Fun And Also Very Informative
Christine F,
06 Apr 2009
My husband accompanied me on the day and was rather apprehensive to say the least, but he came away massively enthusiastic. Tim, our chef, made everyone feel really welcome and at ease. We learned quite a few handy little hints and tricks of the trade, and the food that was produced would inspire anyone to be rushing home to get the invites out a dinner party! A lovely venue for a lovely afternoon.
Fantastic From Start To Finish
Jessica Y,
26 Jan 2009
The venue was wonderful, the staff were great and the cooking experience was brilliant. Our tutor delivered an experience that suited the whole group. He had a very friendly and helpful manner which made us feel very at ease. We learnt a lot and would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in cooking, or anyone who just fancies a great day out.
A Good Time Was Had By All
Christine C,
05 Aug 2008
Since the day I have tried out two of the recipes and was very pleased with the results. I have even experimented with one of the recipes adding my own twists, which also came out rather well, so I have certainly been inspired by what we learnt on the day. The chef was a very good teacher, relaxed and informative so we never felt intimidated at any time. All in all a very good experience, which I will have no hesitation in recommending to friends and family.
Masterclass was great
Jo R,
03 Mar 2008
Great customer service, whole day was well-organised, staff were polite, enthusiastic and helpful. I would have liked the lunch to be just me and my husband I think rather than being sat on a big table with other people we didn't know. The masterclass itself was great - an enthusiastic chef and lots of opportunity to get involved and ask questions.