Anna Rowley has been interested in cooking since childhood

Starting her career at Ballymaloe Cookery School in southern Ireland with the acclaimed Darina Allen

as her mentor she has consequently spent the last ten years working in a variety of countries.

Anna has worked in Russia, New Zealand, Scotland, France and the Caribbean before more recently

returning to her Cumbrian roots where she now works as a self-employed chef for many families and business’, catering for dinner parties, canapé lunches, shoot meals,

freezer cooking and corporate events and parties.

Her enthusiasm and interest for real food shines through in her recipes

Cooking with Game Day

……there are plenty of alternatives to roasting ….for all game - whether fur or feather. 

This county renowned talented chef has catered professionally during the shooting season for many years and knows possibly everything there is to know about both the  traditional and more contemporary ways of cooking with game.

In addition she’s rather knowledgeable about all the other etiquette bits as well .  Happily the guns won’t be in evidence on the day.

Completely Canapés   

Are you up to date with the new canapés ‘stand up’ dinner parties ?  Using ingredients from ‘store cupboard to exotic’ and from ‘savoury to sweet’ Anna will show her ideas and secrets for a raft of highly impressive canapés –

(in quantities  as necessary)  

and even last minute ideas  to bring out for those almost unannounced visitors.

 Leave the twiglets in the cupboard ..and bring on your canapés –and your entertaining will move to new heady levels of enjoyment  !     

 ‘Sexy Soups’  

Its hard to believe,  but soups can be sexy (if made with oysters !) .  Using mostly seasonal ingredients but also the unusual Anna will lead you through a lovely variety of soups  – from the ‘Refined for the dinner party’  to the Rustic (but unusual ) variety  thrown together for those weekend lunches.   You’ll never want to open a tin or need to open a carton again .  Includes all refreshments and a lovely 2 course lunch  etc. ….with soup !!

  ‘Sexy Soups ’  No 1 with Anna Rowley

Butternut Squash with Cumin Soup

Seafood Chowder

Beetroot Soup served with Horseradish Cream

Chunky Tomato with Chorizo Soup

Roasted Red Pepper Soup served with Coriander pesto

‘Just Desserts to Die for’  

  ‘Good Pudds’ can be made surprisingly quickly - whilst looking elegant in your best pinny (and maybe with a  Nigella lbd underneath !)  .       

Of course you may need to perfect the look of disbelief  when visitors ask who made it for you .

Anna will share many of her favourite recipes including, of course, the lighter options as well as some of the more devilish favourites.

And being a catering expert herself, many will be to prepare ahead and/or freeze.  Not to be missed.

‘Just Desserts to Die For’ 

 No 1 with Anna Rowley

   Chocolate Hazelnut Meringue Gateau

served with Spiced Winter Berry Compote

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Panna Cotta served with Gooseberry Puree and Poppy Seed Almond and Spice Biscuits

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Chocolate Fondant served with Chocolate Fudge Sauce and Cheats Cinnamon Ice Cream

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Apple Tarte Tatin~.Individual Lemon Tartlets served with Elderberry Coulis

The eldest of 10 children, Gillian has always been interested in cookery, especially baking.  Her job after Sunday school was to bake bread and cakes for the family for the week.  It was never a chore for her – she loved being in the kitchen.  Over the years she learnt to make cakes for her siblings' birthdays and later for other members of the family and for friends.  This expanded to wedding cakes, christening cakes, buffets, etc,as the family grew up 

Since moving to Cumbria and becoming involved with the Women's Institute and the Sugar Craft Guild, Gillian has demonstrated various forms of cookery and cake decorating - fish cookery, soups, starters, quick suppers, jams & preserves, gateaux, sugar flowers, gelatine flowers, all kinds of cake icing and decorating, bread making by hand and by machine. 

 As a result of a Christmas bread making demonstration Gillian was approached by Carrs and asked to help with the development and promotion of their specialist bread making flours developed for bread machines.  Since then she has given many demonstrations and workshops, enjoyed trying out different recipes and different bread machines. She has also been asked by many people with food intolerances to find recipes to suit and found this area of research really interesting

All in all she would like to say a big thank you to her mum and grandma who were always ready to let her lend a hand whenever they were in the kitchen and who encouraged her to try out different recipes.  She considers herself very lucky to have 3 children and 5 grandchildren who all enjoy cooking.

.it means her kitchen will continue to be the hub of the house for some time to come.

The Best Ways to make Bread by Hand 

with Gillian Harris  (main photo above)

Machines are great but can’t do everything we might need to make

and sometimes its just ‘more rewarding and plain nicer’

to make bread the traditional way…by hand. 

Gillian,  who is becoming very well known throughout the county for her whole repertoire of bread making skills will share with us her secrets for

a wonderful variety of her very achievable and special  ‘hand made breads’ . 

Not to be missed - using both Aga and conventional ovens.

Includes a lovely 2 course lunch – with hand made bread –

and of course, all refreshments.

Join us for a whistle stop bread-making tour around the world. 

Have a go at making and tasting some of the special Christmas breads from such places as France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Greece, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Poland, America, Israel, etc, from very simple 'hearth bread' to very rich spicy, alcohol-soaked fruit loaves.    

Enjoy the aromas and traditions of real family Christmases.  With each bread you will learn a little of how the recipes were developed and what they represent. 

Surprise your family with something a little different this Christmas! 

All of these breads are usually made by hand but the use of a bread making machine

and/or Kenwood (or similar) mixer for making the dough cuts out some of the hard work !

We usually do a bit of both.

Vorta Limpa - a Swedish bread made with rye flour, cloves, port and ale - especially good with cheese

Julekage - A jewelled crown with lots of glace fruit

Kolach - from Russia unusually made with yoghurt

Christopsomo - a Greek bread with a byzantine cross and walnuts for good luck

Placek Swiateczny - Polish - more like a teabread - traditionally the centrepiece of food eaten after midnight mass

Panettone - the famous Italian Christmas bread named after the baker who created it

Bolo Rei or Roscon de Reyes - fthe King's Crown - found in Portugal or Spain, also known as twelfth night bread, eaten on 6th January

Fougasse - a french hearth baked bread, again the centrepiece after midnight mass

Christollen - German Christ Cake - representing Jesus wrapped in his swaddling clothes

Pulla - a Finnish bread flavoured with saffron and cardamon

Challah - a traditional Jewish bread, similar in taste and texture to brioche, made for all festivals but in an elaborate plait for Christmas

Money Bread - from the USA - not strictly for Christmas but using the usual Christmas spice, brandy & fruit and good fun to make and eat

Spiced Christmas Bread - an English recipe although probably not really traditionally just for Christmas

Christmas Cake Decorating ‘ with  Gillian Harris  

Bring along your ownChristmas cakeand whilst still continueing the christmas theme make it just a little bit different and bring a smile to your families faces.  Something personal or relevant ....a tractor ....or some golf clubs on some holly, Gillian is an expert with Sugar craft -  which doesnt have to be flowers .

Spend the day in good company and learn some new and exciting ways to decorate it. 

We shall be covering the cakes withmarzipan and Regal-ice (a roll out fondant icing) and will then choose a seasonal decoration made from petal paste (an edible sugarpaste) from a wide choice of examples shown from the very easy to the more complicated.  All materials will be provided, apart from your cake and cost will depend on the size of the cake and decoration chosen.  Please let Annie know what size and shape cake you will be bringing so that I can be sure to have everything you need

Summer Sugar Craft with Gillian Harris         

Learn how to make a beautiful flower spray to decorate a special occasion cake.  Each petal is individually made fromsugar and then wired to make flowers and leaves which are then taped together to make a spray.   During the course of the day you will learn how to work with the special petal paste used to make the flowers, including use of colour pastes and dusting powders.  We will make a variety of hand pulled and cutter flowers and leaves, and learn different ways to wire and tape them together.   All materials needed will beprovided at cost (around £7.50)-  any special equipment will be available for use.