Cook & Bake Days
Our aim is to share our love and knowledge of cooking and baking with you to inspire you when cooking and baking in your own home-kitchen and provide you with plenty of new recipes. We hope then that when you are entertaining it will be less of a task and more of a pleasure armed with lots of new ideas to wow your dinner guests and enthuse family meals.
We can accommodate 8 people at the demos and although the days are not hands-on we encourage input; whether it be stirring a sauce or grating the garlic!
We plan to host both morning and evening demos during which we will demonstrate short cuts, essential cooking techniques and organisational skills to make the preparation of entertaining simpler. We advocate using local seasonal produce and suppliers wherever possible.
For a morning demo you will arrive at 9.30am for coffee and cake or biscuits and we will start the mornings demonstration by 10am. We will run through the recipes for a 3- course meal with numerous options for each course; which you will then enjoy for lunch. You will eat your meal together around the kitchen table, accompanied by a glass of wine. We aim to finish lunch by 2-2.30pm.
For an evening demo you will arrive at 6pm and we will go straight into the demo and serve refreshments whilst you watch. You will eat your meal together around the kitchen table and we aim to finish by 10pm.
You will go home with a recipe pack ready to re-create the dishes at home.
Meet the team
Sarah and Tori met four years ago through their love of running around the lanes of Herefordshire, often discussing the most recent recipe they tried, latest cookbook and new eateries in the area. Sarah has enjoyed going to various cookery demonstrations over the years and toyed with the idea of doing some of her own and it was during one of their many runs Sarah and Tori hatched a plan to combine their experience in cooking and baking to bring the idea to fruition.
In November 2018 Sarah and Tori opened the doors to their first demonstrations at The Leen farmhouse covering Christmas Entertaining over 3 weeks leading up to the festivities. With wonderful feedback following the demonstrations we decided, alongside our own cooking and baking enterprises, we would offer seasonal demonstrations starting in 2019. We think the combination of sharing our cooking and baking knowledge creates a really holistic approach for our guests.
Tori Dickinson - Owner-baker Tori set up Noke Lane Bakery, a micro bakery near Pembridge, in 2013. This followed Tori's completion of a full time 10-month artisan baking course a The School of Artisan Food, Nottinghamshire, which included lots of placements at some of the leading artisan baking in the UK and a focus on the benefits of slow fermentation. Initially operating from rented kitchens, she is now baking from a purpose-built bakery at home.
Tori's baked range included sourdough and yeasted breads and pastries (both sweet and savoury). Everything is made from scratch using a wide variety of flours to create an authentic product. She also has a passion for patisserie and plans to extend the range.
Sarah Norman - Your host for the demonstrations at The Leen has run The Border County Cook catering business for 18 years, having trained at The Grange Cookery School in Somerset. A short course which enthused Sarah's love for food. She ran a successful business catering for Shoots, Canape Parties and travelling on holiday with clients as their Cook. After moving to Herefordshire in 2004 the business took a back seat whilst her family grew by 3. Now catering locally at The Colloquy holiday property and for Dinner Parties.