CITY OF OXFORD GUILD OF CHEFS'S: BREAD COURSE

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Embark on our bread masterclasses with us as we explore the fascinating world of doughs. 

Steve Wrens bread course has become a renowned fixture of our calendar. It is extremely popular, spaces disappear in an instant and for good reason. 

Steve has an incredibly in depth knowledge of doughs, the ingredients, the methods and science behind them. As he explains, there are many different ways to make bread but by understanding the science behind it and giving the dough what it needs, it is not as daunting as some may think. A recent quote from Steve that sticks, ' Bread is eaten all over the world, it is the most common food and eaten by all classes rich or poor, shared around tables by billions'. A good thought to keep hold of to inspire us all to bake.

Typical doughs taught;

Pate fermented basic bread.

Rosemary & sea salt focaccia.

Burger buns.

Flat breads.

We run an annual Spring or Summer forage with local expert Justine Gens followed later in the year by our annual Autumn Mushroom forage with local expert Peter Creed.

We love our Spring / Summer forages with Justine not only because she is an unreal wealth of knowledge about all that's good to eat as well as what is medicinal, she also ends each session with wild cooking! We will spend a couple of hours foraging whatever herbs and flowers we can find learning interesting facts about each ingredient picked along the way. Towards the end, we are tasked with building a wild fire so that we can prepare our ingredients into an outstanding wild feast such as wild herb flatbreads stuffed with feta and nettle pesto.

Our Autumn mushroom forages are equally as great. The most important factor when foraging mushrooms is the safety of what you are collecting. There are so many toxic varieties that you would not want to ingest, Peters knowledge for mushrooms is unmatched and we're forever grateful for our long standing relationship with him. Possibly the most important part of this experience, collectively cooking the foraged mushrooms for breakfast! 

We understand that the importance of team activities outside of the workplace, especially for chefs and kitchen staff, extends far beyond simply bonding. In the high-pressure environment of a kitchen, where stress levels are high and the work can be physically and mentally demanding, engaging in activities outside of the workplace helps create stronger, more cohesive teams. 

Kitchen staff can often work long hours under pressure. Outside activities such as our football tournament led by Guild Ambassador Aiden Williams, help lighten the atmosphere, making team members feel like more than just colleagues. 

One of the greatest things about this experience is that your kitchen teams are meeting like minded people from other kitchens that they possibly wouldn't have before. This has major benefits not only for them as individuals but also to our industry, ideas are shared, inspiration is created, fun is had.