Sharmini's Indian Cooking School
BEST FOR
Ages 12+
WHERE
York
What it’s like
A hands-on Indian cooking session in York where you prep three to six dishes from scratch and take most of them home.
This one's for the grown-ups in the house, or a teenager keen enough to hold their own knife. You're chopping, grinding spices and building curries from scratch rather than watching someone else do it, and the site's clear that beginners aren't left behind, recipes are broken into simple steps with ingredients you can actually find. Groups are kept small, eight or nine people per session, so you're not lost in a crowd if you need a hand with your dosa technique.
Go for the half day and you'll cook three dishes plus watch a couple of demonstrations, in around four hours. The full day stretches to six hours and five or six dishes, with a lunch break where you sit down and eat what you've just made, each dish serves two so there's real food to carry home afterwards. Bring containers and a cooler bag, that's the one thing you actually need to remember. Tea and coffee are on the house throughout.
Twelve is the cut-off for kids, and even then they come as a paying participant alongside you rather than tagging along for free. Dietary needs, including vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free, are worked around with a health form you fill in beforehand. Parking's free on site at the school, and if the rest of the family fancy the city instead, there's a direct bus into York from right outside.
Facilities
Need to know
- Best for
- Adults and teens 12 plus who want to actually cook, not just watch
- Parking
- Free on-site parking at Joseph Rowntree School
- How long to allow
- 4 or 6 hours depending on half-day or full-day session
- Getting there by bus or train
- Train: direct bus from train station
- Bring your own food storage containers and a cooler bag to take dishes home
- Groups are capped at 8 to 9 people, so it stays fairly personal
- Fill in a health form ahead of time if you've got allergies or dietary needs
- The rest of the family can bus straight into York city centre while you cook
Plan your visit
Do I need any experience to book?
No previous experience needed. Recipes are simplified into easy steps with ingredients that are easy to get hold of.
How long does a session last?
Half-day sessions run 4 hours and cover three dishes, full-day sessions run 6 hours and cover around five or six dishes.
Can I bring my child along?
Children aged 12 and up can join, but they're registered as a paying participant rather than coming along for free.
What happens with dietary requirements?
Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and allergy-friendly needs are all accommodated. You'll fill in a health form before the session so they know what to plan around.
Is there parking?
Free on-site parking at the school. There's also a direct bus from York train station if you're coming that way.
Do we get to eat what we cook?
On a full-day session you eat your own dishes at the lunch break. Each one serves two, so there's plenty left to take home too.
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