Naked Jam's Jen Williams and chef Fiona Hill launch Christmas cookery schools in New Forest
NEW Forest jam maker Jen Williams has teamed up with Cordon Bleu-trained chef Fiona Hill to launch a series of festive cookery schools designed to give people the skills and confidence to pull off the ultimate Christmas feast come the big day.
The workshops, hosted at Jen’s Naked Jam country kitchen in Silver Street, Sway, will run on 20th November and 11th December, guiding budding chefs through the hands-on process of creating mouth-watering Christmas treats.
Whether it’s mastering a traditional Christmas pudding, perfecting some show-stopping celebratory canapes, baking that classic seasonal staple the mince pie, concocting a warming mulled wine or making up a delicious stuffing mix, these masterclasses are guaranteed to help you get ahead of the game.
Fiona, who runs Barton-based catering firm Real Food, said the aim of the workshops was to “demystify” the culinary process.
“This is all food that people can make ahead of time and get in the freezer,” said Fiona, who started her training at Le Cordon Bleu London in 1977, when it was formerly based in Marylebone Lane. “This is about enthusing people to cook from scratch, and seeing it as a fun and enriching experience.
“Also, we want to get across that you really don’t need all the fancy gadgets to be able to create recipes – it’s about getting back to the basics.
“I lose myself when I cook – it’s a place I go to and it encompasses the simple pleasures, and it doesn’t have to be difficult.”
As well as teaming up with Fiona for the Get Ready for Christmas workshops, Jen is running her own Christmas Gifting classes, at which she’ll be teaching guests how to make New Forest chutney, mincemeat, and plum and amaretto jam.
The pair – both certified by New Forest Marque – regularly work together, with Fiona providing lunches for Jen’s corporate foraging events that she runs on private estates. She also uses Jen’s kitchen to run her own cookery schools, and offers one-on-one sessions from her home, as well as selling her produce through Setley Ridge farm shop in Brockenhurst and Queensmead Village Shop in Beaulieu.
“With the catering side of things, we start from what people’s budgets are rather than the menu they want,” continued Fiona. “My focus is helping my customers to spend their money in the most economical way possible.”
Well known in the Forest for her incredible preserves, Jen began making jam around 11 years ago, describing it as “therapy” following the death of her sister who had encouraged her to start her own business.
“I had 700 jars and I was on a mission – and then I thought I’d better start selling them,” said Jen, who makes her preserves by hand in copper saucepans, in small batches, using seasonal, local fruit and flowers foraged on estates in the New Forest.
“I set up a stall at Burley Cider Festival and sold out in one day. James Golding from The Pig in Brockenhurst contacted me the next day to say he wanted to buy my jam.”
Jen supplies the Chewton Glen hotel in New Milton, the luxury Corinthia Hotel London and the Starhotels collection.
As well as jams including raspberry and elderflower, rhubarb and may chang, and damson, Jen also makes honey, lemon curd, chilli jam, jellies, chutney and piccalilli. Her marmalade range includes lime and chilli, grapefruit and ginger, and Seville oranges.
All classes include refreshments and a lunch of home-made soup and Jen’s quiche made using veg from her on-site garden. Book via sales@naked-jam.co.uk or 01590 683381.
For more information about Naked Jam, go to www.naked-jam.co.uk
For details on Real Food and to book Fiona for a private event, call 07759 817288.
