Review: Private family cooking course at Notting Hill’s Enrica Rocca

On the other Sunday evening I sat down and texted someone I had met earlier that day. I wanted to thank her for the absolutely wonderful experience we’d had the same morning. It was Claire who had made a true impression on six-year-old Big Girl and three-year-old Big Boy. We had been invited to review a private family cooking course at Enrica Rocca, a cooking school run in a stunning Notting Hill home, and it had been such an amazing way to spend quality time together as a family.

Upon arrival at the Ladbroke Grove address we were met by the lovely Claire and taken through the charming garden entrance to the cooking studio in the basement of the house. The kitchen, which was set up for the cooking school by Claire’s mum who has since gone to Venice to run the business there, was a dream for cooking fanatic Daddy T, and we instantly started admiring the clever gadgets combined with the welcoming feel in the room.

Claire is now running the school with her sister, and the duo delivers courses where menus are flexible and some even include trips to Portobello market for ingredient shopping that then dictates the menu.

For a family, the set up was ideal, and I couldn’t believe how much the children could be involved in preparing a three-course meal.

In a relaxed and friendly environment, six-year-old Big Girl could to do everything from cutting and grating to helping administer the pasta maker. During the two-hour session, the children got to make meatballs, tomato sauce, courgette cannelloni, fresh pasta, pesto from scratch – chosen by the children on the day – and for dessert, a mascarpone cream and little delicious vanilla cakes.

The experience was truly inspiring, with the children now understanding how pasta is made and that pesto doesn’t actually come from a jar but can be made with basil, parmesan, pine nuts and olive oil.

While sitting on bar stools around the kitchen island and chatting away, Daddy T and I helped by delving into the restaurant quality food whenever a dish was complete, and we all felt we had an amazing lunch. I was thrilled the course even made the children want to try new tastes, and Big Girl discovered a new love for homemade meatballs.

Despite us all having seconds, there were still lots of extra cakes, and we had a tray of cakes to carry back to the car after finishing up.

In the weeks since we went to Enrica Rocca, I’ve been raving about the cookery school to friends, as I was so pleasantly surprised about this truly enjoyable and relaxing way to spend a morning out. In fact, I’m certain that if Big Girl could choose to repeat one of the experiences she’s had this autumn, she would say that going back to cook with Claire is all she wants to do.

Prices vary from group to group but start at £200 for two children and a parent for 2.5 hours. Enrica Rocca also organises weekly courses for adults, and I’m planning to book Daddy T and some of his friends in for another cooking experience.

Tags: Cooking, Cooking class, Enrica Rocca, Ladbroke Grove, Notting Hill