The School of Artisan Food

The School of Artisan Food is a cooking school sited on the Welbeck Estate in Nottinghamshire. Founded in 2009 by Alison Swan Parente, the school aims to teach the 'lost skills' of artisan food production.[1]

The School of Artisan Food
TypeCharity
Founded2009
HeadquartersWelbeck Estate, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom
Key people
Alison Swan Parente (founder)
Websiteschoolofartisanfood.org

History

The School was founded in 2009 by William and Alison Swan Parente as the UK's first artisan food school, and opened that October.[1][2] The couple had founded the Welbeck Bakehouse the previous year but, upon finding that there was a lack of skilled artisan bakers to supply it, decided to establish a school to provide education and training in artisan food production.[3]

The school is located at a Grade II listed former fire station dating back to the 1850s at the Welbeck Estate. The School's facilities include three purpose-built training rooms, a resource room and a demonstration theatre.[4][5][6] The school focused first on fermented foods like cheese, beer, bread and charcuterie.[7]

The first students graduated from the School's Advanced Diploma in Artisan Baking in 2011, which is now a six-month course equivalent to foundation degree level.[8][9] About 2000 students enrolled in 2015.[10]

The School hosts the annual 'Food for Thought' festival each summer with lectures from food writers, business owners and educators.[11][12] The School won the Cookery School of the Year award for 2014-15[13][14] and the Countryside Alliance Clarissa Dixon Wright Award in 2017 for outstanding contribution to food and education.[15]

In 2018 the School launched a foundation degree course, Artisan Food Production FdSc, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, taught jointly by both institutions. The first course will be taught in October 2019.[1][16][17]

In August 2018 the School launched a range of handmade artisan meats in collaboration with Delilah Delicatessens sold in Nottingham and Leicester.[18]

Courses
The School of Artisan Food

The School's courses cover a range of food production skills including butchery, bakery, cooking, cheesemaking and patisserie.[19]

The School's cheesemaking courses have been claimed by The Guardian to have "helped to transform the British industry".[20]

Courses range in length from half a day to six months and also include courses to teach students how to set up their own food businesses.[21] Seasonal courses, such as Christmas-themed classes, Mother's Day and Father's day courses, are also available.[22] The school's "Pig in a Day" is a crash course in butchery.[23]

The School attracts students from a variety of backgrounds, from middle-aged people looking to change career path, to hobbyists, to children, to international students who come for long-term residential courses.[24][25][3]

References
  1. "New degree launched to meet demand for artisan food". Sheffield Telegraph. 30 January 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  2. "Bank of England Governor Mark Carney visits Nottinghamshire". West Bridgford Wire. 16 July 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  3. "How to become an artisan baker". The Guardian. 3 December 2009. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  4. "Treat-making at The School of Artisan Food and Ye Olde Bell". Yorkshire Post. 2 January 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  5. "A new artisan school opens in Nottinghamshire". The Daily Telegraph. 10 June 2009. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  6. Facilities - Bakery, Butchery, Dairy Training Rooms The School of Artisan Food. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  7. Jordi, Nathalie (13 October 2009). "British Artisanal Food Gains New Champions". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  8. Congratulations to our first graduates The School of Artisan Food. 6 October 2011. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  9. "Discovering lost skills at The School of Artisan Food". Locavore Magazine. 14 December 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  10. "Must-visit: A Downton Abbey fantasy for the 21st-century epicurean". Nottinghamshire Globe & Mail. 28 January 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  11. A festival of food thinking in Nottingham SustainWeb.org. 13 January 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  12. Food for Thought Weekend Line Up Revealed Pebblemag.com. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  13. The 12 food trends of Christmas: From mince-pie cocktails to deep-fried cracking The Independent. 7 December 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  14. The School of Artisan Food Welbeck Estate. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  15. The School of Artisan Food Wins National Title at the Countryside Alliance Rural Oscars TheStickyBeak.co.uk. 28 April 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  16. "Welbeck Estate - The school of Artisan Food". Nottingham Trent University. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  17. "Jay Rayner on Restaurants". The Guardian. 16 December 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  18. "School of Artisan Food and Delilah launch new food brand". East Midlands Business Link. 23 August 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  19. Five of the best butchery schools The Guardian. 7 February 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  20. The experts' guide to a great British cheeseboard The Guardian. 3 December 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  21. The School of Artisan Food Exposed Magazine. 8 December 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  22. All Courses and Cooking Classes The School of Artisan Food. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  23. "The best artisan workshops to try". The Spectator. 25 September 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  24. Where bankers become butchers Financial Times. 24 September 2010. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  25. Baking school is cooking up fresh careers Worksop Guardian. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
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