Rick Stein is one of the UK’s most beloved chefs, best known for his pioneering movements in the world of seafood. After cooking for everyone from Queen Elizabeth to Margaret Thatcher, publishing twenty-five cookbooks, and taking his fans all over the world, Stein finds himself back home, in peaceful Padstow. The Rick Stein Cookery School is the newest addition to the Stein family enterprise, where Stein invites those who appreciate his approach to cooking to come and learn for themselves. To anyone wondering if the trip down to Cornwall is really worth it, perhaps consider Stein’s own testimony; ‘I really think everyone cooks better at my cookery school’.

Over the years, Stein’s dedication to fresh fish, cooked simply has become key to his resounding success. Food lovers can find the same approach at heart of his cooking school. Courses range from evening classes focused on the art of great dinner parties to four-day courses that change students’ cooking veins from within. Each course begins with a demonstration by Stein’s handpicked experts, before students get to recreate the dish for themselves. Courses end at the ‘en famille’ dining table, where students can enjoy the fruits of their labour.

Rick Stein from the very beginning

After leaving Oxford University a little directionless, Rick Stein opened up a discotheque in the fishing town of Padstow in search of a path. In the absence of bouncers, Stein’s nightclub couldn’t withstand the Saturday-night fights, resulting in eventual police intervention. When his club was shut down, all Stein was left with was a restaurant license. He went into cooking in a search of salvation. Luckily, what unfolded afterwards quickly became one of the greatest success stories in gastronomical history. After opening successful restaurants all over the world and publishing numerous best-selling cookbooks, Stein even tried his hand at television. A cookery school seemed like the next obvious step when Stein returned to Padstow at the turn of the millennium. The Stein enterprise now employs over 650 people all over the UK, from Cornwall to London.

Setting the scene: Pretty Padstow

The beautiful county of Cornwall is renowned for its dramatic coastline, postcard towns and rocky beaches, but it was Padstow’s tiny fishing port that first birthed the Stein legacy. Padstow has grown in reputation over the past few years as Cornwall’s culinary hub, mostly due to Rick Stein’s invaluable influence. It’s even obtained the charming nickname ‘Padstein’- a nod to the many local establishments bearing the Stein name.

Overlooking the banks of the River Camel is Rick Stein’s most recent contribution to Padstow’s cooking scene: The Rick Stein Cookery School. The school inhabits the second floor of a modern, light filled building, and comprises only of the necessities: 8 cooking stations, a demonstration area and a long dining table, perfect for enjoying a glass of wine with a self-made dinner.

The One Day Simple Seafood

With a setting such as this one, you might have guessed that Stein’s cooking courses are heavily fish-focussed. Stein’s promise to the fisherman of Padstow- ‘to buy whatever it is they caught’- means that any student is promised a taste of Padstow’s greatest labours. There’s even the chance to venture new ground, since you never know what the catch might bring in. The One Day Simple Seafood course embraces everything that Rick Stein has stood for all these years; ‘fresh fish, cooked simply’. This course teaches students to carefully select produce for optimum cooking potential, before arming them with the skills to peel, fillet, prepare and cook an exciting range of fish.

Catch and Cook

For those of the opinion that fortune favours the bold- Rick Stein’s cooking school also offers students the chance to take their experience out to sea. The Catch and Cook one-day course sees students join local Padstow fisherman, Lee Wicks, for an adventurous morning of fishing on the Camel Estuary. After a few hours on the water, students head back to the kitchen with their very own catch to learn how best to cook it. The dish that features in this course is a Southeast Asian favourite- the laksa. This gives students the opportunity to walk away from the class armed with a recipe they may not have dared try before.

A culinary staycation

A great way to make the very most of the trip is to turn it into an overnight one. Especially if selecting a course that begins early morning, the Stein hotels and houses across Padstow are a great way to wake up on the right side of the bed. Each hotel room, house or shepherd’s hut under the Stein name is a labour of love, designed and created by Jill and Kate Stein. The design focus is quality and style, drawing inspiration from the Cornish coast to create the feeling of ‘home away from home’. From the second they walk through the door to the very moment they leave, guests are invited to relax, makes themselves at home and bask in the tranquillity that is quintessentially Padstow.

Whether you’re a die-hard Rick stein groupie or just interested in learning a new skill, Rick stein’s cookery school is worth a visit. With over thirty different courses to choose from, budding chefs might just realise that there really is something for everyone at Stein’s latest establishment.