Set in a beautiful listed riverside house, Helen Scull runs a series of innovative and varied courses, designed for both the serious and more novice individual, to make techniques, ingredients and flavours come together in easy food demonstrations.

Although Helen is working on a 4 oven Aga, all directions are given for conventional oven cookery, and techniques adapted to suit individual cookers.

The courses are from half days –through to full or two day courses, and are individually designed where possible for small groups of up to 6 people. All ingredients are sourced locally, and courses are very much based on what is currently in season, many ingredients are home grown, and the garden is run organically.

Full day courses

Start with homemade breakfast at 9.15 – then starters, soups, main course and desserts all made in the morning- a break for hot canapés and a drink, then completion of the cookery course, followed by late lunch with wine, all the food is then enjoyed in the elegant dining room of Ringmore House. This course always includes a full dinner party within the course that can be prepared ahead.

Half day courses

Start at 1245 with a light hot lunch item and glass of wine- baking, quiches, strudels, scones and pastry making, –completion of the course with full tea to sample all the food prepared earlier, again served in the dining room, or sometimes in the conservatory overlooking the gardens.

Course may be designed to suit individual requirements, vegetarian, gluten free etc

All recipes are printed to be taken home, and space is provided to write personal notes as the day progresses.

All available dates are emailed to contacts, if there is any space on pre-booked days. To receive updates please email Helen on HScull@aol.com - however we can arrange a date to suit if at least two people book together.

Helen is happy to run courses with special diets catered for - for example GLUTEN FREE cookery and VEGETARIAN . Please write for further details.

Course Prices: £80 full day course - £45 half day course

Gift Vouchers available

Sunday Lunch course £ 45.00 per person

Come and enjoy your Sunday lunch - minimum number 4 people - a demonstration course of starters, canapes, Sunday lunch and puds, then enjoy the full Sunday lunch "at home".
Courses start at 1100

Afternoon tea course - £ 30.00 per person

A course for those who enjoy baking - and afternoon tea - includes various scones, pastries, and cakes- and a full tea to complete the afternoon.

Courses start at 2 pm

The November Kitchen at Ringmore House

This month has started fine and relatively warm for the time of year. Despite having cleaned the glass cloche covers, the parsley and everlasting spinach seems to be more vigorous than ever, and have not been covered as yet, though I may get caught out if there is a sudden frost.
The seasonal jellies have all been made now- the most regal of all of them –Bramble jelly, everybodies favourite, is now lined up in my preserves cupboard, without doubt nothing beats a fresh scone with Bramble jelly and clotted cream. Crab apples have also been great, so Crabapple and cinnamon jelly, and a month ago, a friend gave me the whole crop from her Damson tree, I normally do not have enough fruit to make the extravagant jelly, so there is that also to enjoy over the next few months.
There is a fine crop of Jerusalem Artichokes, so good that the tips are pushing out of the soil even before digging, and the recent rain has made them easy to harvest. We make a cream soup with them, and serve it with a drop of truffle oil on the top. They are also wonderful roasted, added to any lamb casserole dish, and added to potatoes in a Dauphinoise with an extra smokey taste.
Christmas puddings are all made and ready in the larder, as a family we enjoy them after storing for a couple of years, periodically taking off the cover and adding a further tot of Brandy to help with the maturing process. Traditionally, Christmas puddings were always made on the Sunday before Advent Sunday " Stir up Sunday " so I have made mine a few weeks early !
I am still taking orders for both Christmas cakesd and puddings, and can do so up until the first week in December.
All the chutneys are finished and stored- the next preserves in line are Cranberry and red onion relish, pink grapefruit and cranberry marmalade, and cranberry jelly and sauces ready for Christmas. Mincemeat is made on an ongoing basis from now, as I make many mince pies for friends and family.

Helen's Aga cherished and looked after by Spillers of Chard http://www.cookercentre.com/