The School of Artisan Food facts for kids
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| Charity | |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Headquarters | Welbeck Estate, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom |
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Key people
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Alison Swan Parente (founder) |
The School of Artisan Food is a special cooking school. It is located on the Welbeck Estate in Nottinghamshire, UK. Alison Swan Parente started the school in 2009. Its main goal is to teach old skills for making food by hand. These skills were almost forgotten.
History of the School
The School of Artisan Food began in 2009. William and Alison Swan Parente created it. It was the first school in the UK to focus on artisan food. It opened in October of that year. The couple had started the Welbeck Bakehouse before this. They found it hard to find skilled bakers. So, they decided to open a school. This school would teach people how to make artisan food.
The school is in an old fire station. This building was built in the 1850s. It is a Grade II listed building. This means it is a special historic place. The school has three training rooms. It also has a resource room and a demonstration theatre. At first, the school focused on fermented foods. These included cheese, beer, bread, and charcuterie.
The first students finished their Advanced Diploma in Artisan Baking in 2011. This course now lasts six months. It is like a foundation degree. About 2000 students joined the school in 2015.
The school holds a festival each summer. It is called 'Food for Thought'. Food writers, business owners, and teachers give talks there. The school won the Cookery School of the Year award in 2014-15. In 2017, it won the Countryside Alliance Clarissa Dixon Wright Award. This was for its great work in food and education.
In 2018, the school started a new course. It is called Artisan Food Production FdSc. This is a foundation degree. It is taught with Nottingham Trent University. The first students for this course started in October 2019.
In August 2018, the school launched new products. They made handmade artisan meats. These were sold with Delilah Delicatessens. You could find them in Nottingham and Leicester.
What You Can Learn: Courses
The school offers many different courses. You can learn skills like butchery (preparing meat). You can also learn baking, cooking, and cheesemaking. They also teach patisserie (making pastries and desserts).
The Guardian newspaper said something special. They said the school's cheesemaking courses have changed the British cheese industry. They helped make it much better.
Courses can be short, like half a day. Some are long, up to six months. There are also courses to help students start their own food businesses. The school offers special seasonal classes. These include Christmas, Mother's Day, and Father's Day themes. Their "Pig in a Day" course is a quick class. It teaches you about butchery.
Many different people come to the school. Some are adults wanting a new job. Some are hobbyists who just love food. Children can also take classes. International students come for longer courses. They often live nearby while studying.
