By Judy Gardner

Family  passion  for  food

For many with a love of cooking there will be happy memories of learning to bake under the guidance of a parent or grandparent.

As recipes are handed down the years, new generations will come together with the ones before them for cookery lessons to become a shared, family pursuit that will shape attitudes to, and passions for, food well into the future.

My own love of cooking is underpinned by a love of food that was shaped by my family.

Sense  of  wellbeing

So as roasts and casseroles emerge from the ever-faithful Aga, the scene is set for family and friends of all ages to gather and enjoy delicious mealtimes and lively conversation. Somehow the Aga enhances this whole sense of wellbeing.

It's not just hearty and nourishing food that makes us congregate in the family kitchen.

The Aga is often the focal point for warming hands and soggy clothes or huddling alongside with a cup of coffee in hand, ready for a good natter.

Eckington Manor: naturally Aga just had to be part of the Eckington equation

Aga  at  Eckington  Manor

As I started to map out and develop the concept for Eckington Manor Cookery School, I instinctively felt that the Aga had to be an integral part of my plans as I was eager that cookery lessons here had to be about a shared love of food and an eagerness to enjoy learning how to cook within a cohesive group.

That the cookery school is housed in a converted Dutch barn on a 260-acre working farm only emphasises how naturally Aga just had to be part of the Eckington equation.

So you will find a luxury range cooker by Aga, Falcon or Rangemaster within each of the 10 'mini kitchens' for student use. To complement the presence of Agas in the cookery school, we also run regular Aga Taster, Essential Aga and Complete Aga cookery courses that stretch across one, two and three days respectively.

Just across the courtyard from the school itself - in the kitchen-cum-dining room of the 700-year-old hall house - it's an Aga once again that wafts its delicious smells towards residential students as they assemble after the day's class for dinner.

Just as in any household and family to which it belongs, Aga is most definitely at the heart of Eckington Manor Cookery School.

For further information and enquiries, contact Eckington Manor Cookery School on Telephone: 01386 751600, e-mail: mail@eckingtonmanor.co.uk or visit Eckington Manor online.