Cooking Demo at Haywards

I returned once more to my great friends at Haywards. But this visit was to see one of their Cooking Demonstrations where they will demonstrate how to make one of their newest dishes on the menu. They have these days about three times a year and are really worth looking out for as you can then see how much work goes into creating the fabulous plates of food that are presented to you when you come for lunch/dinner. For this demonstration they were going to showcase the stunning dessert by Pastry Chef Luke the Chocolate , Pear & Hazelnut. The demonstrations are usually run by Chef Patron Jahdre but for the first time he handed over the reigns to Luke. He has been at Haywards since May 2019 and in that time you can clearly see the amazing desserts he is producing. Well I suppose when you’ve spent the last three years at the Ritz then this is no surprise.

The day includes a cocktail on arrival , the demo and a two course lunch with bread , amuse bouche , wine , tea or coffee & petit fours. We arrived before midday to enjoy the day’s cocktail a refreshing Garden Punch as you take your seat for the midday start. The demo’s are normally between sixty and ninety minutes which is then followed by lunch.

Garden Punch Cocktail

So now it was time for Luke to begin and for the next ninety minutes we enjoyed an excellent demonstration where each of the steps that go into creating the dish were explained with the greatest detail. His knowledge of pastry was amazing to hear and also explained the alternative ingredients you could use and telling you where they can be purchased. As well as this and the fact that as we wouldn’t have the equipment he was using provided other ways there were to assist you in making this dessert.

During the demo there is also an opportunity for you to join in the creation of the days dessert and believe me it’s not as easy as he makes it look. But it is great fun in trying and they do try to encourage as many people as they can to have a go.

Also during the demo you are free to ask as many questions as you like. There is also the opportunity to taste parts of the dish separately before he puts them all together for the final creation.

Pear Purée

Now it was time for the final part of the demo and the pressure was on for Luke as the dessert was placed on the turntable ready for the chocolate to be piped on in order to finish the dish. But like a true professional he did it with confident ease and voila with a couple of decorative additions the dessert was complete.

So after a fantastic demo by Luke it was now time for the two course lunch which started with bread , snacks & a Cauliflower Cheese Veloute.

Cauliflower Cheese Veloute

This was followed by the main course of Roasted Fillet of Pork , Braised Shoulder Croquette , White Beans & Onion Purée accompanied with carrots , courgettes & new potatoes.

Pork , White Beans & Onion Purée

The dessert was of course the fabulous demonstrated Chocolate , Pear & Hazelnut and yes it was stunning.

Chocolate , Pear & Hazelnut

We finished with coffee & petit fours to bring to and end a lovely afternoon. I would highly recommend that you look out for when the next demo is as it is well worth a visit so you can appreciate all the hard work and creativity that goes into producing all the amazing dishes at Haywards

Congratulations to Pastry Chef Luke for a great demonstration and to the rest of the team for a fabulous lunch.