Stay & Bake: Dorset Farmhouse Cookery Experience

A Dorset countryside cookery experience ideal for anyone who’d love to hone their culinary repertoire.  Collect eggs from our free range hens and gather herbs, fruit and flowers from the garden.  Immerse yourself in country life and learn how to cook seasonally from scratch.

Reserve your ‘one to one’ class for a maximum of two guests and combine with a farmhouse, bed and breakfast stay.  This short break is the perfect opportunity to explore a taste of Dorset.

Your full day class will include a combination of ‘hands on cookery’ as well as demonstration and takes place beside the AGA in the farmhouse kitchen.  Conventional cookery tips as well as useful kitchen hacks are included throughout.

Class schedule:

Discussion and/or demonstration of ten key culinary skills.

Classic recipes for beginners to gain an additional understanding of cooking from scratch to include sustainability, maintaining a well-stocked store cupboard and making the most of the seasons.  Alternatively we can tailor an advanced cookery class.*

Recipes are selected to  the following methods (or may possibly be adapted to offer seasonal alternatives):

Classic Swiss roll or Genoise sponge – fat free sponge cake

Cheese scones or classic soda bread – baking with a chemical raising agent

Seasonal tart – how to bake blind and prepare ahead of time

Seasonal vegetables – blanch and refresh, roasting and griddling, steaming, sweating vegetables in the simmering oven

Slow cooks – gammon, meat or tomato ragu or dahl

English muffins and breakfast rolls – maximising the benefits of cast iron, using fresh and dried yeast as well as an introduction to sourdough.

You will receive a comprehensive file to include all of your recipes as well as lots of tricks and tips to make the most of your new repertoire.  There will be a lovely helper to provide all of the ingredients and preparation as well as to clear away.  This will ensure your time is put to great use.

Following your class, Lisa invites you to keep in touch with any cookery questions.

Dorset tea and freshly ground coffee and homemade biscuits will be available throughout your class.

*an additional cost may apply.

• Midweek farmhouse accommodation
• Award winning AGA cooked breakfast
• Complimentary tea and cake on arrival
• Morning coffee and tea delivered to your door
• Full day cookery class for two guests
• All ingredients for your class
• Refreshments during your class
• A meal at the end of the day to include a glass of wine
• Recipe file containing all the methods practised during the day as well as useful tips and tricks, including a list of our favourite suppliers
• The opportunity to contact us by email for further cookery advice

If arriving the night before your class, please check in from 3.30 pm until 7 pm.  On day of departure please vacate your bedroom by 11 am.

Or arrive from 9.30 am onwards for your class and relax over supper and enjoy a one night stay.  Please vacate your room by 11 am the following day.

Book your stay:

Now taking reservations for early 2024.

Please contact us for latest availability.

We’d love to welcome you.

Kelly and Eloise from the Cotswolds ‘Thank you so much Lisa for sharing your fantastic AGA knowledge with Eloise and I yesterday, we both thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience – Eloise was already researching AGA kettles before we had reached the end of your driveway!  

Stuart and Jane from Buckinghamshire ‘Really enjoyed yesterday with you! The top tips that kept on coming and the technical aspects of using the AGA will come in really handy as we move forward with our cooking!’

James and Lucy from London ‘It was a fantastic weekend and we learnt loads.’

What type of classes do you offer?

Each class is tailored specifically for our cookery guests. We prepare a brief schedule for your approval prior to booking and this can be adapted to suit your personal needs. At All Hallows’ Farmhouse we specialise in traditional AGA cookery but as an experienced private chef, caterer and tutor Lisa is also pleased to offer classes that are aimed at new generation stoves as well as conventional cookery too.

Can my friend join us too?

The classes are designed especially to be offered on a ‘one to one’ or ‘one to two’ basis. So the cookery day is ideal for one person to concentrate on their personal repertoire or for friends or family to enjoy a day out together.

We have just moved to a new home with an AGA. I am struggling to maintain the heat in the ovens. Can you help?

We’d love to help you make the most of your heat storage cooker. The introductory AGA course would be perfect for you. Alternatively we can offer an online induction to help you get to grips with the 80/20 rule and ensure you are able to enjoy your AGA from early in the morning to the last cup of cocoa before bedtime.

My dream of a new kitchen is finally a reality. We’d love an AGA but not sure where to begin or whether it would suit our lifestyle. Could we spend some time cooking beside yours to help us make our decision?

Be our guest! Lisa has been fortunate enough to spend her working career cooking beside a multitude of stoves and the AGA is definitely her favourite. If you would like to gain ‘hands on’ AGA cookery experience, before installing your new kitchen, we are always pleased to welcome you for a class.

I’d love to escape for a cookery day with my friend but she doesn’t have an AGA whereas I do?

No problem. The alternative conventional methods will be explained throughout every stage and recipe. Equally, rather than a Q&A session at the end of the day, we encourage our cookery guests to raise questions throughout the day. This ensures every detail that is relevant to you will be answered during your time with us. It’s going to be some time before my AGA is installed. There is so much information to absorb and I am worried that once we have moved to our forever home or, our new kitchen is completed, I will need to recap on everything that I have learned. Following your day with us we will always send an e-version of your class content so you will have a ‘back up’ copy of your recipes and methods for reference. Once you have attended an All Hallows’ Farmhouse cookery course, Lisa always promises that you can email her with any outstanding cookery questions or advice to convert a conventional recipe to the AGA.

We have had an AGA for 25 years, how could we benefit from a cookery course?

It’s great to hear that you have loved your AGA for so long. All of the traditional cookery methods will be second nature to you, but you may like to join us for an advanced class to hone your skills and add new recipes to your repertoire. We’d love to tailor a day that is just right for you. This may include pastry making, rich yeast doughs, sourdough, butchery, fish cookery, vegan cookery, gluten free or lactose intolerant menus or a vegan diet.

I’d like to buy this experience as a gift voucher for my wife/husband/partner and we would prefer to stay. Do we both have to attend the course?

Not at all! If you prefer to spend the day reading beside the fire, or relaxed in the garden during the warmer months, that is absolutely fine with us. We will need to chat through the class content with the gift recipient prior to your stay and if you give us a steer on your favourite activities, we can make a list of suggestions for you to consider. However, when you return home, to ensure harmony in the kitchen, even if one of you just uses the AGA to boil a kettle, we suggest that everyone in your household becomes familiar with the differences and benefits of cooking beside a heat storage stove.

We are considering a full day class but are wondering how much actual cookery will we do?

This is a ‘hands on course’ which involves lots of active participation by our guests. Some recipes will be demonstrated beforehand and then you will have the chance to follow the methods for yourself. Other dishes will be made from scratch. Whilst we highly recommend that you take part in all aspects of the day, if you prefer to sit and watch, we will need to make additional preparations for your class. Please let us know at the time of booking if you require a demonstration only.

What happens to the food that we cook?

If you are staying at the farmhouse, most of the recipes that you make will be enjoyed throughout your visit but we always suggest that cookery guests bring a basket or food container to take bakes home with them.

I am allergic to nuts, does your kitchen handle nut products?

We take all dietary allergies seriously at the farmhouse but please be aware that we do handle nuts and nut products in the kitchen during a normal working day. If you are allergic then we will remove all of these ingredients prior to your visit and store them elsewhere, however we cannot guarantee that all traces will be removed from the kitchen.

My partner is a coeliac. Is this a problem?

We have a designated larder with an extensive range of gluten free flours which are regularly re-stocked. We also make our own gluten free oat and buckwheat flour as well as grind linseed (flax) in a dedicated grinder. Prior to your class we would need to chat through your specific requirements and also check if there are any gluten free flours that you cannot tolerate. Please note that we do handle wheat flours in the same kitchen but these are stored in a separate cupboard.

We don’t live locally. Is there anywhere you can recommend for us to stay?

You are always very welcome to make the most of the farmhouse bedrooms and take advantage of the guest sitting room and breakfast room which will be exclusively yours, throughout your stay. Alternatively we can recommend one or two lovely places locally for you to relax at the end of a busy day. Please take a peek at the Orchard Room or get in touch for more details.

We are on holiday in the UK and would like to include a cookery course during our visit?

You are most welcome to join us for a class and or to stay here to enjoy a cookery holiday in the quintessential village of Wimborne St Giles, home to the Earls of Shaftesbury. We can customise your visit to suit every level of cook, whether you own an AGA or not! If you wish, we can also accompany you to local producers and the farmers’ market. Please contact us with your proposed dates and we look forward to making preliminary suggestions depending on the season and your requirements.

We have just employed a new housekeeper/nanny/cook and she is unfamiliar with the AGA?

Lisa began her career in private service and has years of experiencing cooking in clients homes. Whether you require nursery food, to stock the freezer or a gentle guiding hand to ensure your newly employed member of the household is confident with AGA cookery, we are always on hand to help you both, either in person or online.

I have an AGA and would love to make more of it but I just cannot spare the time to travel to Dorset for a cookery class?

You may like to consider a series of short online tutorials to help you master all of the AGA cookery methods as well as hone your cookery skills. We will provide a list of ingredients prior to your class and then cook alongside during your e-class. Please ask for a quote.

My family would like to follow a vegan or flexitarian diet and I need help adjusting to this lifestyle choice?

We can offer personalised cookery classes for all diets including FODMAP and gluten intolerant recipes. Please get in touch to chat through your specific requirements.

All Hallows’ Farmhouse is a residential cookery school. Does that mean we have to stay to book a class?

Whether you stay for a few nights or just come for the day, the choice is entirely yours. We just look forward to welcoming you.

I’d like to buy this gift as a present but the recipient is not keen to learn online and would prefer to cook at home rather than travel?

We often teach in clients’ homes. This offers the benefit of working with them and their particular model. We strictly follow the current Covid restrictions at the date of your individual class. So if either area is experiencing a localised lockdown or a member of your household is showing symptoms then we reserve the right to reschedule the date. Please contact us for a quote.

We want to raise funds for our nominated charity and would like to arrange a cookery demonstration. Can you help?

Please contact Lisa with more details of your event to include the date and location. Whenever possible, we are always pleased to support charitable events and will be happy to provide a quote accordingly.

We have a Rayburn at home but would love to hone our cookery skills. What can you offer us?

Thank you for considering an All Hallows’ Farmhouse cookery class. We’d love to welcome you here and of course we would be pleased to offer a personalised class that will include the benefits of a Rayburn whilst we spend the day cooking beside our 4-oven electric AGA. Please contact us for more details of our tailored Rayburn courses »

We’d like to join you for a specific date but need to budget for our cookery class. Can you offer payment terms?

That’s no problem. Please contact us to secure your date and we will send you details of our terms.

I’d like to attend a cookery day but want to share with another single person. Can you arrange this?

Regrettably this is not possible. All of our classes are offered on a ‘one to one’ or ‘one to two’ basis for family or friends attending together. However you are welcome to come for an individual day on your own.

My partner is an experienced AGA cook but I have no experience whatsoever. Can you offer a cookery class to suit us both?

It is quite usual for one member of the family to be more confident with the AGA. Please let us know at the time of your enquiry and we will incorporate recipe and cookery skill suggestions that will appeal to you both.