River Cottage Cookery School, achieves highest awarded for quality teaching and facilities, by leading industry body ‘ICSA’
The River Cottage Cookery School, in Devon, has been awarded a prestigious ‘Centre of Excellence’ of quality and accreditation from leading regulatory body, the Independent Cookery School Association (ICSA).
The cookery school, located within its own 100 acre organic farm near Axminster runs a wide range of bespoke artisan cookery courses to train both novice cooks and aspiring chefs in a broad range of culinary skills focusing on sustainability. Following their rigorous on-site assessment, they were awarded full marks for their consistent and informed teaching standards, alongside adhering to ICSA core values, achieving a prestigious ‘Centre of Excellence’ accreditation.
ICSA-accredited schools undergo rigorous assessments to ensure consistent delivery of excellence in cookery skills and training, as well as other criteria such as adhering to strict standards of environmental sustainability and continued support for British farmers and seasonal produce. Accreditation from a recognised industry body such as ICSA is also vital for aspiring chefs to be able to further their professional careers within the hospitality industry and other related culinary professions.
Accreditation from a recognised industry body such as ICSA is also vital for aspiring chefs to be able to further their professional careers within the hospitality industry and other related culinary professions. Aspiring domestic chefs can also gain new transferrable skills to improve their culinary knowledge and applications in their home kitchens including knife skills, world food courses and nutritional understandings for better health and wellbeing.
James Day, Director of Operations at ICSA, said: “We’re thrilled to have awarded River Cottage Cookery School with the ICSA ‘Centre of Excellence’ accreditation. The school has been a leading pioneer on sustainable cookery classes and courses, delivered by professional and passionate tutors including founder Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Head Chef Tutor Connor Reed {pictured with Chef Tutor Chiara Tomasoni and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall}. Their wide range of classes deliver unrivalled professional culinary content. Our award is a mark of trust and quality which provides complete assurance to students that the cookery school is operating to the highest standards of training and providing unrivalled facilities, from their cookery school and ticketed dining events and weddings, through to their on-site Kitchen & Store cafe.”
Head Chef Tutor Connor Reed {pictured with Tutor Chiara Tomasoni and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall} commented: “It’s a real honour to have been awarded a “Centre for Excellence” certificate from ISCA, a regulatory body whose values align closely with our own here at River Cottage. We’re extremely passionate about teaching people the importance of seasonal and ethical eating in an accessible and enjoyable way. We put a huge amount of care into shaping and executing our cookery courses, so it’s brilliant to see this hard work reflected in our award.”
James added “As well as being sustainable, seasonal, and regionally sourced where possible, all our ICSA accredited cookery schools aim to teach zero waste principles in foods and packaging. Through ICSA, we aim to help shape Britain’s culinary landscape by championing chefs and schools who work to the highest standards, sharing professionally trained transferrable skills to a wider market of food consumers. Consumers seeking a professional cookery experience should aim to seek out an ICSA accredited cookery school, displaying our up-to-date kite mark as a seal of quality consistent teaching standards.”
Read more about River Cottage Cookery School in an Interview with Hugh Fearnley- Whittingstall, and enter a competition WIN a Cookery Experience and meet Hugh at River Cottage HERE. (competition closes February 7th 2024)
More information visit their ICSA ‘Centre of Excellence’ listing here
