Description
The Station House Cookery School is a thriving culinary gem on the Dumfries and Galloway coast, housed in a charming 19th century former station building.
Combining day courses in specialist topics with week-long deep-dives into a world of skills and cuisines, students at the school will leave with the passion, knowledge and inspiration to create delectable meals at home.
The Location
Station House Cookery School is located in the picturesque fishing town of Kirkcudbright, (pronounced kir–coo–bree) see map below. Located on the scenic Dumfries coast. Close to both the River Dee and the Irish Sea, the school is perfectly placed to access the freshest seafood, along with the rich variety of local game and produce on offer in southern Scotland. The cookery school also has a list of wonderful nearby hotels and holiday cottages.
The Cooking School
Located in the original town railway station, the cookery school has been sympathetically and creatively re-imagined into this intimate but well equipped culinary space. part of your day in the separate classroom, is even held on the original railway location, surrounded by platform walls! You’ll be cooking up a feast in the Station House’s bright and modern kitchens, housed within the town’s charming former train station buildings. Budding chefs will watch the recipes being cooked by the experts in the Station’s newly fitted demonstration kitchen, before taking up a workstation in the spacious student kitchens to get cooking.
The Team
Courses at The Station House Cookery School are led by head chef Nick Morris and his team. Nick trained at the internationally renowned Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland, where he honed his craft under the watchful eye of industry legends Darina Allen, Rory O’Connell and Rachel Allen. Under Nick’s enthusiastic, knowledgeable and friendly tutelage, students will learn crucial food preparation and cooking tips which will greatly enhance their cookery skills for life.
For full details see below, or visit their own website here.
Purchase Greatest British Cookery School Gift Vouchers redeemable at all ICSA member schools below.
The Courses
The Station House Cookery School operates a little differently to most. As well as year-round courses in particular specialisms – from bread-making and patisserie to fresh pasta – the school also runs an in-depth, week-long course every season throughout the year.
This seasonal focus allows them to make the most of what’s freshest and most readily available at the time, whether it’s locally sourced game or fresh shellfish straight from the nearby coastal waters.
On each course, participants will get a comprehensive introduction to a wide variety of dishes and kitchen skills, giving them well-rounded cookery experience that means they can turn their hand to anything – from choux pastry to yoghurt making and everything in between.
On a typical week-long course, students can get stuck into a world of wonderful dishes, including cuisine from India, Thailand, North African and the Middle East, as well as fish, bread-making, basic butchery, butter and cheesemaking, vegetarian and vegan cookery, and the importance of herbs and seasoning. There is also a unique gourmet experience visit to a local Scottish Assured Venison Park.
Kirkcudbright places to stay
Known as the ‘artists town’ due to its picturesque painted houses of many colours and attraction of creatives to paint due to the wonderful light from the harbour and surrounds, Kirkcudbright also offers a wide range of accommodation to stay when visiting the Station House Cookery School. The Selkirk Arms is just a few minutes walk from the Station house cookery school, sharing their passions for local seasonal produce.
More details on kirkcudbright town and Station House Cookery School here
The Station House Cookery School has been awarded a prestigious kitemark of quality and accreditation from leading regulatory body, the Independent Cookery School Association (ICSA).
The school, based in the picturesque fishing town of Kirkcudbright, in Dumfries and Galloway runs a variety of culinary courses to train both novice cooks and aspiring chefs in a broad range of skills and cuisines.
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. 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 both young and old.
James Day, Director of Operations at ICSA, said: “We’re thrilled to have awarded The Station House Cookery School with the ICSA kitemark and accreditation. It’s a mark of trust and quality which gives people complete assurance that The Station House Cookery School is operating to the highest standards of training.
“As well as being sustainable, seasonable 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. Consumer 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.”
Nick Morris added “We are delighted to be recognised by ICSA for our teaching standards and facilities. The journey to this point has been a long one and now being accredited by ICSA is the icing on the cake, underpinning our hard work and dedication to quality teaching of cookery courses and sharing our passions for sustainable, seasonal local produce, and nutrition.”
Station House Cookery School,
St Mary St,
Kirkcudbright
DG6 4DN
Tel: 07493 242792 (Land line currently being installed)
