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Preserve the Seasons

Preserve the Seasons

£195.00 Inclusive

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1 day
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10:00 - 17:00

Seasonal Preserves with Rachel De Thample at River Cottage Cookery School

Spend a hands-on day at River Cottage learning to capture the flavours of each season with produce from our kitchen garden, orchards, and the wild hedgerows of our 100-acre organic farm.

Guided by Rachel, you’ll master a variety of preserving techniques, from jams and chutneys to pickles, ferments, dried goods, and infused creations, all using fresh seasonal ingredients. Each class reflects the true River Cottage spirit, changing with the seasons to highlight the very best of the harvest.

By the end of the day, you’ll leave confident in your ability to preserve fruits and vegetables from your own garden, local markets, or hedgerows. You’ll also take home a bag of jars filled with your handmade preserves, plus some of our special hedgerow creations, ready to enjoy and share.

This hands-on preserves course celebrates seasonal flavours, reduces food waste, and gives you the skills to enjoy the taste of the countryside all year round.

Is this course suitable for me?  We recommend this course for participants aged 12 and up. Under-16s must be accompanied by a paying adult. These guidelines are in place to ensure the safety, comfort, and enjoyment of all our guests. Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or need more information.

MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME

If you choose to walk, enjoy a 10–15 minute stroll from the car park along scenic pathways to the farm, taking in the stunning valley views. A Land Rover lift is available in poor weather or if you prefer not to walk. Once at the cookery school, meet Rachel and start the day with tea, coffee, and freshly baked treats.

SESSION ONE

Kick off the day with a tasting of Rachel’s favourite preserves, including rosehip jam-filled doughnuts dusted with lemon verbena sugar and crumpets topped with rich blackcurrant curd.

SESSION TWO

Get ready to dive into the art of making seasonal jams! Rachel will explain the science of pectin and show you how to create delicious jams with almost any fruit (or veg!) you have on hand. You’ll learn the secrets to small-batch jam-making, including how to reduce sugar or substitute it with local honey. Plus, we’ll explore the garden for inspiration, adding herbal and seasonal floral twists to your creations!

SESSION THREE

Next, we’ll dive into chutney-making! You’ll learn the difference between chutneys and pickles, and by the end of the day, you’ll have made both, using fresh ingredients from our kitchen garden. You’ll gain the confidence to create tasty batches of each, without needing a recipe, and turn your garden’s bounty into delicious homemade condiments!

LUNCH

Enjoy some of Rachel’s favourite ferments, including mackerel with oak-smoked beetroot pickles and horseradish salt-baked celeriac with pickled mushrooms, all prepared in the River Cottage kitchen. Afterwards, finish your meal with a delightful dessert, the perfect ending to your culinary experience.

SESSION FOUR

Pickles are one of the easiest ways to preserve your garden gluts! Rachel will guide you through making pickles with both salt brine and vinegar. You’ll learn how to customise and adapt these recipes, so you can use seasonal produce all year round. In this session, we’ll also explore infusing and drying—two simple techniques to preserve seasonal ingredients!

SESSION FIVE

In the afternoon, we’ll dive into fermentation, one of the oldest and healthiest ways to preserve food. You’ll harvest fresh ingredients from our garden to make a tangy sauerkraut, enhanced with seasonal herbs for a magical touch.

SESSION SIX

Once you've packed your jars, Rachel will show you two more fantastic ways to preserve food: drying and infusing. While you relax and sip a homemade brew, like a Honeyed Marmalade Quince G&T, you can enjoy a platter of local cheeses, paired with the pickles and chutneys you’ve made throughout the day.

DEPARTURE

You'll have time to chat with your fellow participants and the River Cottage team before heading back up the hill at 5 PM. You’ll leave with jars of jam, chutney, pickles, and sauerkraut you’ve made, plus a recipe pack packed with tips to help you preserve throughout the seasons.

Highlights

  • Hands-on cooking experience with expert Rachel de Thample
  • Explore the River Cottage farm and enjoy the scenic surroundings
  • Create a seasonal jam capturing the flavours of the season to enjoy all year round
  • Craft a flavour-packed chutney perfect for meals or gifting
  • Master the art of pickling and preserve fruits and vegetables with ease
  • Explore fermentation techniques turning simple ingredients into tangy, probiotic-rich treats
  • Discover drying and infusing methods to preserve the essence of herbs, fruits, and more
  • Enjoy a two-course lunch featuring fermented creations from the River Cottage chefs
Artisanal SkillsGut Health & FermentationRiver Cottage Courses
Can’t find the right date? Click here to receive an alert
when new dates are released for this event.
10:00 - 17:00
|
from £195.00
A bowl of fresh salad and a knife resting beside it.
A diverse group of people collaborating to prepare food in the River Cottage Kitchen.
The River Cottage Farmhouse accommodation.
A plate of colourful fermented vegetables.
A group of people gathered in a kitchen, engaging with a River Cottage chef.
A jar of preserved mustard with a spoon resting beside it on a rustic wooden table.
A bowl of fresh salad and a knife resting beside it.
A diverse group of people collaborating to prepare food in the River Cottage Kitchen.
The River Cottage Farmhouse accommodation.
A plate of colourful fermented vegetables.
A group of people gathered in a kitchen, engaging with a River Cottage chef.
A jar of preserved mustard with a spoon resting beside it on a rustic wooden table.

Proudly Accredited & Award-Winning

Proud to hold the ICSA Centre of Excellence award, we uphold the highest standards in culinary education.

Seasonal Preserves with Rachel De Thample at River Cottage Cookery School

Spend a hands-on day at River Cottage learning to capture the flavours of each season with produce from our kitchen garden, orchards, and the wild hedgerows of our 100-acre organic farm.

Guided by Rachel, you’ll master a variety of preserving techniques, from jams and chutneys to pickles, ferments, dried goods, and infused creations, all using fresh seasonal ingredients. Each class reflects the true River Cottage spirit, changing with the seasons to highlight the very best of the harvest.

By the end of the day, you’ll leave confident in your ability to preserve fruits and vegetables from your own garden, local markets, or hedgerows. You’ll also take home a bag of jars filled with your handmade preserves, plus some of our special hedgerow creations, ready to enjoy and share.

This hands-on preserves course celebrates seasonal flavours, reduces food waste, and gives you the skills to enjoy the taste of the countryside all year round.

Is this course suitable for me?  We recommend this course for participants aged 12 and up. Under-16s must be accompanied by a paying adult. These guidelines are in place to ensure the safety, comfort, and enjoyment of all our guests. Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or need more information.

MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME

If you choose to walk, enjoy a 10–15 minute stroll from the car park along scenic pathways to the farm, taking in the stunning valley views. A Land Rover lift is available in poor weather or if you prefer not to walk. Once at the cookery school, meet Rachel and start the day with tea, coffee, and freshly baked treats.

SESSION ONE

Kick off the day with a tasting of Rachel’s favourite preserves, including rosehip jam-filled doughnuts dusted with lemon verbena sugar and crumpets topped with rich blackcurrant curd.

SESSION TWO

Get ready to dive into the art of making seasonal jams! Rachel will explain the science of pectin and show you how to create delicious jams with almost any fruit (or veg!) you have on hand. You’ll learn the secrets to small-batch jam-making, including how to reduce sugar or substitute it with local honey. Plus, we’ll explore the garden for inspiration, adding herbal and seasonal floral twists to your creations!

SESSION THREE

Next, we’ll dive into chutney-making! You’ll learn the difference between chutneys and pickles, and by the end of the day, you’ll have made both, using fresh ingredients from our kitchen garden. You’ll gain the confidence to create tasty batches of each, without needing a recipe, and turn your garden’s bounty into delicious homemade condiments!

LUNCH

Enjoy some of Rachel’s favourite ferments, including mackerel with oak-smoked beetroot pickles and horseradish salt-baked celeriac with pickled mushrooms, all prepared in the River Cottage kitchen. Afterwards, finish your meal with a delightful dessert, the perfect ending to your culinary experience.

SESSION FOUR

Pickles are one of the easiest ways to preserve your garden gluts! Rachel will guide you through making pickles with both salt brine and vinegar. You’ll learn how to customise and adapt these recipes, so you can use seasonal produce all year round. In this session, we’ll also explore infusing and drying—two simple techniques to preserve seasonal ingredients!

SESSION FIVE

In the afternoon, we’ll dive into fermentation, one of the oldest and healthiest ways to preserve food. You’ll harvest fresh ingredients from our garden to make a tangy sauerkraut, enhanced with seasonal herbs for a magical touch.

SESSION SIX

Once you've packed your jars, Rachel will show you two more fantastic ways to preserve food: drying and infusing. While you relax and sip a homemade brew, like a Honeyed Marmalade Quince G&T, you can enjoy a platter of local cheeses, paired with the pickles and chutneys you’ve made throughout the day.

DEPARTURE

You'll have time to chat with your fellow participants and the River Cottage team before heading back up the hill at 5 PM. You’ll leave with jars of jam, chutney, pickles, and sauerkraut you’ve made, plus a recipe pack packed with tips to help you preserve throughout the seasons.

Highlights

  • Hands-on cooking experience with expert Rachel de Thample
  • Explore the River Cottage farm and enjoy the scenic surroundings
  • Create a seasonal jam capturing the flavours of the season to enjoy all year round
  • Craft a flavour-packed chutney perfect for meals or gifting
  • Master the art of pickling and preserve fruits and vegetables with ease
  • Explore fermentation techniques turning simple ingredients into tangy, probiotic-rich treats
  • Discover drying and infusing methods to preserve the essence of herbs, fruits, and more
  • Enjoy a two-course lunch featuring fermented creations from the River Cottage chefs
Artisanal SkillsGut Health & FermentationRiver Cottage Courses
Can’t find the right date? Click here to receive an alert
when new dates are released for this event.

Reviews (9)

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5 / 5 (9 ratings)
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  1. Diana
    –

    “Our chef teacher was enthusiastic, friendly and very helpful and informed. I love cooking and I really enjoyed myself. However long you’ve been cooking you can always learn new things and the dishes we made were all delicious.”

  2. Jeanette
    –

    Great food and all fresh and local, fabulous staff, we picked up plenty of tips

  3. Zoe
    –

    Well organised, relaxed, great environment to learn – I enjoyed the course and it was inspiring too!

  4. Gail
    –

    “The course was inspirational, I am very keen to now make my own cider and dry the herbs I grow. Rachel is enthusiastic and an excellent communicator, what a lovely person to spend a day with.”

  5. Jenni
    –

    “The course, Preserving the Seasons was excellent. Rachel was full of helpful tips and was great at rescuing our creations when we went wrong. I learnt a lot and feel like i have retained the information – the take away receipts also include lots of hints and tips”

  6. George
    –

    Brilliant chef for the day, it was amazing thankyou, and really appreciate the hard work and effort that must go on behind the scenes everyday to organise all you do, as well as to do the day itself thankyou.

  7. Amanda
    –

    “Rachel is filled with passion, enthusiasm and knowledge which she shared most readily and joyfully. She removed the mystique of preserving and fermentation, showing that nothing has to be complicated or involve too much faffing. Result!”

  8. Gail
    –

    The course was inspirational, I am very keen to now make my own cider and dry the herbs I grow. Rachel is enthusiastic and an excellent communicator, what a lovely person to spend a day with

  9. Jenni
    –

    The course, Preserving the Seasons was excellent. Rachel was full of helpful tips and was great at rescuing our creations when we went wrong. I learnt a lot and feel like i have retained the information – the take away receipts also include lots of hints and tips