We’re at that time of the month again where we celebrate our Avenue Amigos, and this month it’s one of our most loyal Amigos, Stewart Button!

Stewart Button

Stewart recently booked his 11th class with us and we wanted to celebrate by making him our Amigo of The Month!

Stewart first attended a class at The Avenue 3 years ago. This year, he has taken a class every month or two with us! Given the difficulties of travelling outside the UK due to the Covid restrictions, he says that these classes have provided a great sense of local culinary adventure for him.

To name just a few, some of the classes that Stewart has taken part in include our Cooking with Cupid – Valentines Day Class, Dinner Party Dining (Christmas, Chicken and Pork), Gastro Pub Grub, Italian (Gnocchi) and French… are you starting to see why he is our Amigo of The Month. 😄 Stewart has the Dinner Party Dining duck menu to look forward to in the future!

We asked Stewart what his favourite thing to cook that he learned with us was, and he said, “Perhaps Gnocchi from scratch. Although it’s a little fiddly, it’s become a regular staple at home! I doubt there is anything store bought that can compare with freshly made gnocchi. Only problem is it needs to be cooked right away, though with something SO delicious, that’s never a problem!”

When asked if he’d cooked anything crazy during lockdown, Stewart said, “Not so much crazy, but my mum cooks a lot with a fabulous big Le Creuset pot. I always wanted one and a friend actually bought me one for Christmas, which started my love affair with slow cooking. My favourite dish so far has been slow cooked wagyu brisket, with shallots, served on mash. It’s divine. Slow cooking, and the occasional Claret, kept me sane during lockdown.” That does sound pretty damn good!… 🤤

Stewart’s favourite class at the school was the Gastro Pub Grub Class, and his reasoning makes perfect sense to us. “You can’t go wrong with Steak Tartare, then Sirloin Steak with Triple Cooked Chips and a Chocolate Mousse to finish!”

Stewart finished by saying  he’s loved all of the classes he’s taken part in at The Avenue, and is hoping to do the Fish Class in the future! He’s had plenty of assistance and handy tips from the staff, but especially appreciated when Head Chef Richard critiqued and improved his knife sharpening skills, when he brought his own whetstone and chef’s knife.

Thank you for being such a loyal Amigo of The Avenue Stewart and we look forward to welcoming you to many more classes int he future!