Its Friday already, and we’ve got even more Avenue Weekly Shenanigans to report!

Last Friday marked the end of Zero-Waste Week. If you’ve done a cookery Course or Class at The Avenue, you’ll know how big we are on reducing our food waste. Even our onion skins get given a new lease of life in the stock pot! If you didn’t see it, we wrote a little blog post with The Avenue’s 5 Top Tips for reducing food waste in your kitchen. If you’ve got any tips of your own, let us know!

On Saturday we hosted a hen party for Clemmie. The hens whipped up their own three-course meal after a demonstration by Richard the Chef. They then sat down together to enjoy the fruits of their labor with a glass of wine: Asparagus Rolls, Pan-Fried Sea Bass on a Bed of Ratatouille, all topped off with Lemon Possets and Rosemary Biscuits.

On Saturday night we had another Gluten Free Class. On the menu for the evening was Flat Bread with Beetroot Dip, Gnocchi with a Walnut and Sage Beurre Noisette and a Madeleine Tiramisu. The students also got to make a gluten free loaf to take home with them so they could enjoy a slice of gluten free toast the next morning, made by their own fair hands.

On Monday, our Intermediate Cookery Course and week two of our Chalet Host Cookery Course began. They’ve been creating some gorgeous cakes – take a look at our Facebook Page for photographs of their rainbow cake and the most spectacular coffee and walnut cake we’ve ever laid eyes on! They’re going to have some very happy guests on their ski season. On Tuesday the chefs changed the menu up a bit as the students were keen to learn how to prepare Grouse, which added something a little different to their roast!

On Monday evening our Kids After School classes returned after the summer holidays. The kids got stuck in making a delicious quiche that they then took home with them to share with their families! We have the Kids After School and Weekend cookery classes running up until December. You can also buy classes in a package, so take a look at the different menus on the website and pick which think your kids would be interested in learning to cook! We’ve got some great food lined up like Sushi and Dim Sum – no burgers in sight!

On Tuesday we headed over to Hampton School for their Gap Year fair. We handed out a plethora of our famous Chocolate Brownies and spoke coming to do an Off To Uni or Chalet Host Cookery Course at The Avenue. The course is a great way to find a job as a Chalet Host for a ski season (something that we can’t recommend enough at The Avenue). Being a Chalet Host might be hard work, but you’ll never have so much fun in a pair of washing up gloves!

On Wednesday we welcome Bake With a Legend back to the Kitchens with Howard Middleton from The Great British Bakeoff. They ran an event to promote The Cake & Bake Show, which is running at Excel London from the 6th-8th October. If you’re big into your baking, we can hook you up with a cheeky discount for tickets to the show. If you use code ACS241, you can get 2 for 1 tickets off the on the door price. We’re so good to you!

Diana taught an at-home private Bread Class in West London on Thursday. They made enough bread to survive the apocalypse including a cherry tomato focaccia, soda bread, poppy seed buns, an 8 plaited loaf and some of Diana’s own Bread. If that’s what we’ll be eating if the world ends – we’ll just sit back, relax and butter up a fresh slice of Diana’s Bread.

We also had some special lunch guests on Thursday. Frances and Michael’s granddaughter Anna came on a course last week, and they have been big supporters of The Avenue since their Grandson did a Course with us in Putney. So to thank them for supporting us, we had them in for a Moroccan feast! Marie from Ski Armadillo also came in for lunch and to chat to the Chalet Hosts, some of whom will be working for them this season. We’ve got another Two week Chalet Host Course running next week that’s fully booked, but don’t worry, we have them running right through until the end of October if you’re looking to learn to cook the basics, or want to do a ski season!

In the evening we had another fantastic Fish Class! This class teaches you everything you need to know about cooking and preparing fish, from filleting a whole fish to cooking tuna steak to perfection. At the end of the class, the students sat around the Avenue table and feasted on Scallops with Pea Purée, Pan Fried Sea Bass with Rustic Squash, Samphire and a Dill Velouté Foam and Lemon Possets with Berry Coulis and Rosemary Thins.

And finally Friday is upon us! This weekend we’ll be at Barnes Food Fair. Pop along and see us all day on Saturday and find out what classes we have on at The Avenue. If you’re lucky we’ll treat you to an Avenue Brownie or two!

Until next week for more Avenue Shenanigans!