Ann's Smart School of Cookery Reviews Summary

Class Organization and Structure

Pros:

• "You don’t get to do everything yourself, you go up in pairs or groups and take it in turns to do each part, but this means you can learn and listen and watch!"
• "Everyone got to try making the dim sum and Wontons at least a few times."
• "We were in group of 13, and everybody had an opportunity to participate in preparing the Chinese dumplings and wantons."
• "The chef did rotate us enough so we got a chunk of cooking time."

Cons:

• "The class size was too big and I felt a bit sorry for Andy running this solo."
• "Extremely basic produce, very small portions that was not enjoyable to eat."
• "We were a group of 15 people. Ann is lovely and knowledgeable, the food was tasty, but the whole atmosphere was really positive and enjoyable."
• "The session had far too many people there, cramped around a table."

Instructor Knowledge and Approachability

Pros:

• "Andy was fantastic. Really lovely to chat to. Kept the mood nice and fun."
• "Ann is lovely and knowledgeable, the food was tasty, everyone got to try making the dim sum and Wontons at least a few times."
• "Very approachable, and very personable and most importantly engaging teacher, my partner and I loved the food and loved the knowledge we have gained."
• "Andy is an engaging and knowledgable chef."

Cons:

• "I think it is too hard for one chef to keep an eye of 5 groups(2 per group) of people sufficiently."
• "The food was unforgivably bad. He couldn’t help the people who were all making little bits at same time and so lots of failures that really should have been corrected."
• "We hardly cooked- one couple was basically stayed up the whole time?? Okay with the setup but some management needed."
• "The instructor dropped the salmon on the floor and I didn’t get to actually make any sushi as the instructor failed to ensure each person used the appropriate amount of rice."

Food Quality and Quantity

Pros:

• "The food was quality and the ingredients also fresh."
• "My husband and I were so delighted with our Spanish Tapas cooking session on the weekend."
• "We made a risotto, focaccia and a pasta dish - he explained everything as we went along."
• "We learnt so much and all had plenty to eat afterwards."

Cons:

• "It was laughable at how stingy this is, they could have definitely afforded a cook station and ingredients between a pair or 4 people."
• "Extremely basic produce, very small portions that was not enjoyable to eat."
• "The portions were TINY, definitely don’t save your appetite."
• "The portions at the end were very small unfortunately, more of a taster size."

Overall Experience

Pros:

• "Fab evening at the smoke & spice class led by Andy (who is brilliant!)."
• "Andy was full of information, a no nonsense and knowledgable chef."
• "We attended the Thai Explosion course in Canary Wharf, London. It was a great experience!"
• "Amazing, amazing, amazing!!! 3 hours of cheese making we gained a lot of information."

Cons:

• "The overall feeling of this course is quite underwhelming."
• "DO NOT WASTE A POTENTIAL NICE EVENING ON THIS, YOU ARE BETTER OFF FINDING SOMETHING FREE ON YOUTUBE!!!"
• "The class was really enjoyable, we both felt we learned a lot from Andy, our teacher."
• "Was definitely not what I expected!! A small group of 10 people who didn't know each other, gathered together and taking it in turns to go up and help the chef."