It used to be one of the largest carpet factories in the world, a testament to West Yorkshire’s status as a global powerhouse in the textiles industry, with one and a quarter million square feet of floorspace that rises and stretches out from the north-eastern corner of Halifax.
Host of the Crossley Gallery, the home of the Northern Broadsides theatre company, the studios of Calderdale’s Phoenix Radio, and so much more, Dean Clough is also renowned for its state-of-the-art and much-vaunted Cooking School.
In a glittering modern circle-plan kitchen, wannabe cooking deities come together with inexperienced amateurs for whom even beans on toast is an accomplishment (no prizes for guessing which group I belong to), learning the recipes and the secret tricks from the very best.
Matthew Benson-Smith runs the show (he insists despite the surname he’s not posh; he’s Yorkshire through and through!) as principal chef tutor, bringing a wealth of experience at top restaurants across the country, and even a stint as John Major’s chef at Downing Street and Chequers. Matthew is joined by a team in the kitchen helping out and making sure amateurs like me don’t hit them with insurance claims by getting burnt or have to call out the fire brigade.
As well as hosting sessions for kids and corporate clients alike, the school is most proud of the incredible array of celebrity chefs who come to Halifax to teach cooking masterclasses. Rosemary Shrager, Gino D’Acampo and Gary Rhodes are among the hands to have worked their magic on the Dean Clough stoves.
But today it was the lovely Kaushy Patel who led the course, travelling from her family restaurant Prashad in Bradford, sharing the recipes of her mother and her grandmother which helped her to the finals of the latest series of Channel 4’s ‘Ramsay’s Best Restaurant’.
Kaushy’s students came from far and wide to be there this morning. My partner had driven from nearby Holmfirth; others had come from all over Yorkshire, and even as far as Cumbria. One of the class meanwhile works at the Job Centre next door on the Dean Clough campus.
Together we were treated to her authentic vegetarian dishes: making a glorious chickpea curry which we enjoyed for lunch, as well as pakoras made by mixing vegetables and spices with flour and deep-frying the dough in oil to produce a tempting snack. Kaushy made us cups of ginger tea with milk and sugar as a final treat to finish the day.
Accompanied by soothing sitar strains played across the kitchen as we worked on our masterpieces, we were guided both by Kaushy and the Dean Clough team, as well as by her husband Mohan – who is either a very talented man or very lucky, with a wife who can cook food the way Michelangelo painted cathedrals whilst being one of the sweetest women you could possibly meet. Where Kaushy taught us the practical side, Mohan’s advice was more philosophical: relax, take it easy, and feel the love when you start to cook.
Of course, learning the recipes and the techniques is what the school is all about, but somehow Mohan’s wisdom has an important place in the bright-lit kitchen space at Dean Clough too.
Beans on toast is always a safe bet for me. I once went through a phase at university cutting out alcohol and trying my hand at new meals every couple of days – it didn’t last. I tried to make an omelette once to impress a girl on a third date – let’s just say the eggs were broken as well as any chance that particular relationship might have had. Sometimes the heat of the kitchen is too much for sensitive skin like mine to handle.
But spending the day learning quietly from Kaushy, Mohan and the team made me want to go home, try out more of her recipes (which will be available in a book coming out soon), and even enjoy it.
With the welcoming folk from Prashad and the excellent school at Dean Clough, it’s easy to see why. Matthew told me all about some of the other exciting ventures they have coming up in the weeks and months ahead – including a pro-am Yorkshire pudding contest on September 10th. It’s a credit to his school that I might well give it a try myself!
For further background as to Mark’s challenge check out ‘28 days later’