River Cottage scoops industry award

River Cottage Cookery School in Axminster, Devon has beaten dozens of other cookery schools from across the nation to win the accolade of Best Large Recreational Cookery School at the British Cookery School Awards.

Results were announced on Monday 17 November at the awards ceremony held at Porchester Hall in London.  The event was hosted by head judge and BBC Radio 2’s food and drink broadcaster Nigel Barden.

Nigel said: “River Cottage has given millions of TV viewers a taste for great cooking since 1998, when Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall first brought his famous food ethos to Channel 4. But there is so much more to this fabulous facility which has revolutionised the local economy in the East Devon District and now offers 12,000 places per year across 35 different courses.  The central ethos of the SLOW food movement  - Seasonal, Local, Organic and Wild - is present in every aspect of the school and these elements are taught alongside the recipes and techniques.   

“We felt that River Cottage reaches out to every age and demographic with its range of classes and have adapted their facilities to offer an outstanding environment to meet the needs of all its customers.  Constantly analysing their business and looking at new avenues has led to a doubling of turnover in under four years to a massive £2.4 million.  A structured and tireless support of the local community and beyond has made River Cottage a much welcomed force in the area. There was no doubt in our minds that this dynamic cookery school was worthy of this award.”

Simon Dodd, Head of Operations at River Cottage added: “The judging criteria for the Best Large Recreational category was incredibly tough.  We were up against some of the best of Britain’s cookery schools, so to win this award is absolutely brilliant!  2014 has been an amazing year for everyone on the team and this British Cookery School Award honour really is the icing on the cake.”

With more than 400 cookery schools now operating in the UK, The British Cookery School Awards honour all those excellent cookery schools that go above and beyond to deliver a first class cookery school experience.  The awards aim to celebrate the important role that cookery schools play in driving Britain’s passion for cooking good, homemade food.  As well as the prestige of winning an award, each category winner will receive a Kenwood Chef Sense, the latest ultimate kitchen machine for passionate novices and seasoned chefs alike.