Cookery school with Oceania

Another cruise line I've yet to experience is Oceania, part of the group with NCL and Regent. They have fabulous ships, with all the features of the larger vessels yet small enough to get into many ports without tender and under 1000 passengers on board.

One of their many focus’ is on cuisine and they highlight that many of the speciality dining on board is included on board with no supplement. Many times, throughout the year they will also feature offers to include drinks and gratuities. On board Oceania they feature a cookery school where you go ashore with chefs and purchase fresh produce in resort then come back on board and learn how to cook it.

On our training day at Swinton Cookery school, we didn't shop for the produce but we were split into two teams and given a range of products to make into a two course meal in 90 minutes. With two professionals on site our team pulled together two dishes we named “no plaice like home” and “rustic rosemary”. Anyone who knows me, realising I do very little cooking at home, as my husband likes to cook, knows this was more than an average challenge to me!

From making pasta from scratch, a cauliflower and coriander purée, filleting the plaice and making a fondant we did a pretty good job. We came together with the other team to sample all the dishes all declared as winners.]

Thank you, Oceania and Swinton School, for a brilliant day.

Our journey home was quite eventful with two breakdowns, two RAC trucks, and getting home around six hours after leaving the school. But that's a whole new story!