Learning to smoke food in Milton Keynes

When one of those A5 flier magazines drops through my letterbox I always make a point of flicking through it from cover to cover. Admittedly, often after a quick flick the magazine ends up in the bin but on some occasions my attention is caught by an article that seems worth reading or an advert for a local service that strikes a cord of relevance. It was on one such flick in January that I came across an advert for the Coldsmoking Cookery School. Stopping to read further I discovered that it was based in Great Linford in Milton Keynes and that they offered day courses on how to smoke food.

I have dabbled in smoking food for a couple of years now. I bought myself a small "stove top" hot smoker and I have experimented with using it to smoke things such as cashews and almonds. I have also used it to smoke both plums and tomatoes in order to create my Smoky Plum Chutney and Smoked Tomato Chutney. This limited success made me want to learn more about the possibilities of smoking. However, I was equally motivated by my failures. Despite smoked cheese being one of my favourite foods, I soon discovered that it is not something you can hot smoke! And, having had a conversation with Chris from Upton Smokery, I was intrigued by the possibility of smoking things such as salt and maybe even sugar.

With these ideas jostling in my head, I decided to look the course up on the internet to find out more. It was here that I discovered that the course would cost £125 for the day so I figured it would make the perfect birthday present for me from my husband. Steve isn't one for picking up on subtle hints so rather than leaving the magazine open on the advert I just came out and said, "Can you get me this for my birthday?"

My place on the course was booked for Saturday 5th March so I drove up to Great Linford and parked in the lovely setting of Parklands near to the arts center and Linford Manor. The course is held inside the "North Pavillion", an historical looking building on the outside but holding a purpose built kitchen on the inside. I was greeted warmly with a smile and a question about which flavour of soup I would prefer for lunch. Then inside I found a place at the large central table whilst the remaining delegates trickled in and helped themselves to tea and coffee. In all there were twelve of us booked in that day so every seat was taken.

The course got underway at 10am, with Turan introducing us to the basics of smoking food and outlining what to expect from the busy day. As smoking food is a lengthy process, we had to quickly get stuck in to some food preparation in order to have things in the smokers by 11am. Soon we were chopping up such tempting delights as various cheeses, peppers, olives, dried tomatoes, eggs, chirozo and salmon. Then it was time to go outside to assemble a couple of cardboard box smokers. It is around this point in the course that you begin to realise a couple of things - 1) creating a coldsmoker is not an expensive or difficult thing to do, and 2) cold smoking really is done at cold temperatures (cold enough not to set fire to a cardboard box).

Before the morning was out we had set up a hot smoker with a chicken and a bulb of garlic inside and had spent some time smelling the surprising range of different aromas released by different wood types. Oak, apple and hickory are all familiar to anyone who likes to eat smoked food but others, such as mesquite, pecan and bay were new and intriguing. There were lessons too in the art of curing, giving a glimpse into areas of the other courses Turan runs in meat curing and charcuterie, and sausage making.

With all the talk, sights and smells of food all morning, lunch was very welcome. It was a simple but tasty soup with bread.

After lunch there were more techniques to learn as Turan demonstrated how simple it can be to smoke cashews and almonds and he put a couple of trout on to smoke whilst we went back outside to check on the cold smokers and to learn more about the principles of creating a gentle smolder rather than a rapid burn.

Back inside it was time to taste some of the food that had been tantalising us all day. It is fair to say that the cashews and pecans were better than the ones I had smoked in the past. Not a keen fish lover myself it was hard for me to judge the smoked trout but it was beautifully cooked and the smoking was evident but subtle - perfect for this naturally mildly flavoured fish. The chicken was amazingly moist and tender as well as beautifully smoked. Even in the absence of a smoker,  in the near future I shall be using the brining and slow cooking techniques I learnt to try to recreate that kind of perfectly moist roast chicken.

Finally the cold smokers from outside were unloaded. Even after all I had learnt during the course of the day I still somehow expected the food to come out too hot to handle and showing signs of being cooked. But that, of course, is to miss the whole point of cold smoking. Inside it came out looking as fresh as it did when it went in, having never got hotter than 10°C, just now with smoky aromas.

The food was laid out for us to try and to take home tasters. It was a beautiful sight and the flavours were amazing. Having started the course with smoked nuts and cheeses being my favourites, I ended it having reconfirmed these foods as my favourites but certainly having had my eyes opened to numerous other possibilities and the potential for many food/smoke combinations that I would like to experiment with.

Back home, and smelling very much like a kipper myself, I jumped in the bath to freshen up then cooked dinner. As it happened I wasn't particularly hungry, having eaten well on the course, but the rest of the family expected dinner and were keen to try some of the tidbits I had brought home. I used the smoked Cheddar to add an extra dimension to the flavours of our homemade burgers and then I added little tasters of other foods to the side of their plates. There were definitely murmurs of approval throughout dinner.

Having been lucky enough to bring home the bones of the smoked chicken, the next day I boiled up the carcass to make a smoky stock which then used to create a smoky flavoured minestrone soup.

So what now? There is no doubt that I want to take what I have learnt and apply it to creating some smoked food of my own and to build on what I have previously done. I think I shall be visiting Turan's shop in order to buy some essentials such as a smoke generator and some smoke dust. I now need to decide if I want to use the instructions provided in our information pack to construct a cold smoker out of a cardboard box or whether I want a more permanent and robust structure in my garden. Smoked chutneys will be back in the autumn for sure but I shall also be enjoying my own home smoked cheese, nuts and maybe even fish.

It is such a delight to have discovered yet another amazing food place in Milton Keynes and I would urge anyone with an interest in food smoking, charcuterie, sausage making or cheese making to seriously consider booking themselves on one of the Coldsmoking Cookery School's courses - you will not be disappointed.

Smoky Minestrone Soup

Smoked chicken carcass
2 red onions
2 cloves of garlic or 1 elephant garlic clove
Pinch of mixed spice
Olive oil
1 pint (500ml) sieved tomatoes (passata)
Half stick celery
1 large carrot
1 medium potato
50g spaghetti - cut into small lengths

Put the chicken carcass into a large pan and pour over boiling water until just covered. Bring to the boil then simmer for an hour or so. In the meantime, preheat an oven to 180°C, gas 4 and peel two red onions and chop into quarters. Place in a small ovenproof dish and add the garlic, mixed spice and a dash of olive oil. Stir well until the onion is well coated then place in the oven and roast whilst the chicken boils. In another large pan, pour in the passata and add the drained stock from the smoked chicken. Add the vegetables and bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer (uncovered) for 45 minutes. Tip in the onion and spaghetti and continue to simmer for 5 to 10 minutes (with the lid on) until the spaghetti is tender. Add more water if necessary and taste and season as preferred. Serve hot with bread and butter.