Online foodie experiences

Itching to get stuck back in to the South West’s vibrant food and drink culture? Get involved from the comfort of your sofa with these online foodie experiences

Online courses with Wild Wine School

It’s okay if the most productive thing you’ve done so far in lockdown 3.0 is rearrange your wine rack (we’re WFH/home schooling/keeping our heads above water in a global pandemic – surviving is thriving) but if you are keen to come out the other side with a new string to your bow, Wild Wine School’s online courses are a great opportunity for aspiring oenophiles.  

Led by founder and wine expert Debbie Siobhan Warner, A Modern Introduction to Wine is an eight-week virtual course which covers the basics before going into sustainable viticulture and minimal-intervention winemaking. Students receive weekly guided study information via email, then join Zoom sessions with Debbie and fellow students to discuss the wines they’ve sampled (the course comes with a box of eight seasonally selected wines) and cover the key topics.

Prefer to keep it short and sweet? Try the WSET Level One Award in a Weekend course. 

From £155 – find out more here.

Sourdough clinic with Larks Live

Homemade loaves falling flat? Can’t keep your starter alive – or stop it from exploding in the fridge? Virtual cookery school Larks Live is hosting a series of sourdough clinics with former River Cottage HQ head chef Andy Tyrrell.

The five-week course covers everything you need to know to create incredible sourdough loaves, from making a starter to developing dough to the perfect bake. The weekly classes are limited to just 12 people so you’ll have plenty of opportunity to ask questions and glean tips from Andy.

From £100 – find out more here. Read our Larks Live Tried & Tested here.

6 O’clock Gin virtual tour and tasting

Go behind the scenes at 6 O’clock Gin’s Thornbury distillery, without leaving the house, via a virtual tour and tasting. The 90-minute sessions kick off with a deep dive into the gin-making process, exploring the Somerset distillery’s origins and eco principles, before a guided tasting with gin expert Tristan. Each participant receives a kit which includes three miniatures and three premium tonics for the tasting, plus a link to the Zoom event. 

Bored of virtual quizzes and awkward catch-ups? Each session hosts up to 20 people so is a great opportunity to invite a few friends and shake up your Saturday-night social. 

From £25 – find out more here.

Driftwood Spars’ virtual beer festival

Driftwood Spars’ annual beer festival (The Dark, The Light & The Saison) is a prominent date in the Cornish beer calendar, and the team at the St Agnes pub and brewery aren’t letting the pandemic get in the way of their tradition. Taking the festival of flavour online on March 12, head brewer Mike Mason and landlady Louise Treseder will bring together brewers from across the UK to celebrate the diversity of the industry.

This year the festival is even more poignant for the Driftwood family as it celebrates the life and achievements of former head brewer Pete Martin, who sadly passed away last year. Louise and Mike will be launching new beer Pete’s Mild (or Pete Smiled) at the online event, and the beer will be included in the tasting case which can be ordered in advance.

Tasting case from £45 – find out more here.

Devon Cookery School’s cook-alongs

Lockdown killing your kitchen creativity? Get fresh inspiration and tackle a cuisine you’ve yet to master at one of Devon Cookery School’s online classes. Chef founder Jasmine Curley (formerly of Jamie Oliver Cookery School in London) hosts fun and informal classes via Zoom in which participants buy the ingredients in advance and then cook along in their own kitchen.

Jasmine updates the classes frequently and is always open to requests from returning cooks – previous courses have included Vietnamese tofu bun cha, paella and aioli, and BBQ pulled chicken with mac and cheese.

From £25 – find out more here.

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