Our day starts with a foraging walk up to our woodland glen, gathering a selection of wild ingredients on our way.
After a restorative cuppa in our woodland kitchen, we will then turn our attention to the main business of the day; skinning and butchering either a fallow or roe deer carcass. As a group, we will spend the majority of the morning taking our time preparing the deer.
We will start by skinning and talk through the process of curing your pelt at home using traditional methods. During our field butchery lesson, we will break down our carcass into primal cuts and use seam butchery to further process the deer. Using the whole deer from nose to tail and showing you how to reduce waste getting the most from the animal, we will talk through multiple ways of preparing each cut, stocks and sauces and the best ways to store your meat. Following on from your introduction to whole deer butchery, it will be time for you to get cooking, using your new skills to create a selection of dishes.
At The Salt Box, each and every menu, supper or event is centred around the flames. Whether it’s cooking our food, warming our guests or simply providing light for us to work by, we are never far from a fire. With this course, we aim to restore this ancient skill and demonstrate how an outdoor feast tastes far better cooked over the flames.
You will learn to build, light and control your fire, which you’ll take responsibility for throughout the day. We will guide you in your wood selection and teach you to spark your flame by demonstrating multiple methods. The focus of all of our courses is showing you the incredible potential seasonal and local ingredients have in your outdoor kitchen, as well as how to incorporate new techniques into your everyday cooking.
Our courses are designed to be informative yet relaxed. For us, cooking over fire is not just about cooking a delicious meal, but spending time in the great outdoors.
Whether you’re flying solo or joining us with friends and family, all of our workshops are centred around enjoying the fruits of your labour throughout the day – expect to head home smelling of wood smoke, with plenty of food and fire in your bellies. At the end of the day, we’ll send you home with our Fire Cookery Guide and Recipe pack.