How a French bread making course reminded us of the joy of learning new skills
Emmanuel pressed one finger into the dough.
A little later he pressed in a second mark.
Then a third.
It was such a simple way of keeping track of how many times each loaf had been kneaded, but it’s one of those little details that has stayed with us ever since.
We went to the School of Artisan Food near Nottingham expecting to learn how to bake French bread. Looking back, we came home with rather more than a few baguettes and a brioche.
Over the past few years, we’ve found ourselves saying, “Why not?” much more often. We never set out to, but it just seems to have happened.
Saying yes
Three years ago we both started making more time to learn new things. For Jackie, that began with yoga and strength classes. She hadn’t expected quite how much difference they would make to her fitness, or that she’d discover a love of exercise classes for the first time in her life. Ian did something he hadn’t done since university and joined a band, putting himself back on stage with his bass guitar after decades away.
Earlier this year we learnt to throw pots together. We’d talked about trying pottery for years but never got round to it. We loved the feel of the clay, how completely absorbed you become and the thrill when, after several attempts, a pot begins to take shape. Since then, Jackie has also enjoyed learning to paint with oils.
As we’ve discovered one new skill, another has always seemed to follow.
A French bread making course
The bread-making course was no different.
Our friends thought we’d completely lost the plot when they heard we’d booked it on one of the hottest days of the year. We wondered the same until we discovered the teaching kitchen was blissfully air-conditioned.
Our tutor, Emmanuel Hadjiandreou, was originally from South Africa. He was generous with his knowledge and full of practical ideas gathered over years of baking. The little finger marks in the dough summed up his teaching perfectly. No complicated systems. Just simple ideas that worked.
By the end of the day we’d baked baguettes, brioche and a Campanile loaf. We drove home with the smell of warm bread filling the car, gave in to temptation, stopped to buy pâté and cheese and ended up having an impromptu picnic on the sofa.
A week later we were baking again.
We’ve carried on making a poolish before each loaf because it adds so much flavour, and we’re now searching for the right French flour for our next batch of baguettes, while staying loyal to Yorkshire Millers flour for everything else.
The pleasure of being a beginner
Looking back, none of these experiences have really been about bread, pottery, yoga or music.
They’ve been about making time to learn.
Whether it’s kneading dough, trying to centre clay on a pottery wheel, holding a yoga pose or rehearsing with a band, each one asks you to give it your full attention. The washing, the emails and the jobs waiting at home can all wait for another hour.
We’ve laughed at ourselves more times than we can remember, especially after Ian’s first attempt at making mug handles. We’ve also discovered that getting something wrong is often part of getting it right. That has been particularly good for Jackie, who has a habit of wanting everything to be perfect first time.
New experiences on holiday
It’s also made us think differently about the time people spend at the Long Barn.
Many guests come here to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries or simply enjoy being together with family and friends. Increasingly, others decide it’s the perfect opportunity to try something completely different.
If you’re staying in the North York Moors, there are wonderful opportunities to learn a new skill. We’ve been lucky to meet talented local people who enjoy sharing what they do.
So far, guests have enjoyed yoga sessions in the West Barn. We’d also love to help more people discover something new during their stay. It might be a pottery workshop, learning how goat’s cheese is made, trying clay pigeon shooting or one of the many other experiences the North York Moors has to offer. We hope those are the moments that are still talked about long after the holiday has ended.
We already have a list of things we’d like to learn next. Ian is enjoying every opportunity to play with the band. Jackie is hoping to spend more time painting. And she’d like to become good enough at bread making that one day we can welcome guests to the Long Barn with one of her freshly baked loaves.
We booked a French bread making course because it sounded like an enjoyable day out. Instead, it reminded us how much we enjoy learning, how satisfying it is to start from scratch and that becoming older doesn’t have to mean becoming less curious. Saying yes has opened the door to experiences we might never have tried before.
When you arrive at the Long Barn, there’ll be a loaf of bread waiting for you in the kitchen as part of your welcome hamper.
And if it’s one that Jackie has baked, you’ll know exactly where it all began.
With three little finger marks in a piece of dough.
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