STORY: HUNTERS ACADEMY OF FOOD LAUNCHES

In the wake of the successful unveiling of Hunters Chocolate, Gary and Nichola Hunter have expanded their offer in Helhoughton, North Norfolk, to launch Hunters Academy of Food.

The Academy is dedicated to inspiring and engaging people who want to learn about innovative, sustainable and delicious food, whether an aspiring home cook or professional chef.

Classes will be taken by world-class specialist tutors, offering an extensive range of gastronomic, professional and private cookery courses, and many other high-quality classes will be available on chocolate, bakery and patisserie, with curated learning in an impressive farmhouse setting.

Many of the courses will focus on recipes important to Gary, showcasing ingredients, food and techniques that he taught to inspire many of his Westminster Kingsway Alumni to become the top Michelin-starred chefs they are today.

Proprietors, Gary & Nichola, have a long-standing and deserved reputation for hospitality and culinary arts.  Gary has led the UK’s most prestigious hospitality college, working with top central London hotels and Michelin starred restaurants, and he has numerous awards of recognition by his peers in the industry as a measure of his successes.  With culinary awards, Michelin experience, and as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, he has a global reputation as a leading chocolatier and is a hugely respected chocolate ambassador for the UK.

Nichola has carved her successful reputation for high standards in two industries: hospitality and healthcare.  She managed hotel operations and restaurants, before transferring her significant skills to hospitals in the East Anglia region, championing attentive care, service and nutritious, freshly cooked food for thousands of patients, guests and staff on a daily basis.

“As a passionate professional or devoted foodie, we understand that you will be keen to get ahead and learn new skills to make a difference to your repertoire – this is the place to be -our way of teaching is unparalleled.  At Hunters Academy of Food, we teach in an inspirational way that motivates you to experiment more.  Matched with the knowledge, and a repertoire of professional techniques, our students have the capacity and confidence to create dishes beyond their imaginations.  With great facilities, and a relaxed and informed teaching style, our students will be inspired to become imaginative culinary heroes with the recipes, secret tips and techniques learned on each course.”

Gary & Nichola have been developing culinary and hospitality talent for over twenty-five years and have now come together to create an exciting and creative springboard to a successful and long-lasting career in food and hospitality.  The Academy has also been created from a wish to support and nurture traditional artisan food skills, to teach a new generation of artisan food producers, to promote alternatives to highly processed food, and to think about all aspects of good food as part of a natural lifestyle.

The principle is teaching by chefs who are authentic and understand food’s contribution to society and the environment, but who are especially passionate about their craft.  Authenticity is placed highly in everything that the Academy does and fosters a warm and friendly environment for everyone to thrive, enjoy and learn in.  Above all, the Academy strives to change lives for the better – encouraging confidence, raising aspirations, and improving our approach to delicious, sustainable food.

Hunters Academy of Food is based in the beautiful countryside of North Norfolk on the east coast of England and a stone’s throw from the wonderful North Norfolk coastline.  With access to and from Norwich and Kings Lynn, there is also a local private airfield nearby, and good access to the national train network.  Bed and breakfast accommodation is available with two rooms in the Old Stable annexe, plus there is a good range of local accommodation too.  Students from around the world are welcomed to a portfolio of ground-breaking, relaxed, professional training and inspirational courses that are constantly being developed and introduced to a flexible curriculum.