“What a clever course and I feel like I learnt so much. Bloody brilliant!” Steph E, London 

“Thank you so much for today I loved it! You were brilliant, it was so informative. The best cookery course I’ve done.”Lucinda B, London

 “Thank you for such an amazing day. It was so insightful and such fun. You have propelled me on to the next level of food interest – I shall, if possible, become even more greedy!” Will K, London

Location

London.  The course begins in Tooting for the spice tour and then the cooking part is at my house on Wandsworth Common, 10 minutes drive away.

Cost

As of  February 2024, the cost per person is £120. Classes begin at 9.15am and finish around 2.30pm.  Each class begins with a spice tour first before returning to cook at my house. Email me chilliandmint@gmail.com for more details. Please note I cannot accommodate those with serious nut allergies.

Background

I’ve been cooking Indian food for over 20 years but my love of Indian cuisine and culture began way before. My parents would often regale stories of their exotic travels in India in the late 60’s, my grandmother worked at the High Commission of India and down one arm of my family I even had Anglo-Indian cousins.

I met my husband – who is of Indian origin – whilst at university and from meeting him and then becoming part of his family too, I have been immersed in Indian cuisine, learning from all members of my Indian family, in addition to travelling around the region and learning more on these trips.

From the encouragement of friends who were keen to learn how to cook easy home-style Indian food in their own homes, I began showing them there where I shopped for spices and how to use them in cooking. Fast forward a few years and I have now set up Chilli and Mint as a business, showing anyone with an enthusiasm for wanting to know and learn more about Indian (and Sri Lankan) cuisine, some of the grocers in my local Asian area – Tooting –  followed by a hands on cooking course back at my home.  We typically work as a team cooking 6 different dishes: a meat/fish curry (or veggie curry if the whole course is vegetarian), a vegetable curry, a dal, a chutney, a street-food snack and a flatbread/spiced rice. I want Indian cooking to be accessible to all and am passionate about passing on my recipes and passion to others.

In November 2021 I published my first cookbook Chilli & Mint: Indian Home Cooking from a British Kitchen (published by Meze Publishing).  It was shortlisted for a ‘Gourmand World Cookbook Award’ It is available at all good bookshops and you can also order signed copies from me at http://www.chilliandmintcookbook.com

Class size

Class size in my home ranges from 4-7 people. At this stage I am only offering this course to adults. I can either slot you into a group OR if you have 4-7 friends who want to join you then you can form your own group.

Classes are held on week days (during the day), term-time only.

The Menu

I create a bespoke menu for each class, taking into account any allergies or major food dislikes. I send out the menu and detailed instructions on where to meet a few days before the class.

Corporate Courses

My Indian cooking classes would make a great offsite or team bonding experience and this is possible at a number of central London locations – or if up to 7 they can be at my house. Maximum class size would be 15 people. I will create a bespoke menu for the course and will split everyone into small teams to create dishes that you will all share and eat for lunch or supper together.  It’s a new learning experience that will be informal and friendly.

Gift Vouchers

Are you looking to give a friend or loved one a memorable gift, where they will hopefully learn something new? I offer gift vouchers – so please just email me and let me know.

I look forward to hearing from you.

“Torie, we had a great day.  Thank you so much. I’ve been eulogising about you to a couple of fellow parents on the way to the rugby this morning.” Richard S, London

“Our day started like an exotic adventure! Torie guided us through some local shops to find an array of unusual spices and vegetables, which we then selected for the dishes we were about to prepare together. It was very exciting and fun to discover some vegetables I may have seen in ingredients lists, but not known what they looked like or how to prepare them. Torie’s recipes are practical and delicious. It has been wonderful to add a new repertoire to my cooking and given me confidence to use spices and make other recipes from Torie’s regular blog.” Gina, London

“Torie knows and loves her food, she manages to take some theoretically difficult Indian concepts and make them really accessible and easy, without sacrificing any of the taste—not always a simple thing to do. Everything that we tried was great and full of authentic flavour; the recipes and left-overs come home. When you go on a cooking course with Torie expect a fully immersive, hands-on experience accompanying ‘the chef’ to Tooting for ingredients, which you will then prepare in her private (and perfect) kitchen.” Leila VB, London