PRESS RELEASE
February 12, 2009

Residential Cookery Courses in Amsterdam

A unique way to experience Amsterdam

A four day break to visit Amsterdam or a residential cookery course in Amsterdam?  Since December 2008 the two have been combined at the Aemstelhuys Bed & Breakfast, located in the heart of Amsterdam. 

You will stay at Aemstelhuys B&B and enjoy a professional cookery course. The courses take up half days, leaving enough time to go and explore the city and then return in the evening for dinner.  To make the most of your visit, bicycle rental, public transport and most museum entrances are taken care of.

Mrs J.Lesley Marsh, the owner of the Aemstelhuys B&B and herself a cook and cookery teacher of long standing, wants the courses to be fun as well as informative.

The menus follow the seasons and much of the produce will be bought together at the local markets. The dishes are mostly Mediterranean; e.g. gazpacho and seafood from Spain, casseroles and artichokes from the Provence, vitello tonnato from Italy, chicken stew from Greece, orange tart from Turkey, cheesecake from the Lebanon and lots of spicy fish and lamb from North Africa. Lesley has designed menus that for the most part can be prepared in advance, therefore taking the stress out of entertaining, making them ideal for people who wish to make their next dinner party professional and relaxed at the same time. The courses are suitable for anyone and no skill at all is required, just enthusiasm.

The courses take a maximum of seven guests who can form their own groups and therefore also can request dates to suit themselves. There is one course every month for individuals to sign up for. Fun is the operative word for the courses which also include visits to the local street market, the herring seller and the chocolate maker. Lessons are in English but explanations can be given in Dutch, French or German.