Food & Drink 

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continued from page 3

September

Easy
Ensure your meat is always cooked the way you want it in French restaurants by learning these terms.

tres bien cuit=totally cooked through

bien cuit=well cooked, but still a little pink in the middle

a point=rare but not bloody

saignant=very rare and bloody

bleu=done to a testosterone-affirming near-raw state

Intermediate
Finally figure out what shape pasta goes with which type of sauce by reading Valentina Harris's What Pasta, Which Sauce? (out-of-print but available on amazon.co.uk).Alternatively, learn from her direct at her Pasta and Six Sauces course (£65) held at London's Caldesi cook school (0207 487 0750/9; www.caffecaldesi.com).Alternatively, learn from her direct at her Pasta and Six Sauces course (£65) held at London's Caldesi cook school (0207 487 0750/9; www.caffecaldesi.com).

Hard
Learn how to order oysters properly (the season starts 1 September). You'll probably come across two main types. The 'native' has a rounder, smoother shell, with a delicately flavoured oyster and a steep price tag, while the 'Pacific' has a long shell and a large oyster with a sweet but salty flavour

October

Easy
Here at Olive we're all for a little individual interpretation with recipes but we draw the line at making long grain do for any kind of rice dish. Now's the time to equip yourself with a proper selection: Arborio or carnaroli for Italian risottos, basmati for curries and other spicy Indian dishes, Calasparra for Spanish paella. Save the long grain for the dishes in which it shines: salads, stews and casseroles.

Intermediate
Tune into the latest food sourcing trend, foraging in the wild, by learning how to recognise and pick wild mushrooms. Mrs Tee (01590 673354; www.wildmushrooms.co.uk) runs mushroom foraging days (£80 per person) in the New Forest. Some Carluccio's Cafes hold mushroom masterclasses (£20 per person; carluccios.com), or get Antonio Carluccio's bible, The Complete Mushroom Book (£14.99, Quadrille; Olive offer £13.99).

Hard
Love your nigiri, maki and temaki but not sure how to create them at home? Sign-up for a two-hour, one-on-one sushi making course at Yo! Sushi at Manchester's Trafford Centre (approx £40; yo. trafford@yosushi.co.uk). Or, try the three-hour courses at Mika in London (£50; 0207 243 8518; www.mikalondon.com). When you're trained, get the ingredients (except the fish) for a home-made sushi feast at www.mountfuji.co.uk.

November

Easy
Spend a mere £11.49 for a Private Preserve wine preserver from www.aroundwine.co.uk. It works on the same principle as the gas guns used by smart restaurants - just squirt it into the bottle and re-cork. The inert gas forces out any oxygen, radically cutting down on the oxidisation that would otherwise occur. So if you don't finish the bottle in one sitting (it can happen!), it'll keep for a few more days.

Intermediate
Learn how to make one of the original comfort foods on a bread-making course (from £125) at Panary, at Cann Mills, Devon (01722 341 447; www.panary.co.uk). If you fancy teaching yourself at home, check out The Handmade Loaf (£20, Mitchell Beazley; O offer £18), by rising star Dan Lepard.

Hard
Ready to be a hardcore meat freak? Sign up for Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's Pig in a Day course (£225; events@rivercottage.net; www.rivercottage.net). Working with the carcass of a whole pig, you'll be shown how to butcher and process it to make your own hams, bacon and sausages. Hugh's The River Cottage Meat Book (£30, Hodder & Stoughton; Olive offer £27) tells you how to cook them.

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