Nisha Parmar and matblak head to Truro for rare masterclasses

Twenty seats, a professional kitchen, and two chefs who don’t usually cook alongside the public at all. That’s the new offer landing in Truro this September, the first time these two events have put anything together.

Two hands-on sessions, twenty places each

Truro Food Festival and Truro School Cookery have joined forces for the first time, bringing guest chefs into the cookery school’s professional kitchens for two exclusive masterclasses during this year’s festival.

While the festival turns Lemon Quay into five days of food and drink, the cookery school is offering something the demonstrations can’t: a way into the kitchen itself. These sessions are fully interactive rather than watch-from-a-distance. With just 20 places on each one, participants cook alongside the chef, ask questions as they go, and sit down together to eat what they’ve made.

Places are strictly limited and go through the Truro School Cookery website.

Saturday 26 September: butter chicken with Nisha Parmar

Nisha Parmar, the MasterChef favourite and cookbook author, leads a family-inspired Indian cookery masterclass on Saturday 26 September. Guests will learn her signature butter chicken, fresh naan, kachumber salad and an Indian dessert.

Sunday 27 September: matblak’s Māori masterclass of culture and flavour

The following day, Sunday 27 September, acclaimed Māori chef Matt Burgess, known professionally as matblak, guides guests through an immersive exploration of Māori food culture. The session combines the cookery school’s professional kitchens with outdoor fire-cooking spaces, taking in indigenous ingredients, live-fire techniques and traditional storytelling around food.

Why the two organisations teamed up

“This partnership is about creating something genuinely different,” said Stewart Girvan, Festival Organiser. “Truro Food Festival has always been about bringing people together through great food, and this collaboration lets us take that one step further. Alongside the incredible atmosphere on Lemon Quay, we’re now giving people the rare opportunity to get into the kitchen with chefs who have travelled to Cornwall especially for the festival. It’s a brilliant way to extend the festival experience and create something visitors simply can’t get anywhere else.”

Joanna Wood, Head of Enterprises at Truro School, added: “We’re looking forward to welcoming guests to Truro School and showcasing our Cookery School, a fantastic facility that supports our pupils during the school day and opens its doors to the wider community beyond that. We’re always looking for ways to make our offering welcoming and accessible, and this partnership is another exciting addition to the diverse programme of events we’ve built alongside our core educational provision.”

Event at a glance

• Truro Food Festival: Wednesday 23 to Sunday 27 September
• Saturday 26 September: Nisha Parmar, Indian Cookery Masterclass, Butter Chicken, Naan & Kachumber
• Sunday 27 September: Matt Burgess (matblak), Māori Masterclass of Culture & Flavour
• Location: Truro School Cookery, Truro
• Tickets: via the Truro School Cookery website

Truro School Cookery’s kitchens usually run a much quieter programme, supporting pupils’ culinary education by day before opening up to adults, guest chefs and holiday cookery sessions once the school day ends.

📷Images by James Ram/Chetwode Ram Associates. No publication without correct license.