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Thai cooking class Bristol: curry paste made from scratch at Cooking It

Thai cooking class Bristol

Hands-on Thai cooking on Gloucester Road, taught by Thai chef JJ. Ingredients and kit are provided.

Our Thai cooking class in Bristol is an evening with Thai chef JJ at Cooking It, 37 Gloucester Road, Bishopston, Bristol BS7 8AD. You make curry paste from scratch, cook complete dishes with it, then sit at the long communal tables and eat what you made.

The class price and duration are shown in the live class details. Groups are capped at 12, with ingredients, equipment and aprons provided. Cooking It is an independent cookery school, founded and run by Monica Worsley, and has been teaching for about ten years.

Next dates

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Current class details

Prices, age guidance, duration and the next date below come from the live class records. Check the individual page before booking because dates and availability change.

What you'll cook

The paste comes first. You pound your own curry paste from fresh aromatics, from scratch, and that is what this Thai cooking class Bristol evening is built around. Then you cook full dishes with it, using the ingredients the cuisine is built on: fish sauce, kaffir lime leaf, tamarind and shrimp paste.

JJ teaches the balance as you go. Thai cooking is a four-way conversation between sweet, sour, salty and hot, and the skill is tasting and adjusting until all four are present rather than just heat. Along the way you cover the knife work, seasoning and cooking methods that carry over to everything else you cook.

Expect the class to move quickly once the paste is made, because Thai cooking is fast at the stove and slow in the preparation. Much of the session goes on preparation, because the cooking itself is fast.

  • Curry paste made from scratch
  • Full Thai dishes with fish sauce, kaffir lime leaf, tamarind and shrimp paste
  • Knife skills for the preparation
  • Thai seasoning and cooking methods
  • Balancing sweet, sour, salty and hot

How the class runs

The live class record gives the duration and start time, including the meal. You cook in a group of no more than 12, with ingredients, equipment and aprons laid out when you arrive.

Then you eat together at the long tables. Leftovers go home with you, so bring a container. The class is BYO, so bring a bottle if you would like a drink while you cook. Recipes are emailed after the class on request, and dietary requirements are accommodated where possible if you tell us when booking.

  • 1. Arrive, put on an apron, get set up with the ingredients and equipment.
  • 2. Make the paste and cook the dishes with JJ.
  • 3. Sit at the communal tables and eat what you made together.

Who it's for

Beginners and confident home cooks. JJ teaches the class, and it covers the curry paste, the preparation, the seasoning and the cooking methods. Ingredients, equipment and aprons are provided; bring a container for leftovers and a bottle if you want a drink while you cook.

It works as a couples cooking class in Bristol for a date night, and as a night out with friends, because the group is small and everyone eats together at the end. Check the live class record for age guidance.

If you have only ever cooked Thai food from a jar of paste, making the paste yourself is the difference.

Dates, price and how to book

The current price and next date for the Thai Cuisine Cookery Class for Adults are shown on the Thai Cuisine Cookery Class for Adults page. Book by card through Stripe; your place is confirmed on payment. Other dates appear on all upcoming dates.

Cooking It has 4.9 stars from over 230 Google reviews. Any class can be bought as a gift voucher. The Thai class also runs privately for a hen do, birthday or team day: see private group bookings or corporate events.

Related classes at Cooking It

The step up is the Southeast Asian Fine Dining Masterclass: a longer session with JJ across Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam, turning street food flavours into restaurant-style plates and adding umami to the sweet, sour, salty and hot balance.

Also at Cooking It, try the Japanese and sushi classes or the Persian cooking class. The full programme is on all adult classes and every cuisine page is on all our cuisine classes.

Questions people ask

  • How much is a Thai cooking class in Bristol?

    The current price at Cooking It covers the hands-on class with JJ, all ingredients and equipment, an apron, and the meal you cook and eat together. Your place is confirmed when you pay online by card.

  • How long is the Thai cooking class?

    The live class record gives the duration and start time, including the meal, and you stay to eat what you made at the communal tables. A Thai cooking class Bristol evening at Cooking It runs in a group of no more than 12, with ingredients, equipment and an apron provided.

  • What are the four pillars of Thai cooking?

    Sweet, sour, salty and hot. Thai cooking balances all four, and the class is about getting them into balance, starting with a curry paste made from scratch and cooking with fish sauce, kaffir lime leaf, tamarind and shrimp paste. Recipes are emailed afterwards on request.

  • Is the Thai class suitable for beginners and for vegetarians?

    Beginners, yes. JJ teaches the class and it covers the paste, preparation, seasoning and cooking methods, so no experience is needed. Vegetarian and other dietary requirements can be accommodated where possible if you tell us when booking, so mention it before your place is confirmed.

  • Is there a more advanced Southeast Asian class?

    Yes. The Southeast Asian Fine Dining Masterclass with JJ covers Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam, takes street food flavours towards restaurant-style plates, and works on the balance of sweet, sour, salty, hot and umami. Check its live class record for the current price, duration and next date.

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