Learn how to make delicious pastries and fudge, the perfect tasty treat for Mother's Day.

You'll learn how to make rough puff pastry, beautifully flavoured with Lincolnshire Poacher, and while it rests you'll move onto making the classic Eccles cake filling. You will also make a simple chocolate and orange fudge, before rolling, shaping and baking your Eccles cakes.

What you'll learn:

• The basics of making, rolling and baking rough puff pastry
• How to make a simple chocolate fudge

Serves/makes: 8 Eccles cakes and 530g fudge.

Duration: This class will last approximately 1 hour.

What you’ll need:

Fruit & Veg:

Prepare ahead by washing fruit & vegetables, but no need to peel and chop

• 1 orange

Dairy:

• 160g unsalted butter, divided into 125g & 35g
• 85g fromage frais
• 35g hard cheese, grated (we recommend Lincolnshire Poacher)

Store cupboard:

• 1 medium egg, separated (we will be using the egg white only)
• 2 tbsp demerara sugar
• 200g dark chocolate (we recommend minimum 70% cocoa solids)
• 200g condensed milk
• 100g icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• Caster sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

Weigh out together into a medium bowl:

• 125g plain white flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

Weigh out together, directly into a small saucepan:

• 100g raisins
• 75g sultanas
• 25g currants
• 50g glacé cherries, washed and cut in half
• 1 heaped tsp mixed spice
• 2 tsp light brown sugar
• 60ml cold water

Equipment:

• Medium bowl (for pastry)
• Chopping board and knife (for cubing butter)
• Butter knife or dough scraper (for mixing and dividing pastry)
• Cling film, baking parchment or sandwich bag (to wrap pastry)
• Small saucepan with lid (for Eccles cake filling)
• Wooden spoon
• Serving plate (or a spare bowl, to cool the filling quickly)
• Large baking tray lined with parchment (for the 8 Eccles cakes)
• Small whisk or fork (for breaking down egg whites)
• Rolling pin
• Small bowl filled with water (to seal pastry)
• Pastry brush
• Small knife
• Teaspoon
• Wire rack
• Medium saucepan (for chocolate fudge)
• Glass or metal bowl (to fit over saucepan)
• Microplane or fine zester (for the orange)
• Spatula (for mixing fudge)
• Palette knife (for finishing the fudge)
• Chopping board
• Chefs knife (to finish the fudge, once cooled)
• 20cm square baking tin, lined with parchment (or a 23cm round tin)
• Bags or boxes and ribbon (for wrapping and gifting)

About your instructor: You’ll be led through this class with one of our experienced chefs from the Waitrose Cookery School.

Joining a virtual experience: Our Virtual Experiences will take place via Zoom. We’d recommend using a laptop or desktop if possible to make it easier for you to take part. Two days before your Virtual Experience, we’ll send you full details on how to join.

Please note: T&C’s apply.