Learn to make traditional South Indian dishes with your host, a home cook who has been cooking throughout her life. You might learn to make dishes like a traditional tomato or coconut chutney, a meat or vegetable curry dish, and as well as dosas or idlis, for your South Indian meal together. Please note that for some of the dishes such as dosas, components will be prepared in advance as dosa batter needs to sit for several days before cooking. The cooking portion of your experience lasts about an hour (or more if you're a larger group) after which you will enjoy the meal you prepared together. Jemima is excited to share her culture through food and offer an authentic/traditional cooking class in London. She can also offer a vegetarian meal in her South Indian cooking class if you'd like.
Join Jemima, and her husband and children, when they are home, for a home-cooked South Indian meal. Jemima lives in a family home on the outskirts of London (London Zone 6) in Orpington, a quiet suburb of London with professional working families. You will enjoy your meal, which will feature South Indian staples like dosas (Indian crepe-like pancakes made from fermented lentil and rice batter) and a variety of meat and vegetable curries, at their kitchen dining table. In the summer, enjoy your meal on their back patio. Please note that your host will be serving you and happy to chat as you are eating but won’t eat with you.
Your host is happy to accommodate dietary restrictions and preferences - just let her know about any allergies or special needs when booking your experience.
This is just a sample menu to give you an idea of the types of dishes the host cooks. Your menu will vary according to seasonal availability.
Dhal frySpiced eggs with Jemima's Mother's secret spice mix (one of Jemima's signature dishes!)Chicken curryDosas, roti or coconut riceJemima grew up in South India where she first learned to cook from her mom. After living in Hyderabad for several years for work, where she met her husband, Jemima moved to Orpington ( London) in 2010. She and her family are constantly entertaining their vast Indian network of friends and family, and it is not uncommon for their home to have over 30 guests visiting for a weekend meal. Jemima cooks for her husband and two children and loves being in the kitchen, finding it the perfect way to relax after a day at work. In addition to their love for hosting friends and family, Jemima and her family are active in their local church and with their children's activities. Be sure to ask Jemima about her and her husband's 2000-person wedding in India!
"We did not know what to expect, and we were very pleasantly surprised by how much we loved all of the dishes Jemina prepared for us. We wish we could have taken our leftovers home to the US but it’s not practical. Our conversation with Aaron and Jemina was delightful as well. We will book again if/when we make it back to the London area again."
"Jemima and Aaron were amazing hosts, it was lovely to get to know them and hear their stories. We learnt so much about Indian food and the ingredients they used. In addition to the food Jemima cooked with us, she and her husband had prepared many different dishes for us to try. They adapted everything to our taste and we discovered a new type of food that we will definitely cook again. It was delicious, we had a lovely time, thank you Aaron and Jemima!"
"Would recommend to couples and small groups that are keen to try a range of dishes and to understand how and why the ingredients are paired. Hosts were knowledgeable and friendly."
"Talking with Jemima in her kitchen as she explained what she was doing, the spices she was using, and the equipment. It was great to see the cooking in the context of her home and family. We also loved speaking to her and her husband about family and culture. Also, we enjoyed eating the delicious food! It was a feast."
