Anyone for Thai cooking?

Yes it's finally happened. You'll probably have to ice skate home as hell has frozen over. I've been on a cookery course. A Thai one at that.

You can even see the pics to prove it - we have above (in no particular order) the scene of the crime, the results of my culinary skills, pic of me, Emily, Lucy and Alice actually cooking and my attempt at cutting an onion (mines the small one on the right hand side) the Thai way which caused the group to howl with laughter!!

I have to say I really enjoyed it. It was the first time in many, many years that I've been in a kitchen actually cooking - usually it's to get the wine out of the fridge, to find the cork screw and/or sit there smoking cigs and drinking wine while I watch someone else cook!! I think the last time I cooked was around 6 years ago and that was a Jamie Oliver fish pie. I was slightly apprehensive about signing up for a whole days cooking but thought I'd push those boundries - how reackless of me!!

It was hilarious. I signed up to Gap's Thail Culinary Art School in Chiang Mai - do the same if you ever get the chance. The chef and 'headmaster' Joe and Sura are hilarous, ensure it's good fun and you get to eat all the gorgeous (ahem!) food you cook throughout the day.

Started off in the market, choosing our ingredients - well, Joe did really! He also pointed out all the different fuits, veg etc - a whole new world for someone like me who only sets foot in the kitchen to switch on the kettle!

We could various dishes - thai spring roll, fish souffle, green curry, pad thai, fish cake, steamed pumpkin and coconut custard and my ultimate fave - Tom Yum soup! And I have to say I didn't do too badly. Surprised myself in fact. Don't get me wrong, I won't be wisking up little thai surprises when I get home but equally I won't recoil when someone mentions cooking again - quite enjoyed it.

Joe and Sura were unknowingly hilarious. Joe used what looked like an old radio ariel as a pointer and would say things like 'everyone know coconut oil', 'everyone know noodles' peppered with comments or rather sounds like 'aaaaahh' and a personal favourite of mine 'same, same but different' and 'I don't know how much you should put in, you feel it in your heart' which isn't the best advice to someone how use to use her oven as storage!!

Anyway, got chatting to an American guy who used to be a minister but gave it up to become a lawyer - so frustrating as I had a million questions to ask him but I got a bit way laid when my pad thai started burning so I couldn't get full details - damn it! Hopefully I'll bump into him again - dying to find out why you'd make that kind of change!!