Tapas Revolution with Omar Allibhoy at Letihs Cookery School

If you're new to reading my blog you might not know this but, I am a HUGE fan of Spanish food.... 

When I received an email from Leiths Cookery School advertising the upcoming workshop with Omar Allibhoy of Tapas Revolution, I grabbed a friend and booked us on to the very next course.

Since his arrival to the UK, Omar has been surprised and frustrated by the lack of Spanish restaurants compared to other notable cuisines. He also could not understand why more people were not cooking his beloved food in their homes. He decided it was up to him to do something about this and the idea of the Tapas Revolution was born. He told us how he drew a big 'T' (for Tapas) on a map of the UK and set out on his bike travelling along the 'T' to cook for people he met along the way. Now, with restaurants in Westfield, Bluewater and many more in the pipeline, Omar is destined to put Tapas on the UK map.

The Workshop

First up, Omar demonstrated a super quick and easy Blackberry cheesecake which would later be our pudding. A quick whizz in the blender, pour into the tin, drop in some blackberries and bake for an hour or so... 

Next, we made a deliciously fresh Watermelon Gazpacho. Sent off to the fridge to chill for later.

A beautiful dish of Bacalao en salsa verde (cod with peas and parsley)

One of my absolute favourite tapa... Pan con Ajo y Tomate - simply griddled slices of bread rubbed with garlic, squished tomatoes and a drizzle of olive oil. 

Another favourite... Gambas al ajillo

Our delicious feast... Washed down with big glasses of Omar's special (and ever so boozy) Sangria!

I've been to cookery schools before where we do our own clearing down between each course, which is fine, but at Leiths we had a small army of helpers who were constantly clearing, washing and setting up for the next course. Apart from a couple of instances where ingredients weren't quite ready for us, the staff were extremely attentive and helpful and made the day even more enjoyable.

It was such a fabulous day, I truly enjoyed cooking from the book with the man himself!!

All recipes can be found in Omar's Tapas Revolution book which is available in good book shops and online.

Disclosure: I was not approached nor paid to write this review. All opinions expressed are my own.