My seafood master class with Eastbourne chef

Keith Burke, a chef with 40 years’ experience in the food industry, has set up a ‘unique food experience’ in Eastbourne

Chef Klub is a chance for people to learn about the raw local ingredients available to them on the South Coast and find out how best to use them.

Keith offers people cookery classes and private dining experiences.

He said, “My aim is to educate people on natural foods and how to enjoy them, while having a laugh and a little tipple.”

Keith’s back catalogue includes featuring on Master Chef at the age of 17, working for Gordon Ramsay and Madonna, and running a cookery school in London’s Borough Food Market.

He’s also worked for Sky and had a restaurant in the London branch of Spring Studios where he was often cooking for A-list celebrities.

Keith now runs Chef Klub from his flat, which really lends itself to the classes with an open plan kitchen and dining area.

As soon as I arrived Keith was welcoming and chatty. We even found out we’re both originally from the same North Yorkshire market town – what a small world!

We cooked three seafood dishes over the two-hour class featuring mackerel, monkfish, clams, and cuttlefish. I even got to take it all home for dinner which was a real treat for a mid-week meal.

It was a learning curve to prepare the fish myself, but Keith was a brilliant teacher.

He said, “A usual class will start with bubbles then wine. We do the prep, cook it all, have a taste as we’re going along, and then I’ll finish it off. We’ll then sit and enjoy what we’ve made, and talk all things food. It’s great fun.”

Keith says the classes attract people from all over the country, with groups often coming down from London to spend a few days on the coast and learn how to make some great food.

What I take from this is what a good present it would be for a loved ones. Keith takes groups of up to six people which means it can be a really unique thing to do with friends and family.

I’m a bit of a foodie anyway so relished in this, but anyone with any of interest in food would enjoy the classes. Good food and drink with the people you love is a recipe for success.

On top of the classes, Keith also prepares luxury picnics filled with whatever you want. So if you don’t want to do the preparation yourself, but want to enjoy the results, that’s definitely a good option.

Overall I would definitely recommend this experience for anyone with a love for food.

For more information go to: https://chefklubkeith.com/ or email [email protected]

PICTURES: My seafood master class