Italian cooking course at Waitrose Cookery School

I write about the school for Waitrose Weekend magazine so I needed to try it out. I went to the Finchley Road school for an Italian course

This Osso Bucco with a saffron risotto was one of the dishes the chefs taught us in the smart, fully equipped school. It's veal shin simmered in a rich tomato sauce with a mire poix of carrots and onion which was easy enough.

After searing the shin (snip the sinew or it will curl in the pan and not cook evenly) remove the meat and add the vegetables then tinned tomatoes and garlic. Basil if you like - but we did a bouquet garni of mized herbs in string. Simmer for about an hour and a half.

About 20 minutes or so before it's ready (but really this is a very forgiving dish so if you go over the time it doesn't matter) start the risotto. Arborio rice, dry white wine, saffron and heaps of stock, the secret is to keep tasting to ensure it s al dente.

We also tackled tiramisu - a sabayon, sponge fingers, amaretto biscuits for crunch, cofeee mixed with amaretto liquer and cream , mascarpone and sugar whisked. Yes it was rich but I liked it a lot and loved the retro martini glass to serve it in.

You are shown how to make pasta and we made tortellini filled with ricotta and spinach then smothered in homemade pesto. We also made mini pizzas with fresh yeasted dough.

It's an entertaining and educational day made better with some lovely wine to drink with the food. It's very Waitrose - great ingredients and friendly staff.

FInd out about courses at Waitrose.com