Algerian Cookery Class with Meriam | Family Style | LONDON

Nothing beats a home-cooked meal shared with family! And this is what inspires our Family Style Cookery Classes, a fun, laid-back homestyle cooking experience. Here, you will learn to prepare different dishes and then enjoy them with people who, like you, fuel our mission of supporting refugee and migrant chefs on their journey to integration. It’s a cookery class with a conscience, like they say!

Your class will be led by our wonderful Chef Meriam from Algerian at the Holdspace in London.

At our Family Style Cookery Classes, you will be grouped with other participants and prepare dishes together as a team. Think of Meriam as the head of the family! She will take care of dividing the class into groups, and each group will be responsible for creating one of the dishes. Of course, you are welcome and encouraged to move around during the class to learn about the other dishes being prepared. Throughout the evening, Chef Meriam will share stories about their food and culture, and explain how to prepare each of the dishes so you come away with some new cooking tricks and inspiration from Algeria. You will also be emailed the recipes after the class.

Meriam is part of our new chef cohort and she is currently working with our Chef Development Team to finalise her recipes she will be teaching in her classes. We have provided a sample of dishes which may be included in this class but will confirm closer to the time of the class, including allergen information. If you have specific dietary requirements, please wait until the allergen information has been released to book into this class.

A sample menu of the dishes that will be taught includes:

• Pea and Broad Bean Couscous
• Chorba (Lamb Soup)
• Bourak (Vegetable rolls)
• Chakshouka (Spiced Pepper Sauce)
• Algerian Salad
• Tamina (dessert)

This menu contains meat (Lamb) in one dish. Allergens include: To be confirmed.

Please let us know if you have any specific dietary requirements so our team is aware ahead of the class but kindly note that we will not be substituting any ingredients to accommodate dietary needs so please only book into classes that suit your dietary preferences and needs. Allergen information or this class will be released closer to the class time. Please see our Food and Allergen Policy when booking into the class for more information.

A message from our Chef Meriam:

" I am Meriam Djabbar and I come from the centre of Algeria. Algeria is the biggest country in Africa and we have lots of different influences. It is located in north Africa between Morocco and Tunisia. In Algeria I was a firefighter and paramedic. I worked for 13 years and I really loved my job.

I came to England in 2018 with my husband and my kids to find a new life. When I arrived here it was very difficult for me because I had never spoken English before - only French and Arabic. It was so difficult to communicate with people. I was determined to go forward. I went to college to learn English. It was brilliant for me. Now although I am not fluent, I understand most things.

I learned how to cook from my mum when I was about 10 years old and it has always brought me so much joy. My dream is to be a chef. I watched Masterchef on TV and I used to dream that I would be part of it. I sent an email to Masterchef and I said I wanted to participate but they said I couldn’t because I didn’t have the right to remain. However, they sent me details of Migrateful. I found a door and it opened for me with Migrateful. It is important to never lose hope.

My kids encourage me to cook really well. Every night my kids say “Mum, you’re the best chef,’ and that makes me strong. I believe in myself more. It makes me want to keep inspiring them. Maybe one day I’ll still get on Masterchef, if not, maybe a food business where people can enjoy delicious Algerian food can also be nice!"

We’re excited to have you in the class! Please take note of a few final reminders:

• We sell Migrateful aprons that you can purchase either when booking your ticket (pick it up at the event) or before the cookery class starts at the venue. They cost £18 per apron. Please note we only accept card payments.
• We will send you a reminder email 3 days before the class takes place that will include our In-Person Class COVID-19 Policy. You can also find more information on our website and social media pages.
• This small-scale class for 12 participants is not socially distanced. For those seeking a Covid-secure cookery class, please see our events online.
• Payments made through Paypal can take up to 48 hours to have the order confirmed. To guarantee your spot in a cookery class we recommend using a debit or credit card.
• We only process refunds and ticket transfers if we are notified 7 days before the class takes place.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Holdspace Wynford Hall, Risinghill St, London, United Kingdom