Since I have spent the past month promising potential attendees that I will publish all the dates for the Mona's Meals Food in Malta Workshops at the beginning of the year, I suppose I had better do that before the 'beginning of the year' flies by.

The dates are as follows:

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  January 29

  
  


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  February 26 - Cooking for pre-teens and teens (aka - how to get away from your parents for a few hours and unleash the angst). Special price of €25 per person.

  
  


• March 26 - Modern Maltese Cooking by David Darmanin of Taverna Sugu

• April 16 - Cooking for Children: chicken nuggets, fish fingers...the real thing! No artificial anything. No fillers.

• May 21


• June  18


• July 7


• September 17


• October 15


• November 19


• December 3

 

We will be coming up with themes for the workshops as we go along. Some actually depend on the weather we would be having. Some subjects that we may include especially due to popular demand are as follows:

• Chocolate


• Filled pasta


• Maltese ravjul


• Contemporary Indian


• Fish and seafood


• Cupcakes


• Low-carb

We are open to other ideas so please let us know if there is anything in particular that you'd like us to do.

Our chefs and coaches change regularly but they are always very strong in their consecutive fields. Claude Camilleri remains an eternal favourite but since Margo's in Valletta is taking up most of brain cells he still has not confirmed.

Prices usually vary according to what the subject is.  Chocolate, for example, is extremely expensive to buy (we only use the really fine types like Valhrona and Cluizel) whereas a subject like Cupcakes would be quite cheap to produce. On average we try to keep the workshops at a happy €60 (plus €10.80 for our friend Mr. VAT) which includes all ingredients as well as eating all the food we make.  Workshops are payable in advance and no refunds are applicable.

On all occasions the Mona's Meals Cooking in Malta Workshops take place on a Saturday morning, kicking off at 9.45am with capuccino and espresso and closing at 2pm.  The latter is a 'wish' as usually by 4pm we are all still trying to leave: the chat around the lunch table is something we have to be dragged out to halt.

We are extremely lucky to be able to use two of the best equipped professional kitchens in Malta: that at Ta' Soldi, where David Micallef, the General Manager, and his staff graciously put up with us regularly. The other kitchen is that at Claude Camilleri's Palazzo Santa Rosa in Mistra.

I hope that having the dates in advance helps those who like to plan, those who have to travel from out of Malta to join us and those who are simply sticklers for diaries.  We are looking forward to seeing you there.