Quite possibly the most amazing week of the year, between the 9th and 15th of October, the UK is celebrating both National Chocolate Week and National Curry week! Manna from Devon Cooking School is here to help with mouth-watering recipes for each.

From their upcoming Wood Fired Fish & Seafood cookbook, due out Spring 2018, Manna from Devon owners Holly and David have taken inspiration from a recipe from Madhur Jaffrey's 'Curry Easy':

Spiced hake fillet with pepper and coconut sauce - for four

This dish will work with any fish so use whatever you happen to have; we love using hake for its sweet white flesh and big flakes and can get it readily from our fishmongers at Brixham Fish Market. This recipe works well in a hot oven – preferably a wood fired oven but standard domestic models will work just fine.

• 800g fish fillet – cod, haddock, salmon, hake all work well
• Salt and pepper
• 2 level tbsp rice flour
• 1tsp ground cumin
• 2tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1tsp ground turmeric
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• 2 large red, yellow or orange peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped
• 2 large cloves garlic, peeled
• 3cm root ginger, peeled
• 1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 fresh red chilli, roughly chopped
• 1 x 400ml tin good quality coconut milk (regular not light)
• 4tbsp sunflower oil
• Limes to serve 

1. Use a food processor to blitz together the peppers, garlic, ginger, onion, chilli and coconut milk until smooth. Season well with salt and pepper.
2. Mix the rice flour with salt, pepper and the dry spices and use this to lightly dust the fish.
3. To cook the sauce, heat 2tbsp of the sunflower oil in a deep frying pan. When the oil is hot, add the pepper and coconut mixture, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce thickens, stirring from time to time.
4. Meanwhile roast the fish in a preheated oven at 210C.  Heat the rest of the oil in an ovenproof frying pan and when hot add the fish skin side down.  Put the pan in the oven and roast the fish for 8-10 minutes but check regularly to feel when the flakes of flesh start to break under a little pressure. You won't have to turn it over as the oven will cook it from all sides.
5. Serve the fish with the pepper and coconut sauce and some lime wedges to squeeze over along with some plain cooked Basmati rice.

To follow, it would be rude not to make Chocolate Sweet Flatbreads from Manna from Devon's second wood fired oven cookbook, Wood Fired Flatbreads & Pancakes. Lots of people think savoury when they hear flatbreads but you can make some fantastic sweet ones too. Here is a classic, banana, chocolate and hazelnut one. Each flat bread will serve 8-10 happily – serve warm with some vanilla icecream. Delicious!

Sweet Flatbreads

• 250g strong white flour
• 75ml warm water
• 60ml milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 15g butter
• 15g caster sugar
• 5g fine seasalt
• 5g fast acting yeast
• 2 medium bananas
• 150g milk chocolate
• 50g cream
• 50g hazelnuts, roughly chopped or bashed in a pestle & mortar

Method

1. Mix together the flour, water, milk, egg, butter, caster sugar, yeast and salt. Knead to get a smooth soft dough. Leave covered to rise in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size and puffy.
2. Heat the oven to 210C.
3. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to get a rectangle about 25x30cm and put in on a non-stick baking sheet. Prick the dough all over with a fork.
4. Gently melt the chocolate and cream together in a saucepan over a low heat on the hob and mix together with a spatula. Spread the chocolate mixture over the top of one of the rectangles. Peel and slice the bananas and arrange them over the top of the chocolate spread.
5. Bake the flat bread in the oven for 8 minutes, turning from time to time to get an even bake. Sprinkle over the hazelnuts and return to the oven for another 4-5 minutes, keeping an eye on the nut so they don't scorch.
6. Take the flat bread out of the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes before chopping into pieces and serving warm.

For more inspirational recipes check out Manna from Devon's latest cookbook 'Wood Fired Flatbreads and Pancakes'. Several new recipes feature in the book, both traditional household favourites and those inspired by David and Holly's travels to India, Vietnam, Spain and beyond. There are lots of beautiful photographs by Devon-based photographer Nick Hook so you'll know exactly what's going on. Priced at just £9.99, click here to buy – a great gift for the foodies in your life!

To book one of the many classes on offer at the school, from Fish and Bread to Wood fired oven cooking, visit http://www.mannafromdevon.com/cookery-courses/ or call 01803 752943. Lunches and recipe pack included. Classes begin at 10am and usually finish between 4pm - 5pm.

Follow Manna from Devon on Twitter (@mannafromdevon), Facebook (facebook.com/mannafromdevon) or Instagram (@mannafdevon)

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“I have a attended a few courses at Manna from Devon, David is an absolute master with bread and the integrity of the courses Holly and David teach are simply brilliant. David's knowledge of wood ovens and cooking with live fire is immeasurable, he is undoubtedly the UK's leading expert on the subject and I marvel at the ease with which he uses fire to cook and flavour foods with such ease and confidence, if there is one book you should have on the subject its definitely this one.” Mitch Tonks - Chef & Restaurateur

“…without wishing to gush, if you are getting a wood burning oven you really should do the Manna from Devon course. In fact, I'd say it's essential” Xanthe Clay - Daily Telegraph food writer

Notes to editor: 

1. Established in 2006, Manna from Devon Cooking School is run by Holly and David Jones who teach cooking skills to small groups in the relaxed environment of their Victorian home, positioned in an area of outstanding natural beauty in Kingswear, South Devon.  The stylishly decorated, homely kitchen and the recently revamped and extended outdoor decking overlook simply stunning views across the Dart estuary to Dartmouth.  In addition to the main kitchen, there is a second kitchen that is in the style of a bakery.  As always, Manna from Devon only use locally sourced ingredients, cooking recipes and dishes the owners have discovered during travels around Europe and Asia.
2. Holly Jones studied at Leith's School of Food and Wine and is a chef with twenty years experience.  She has written many articles and books, has appeared on UK television, trained chefs from many organisations, run cafés and restaurants and answered questions as resident chef on the BBC's Food website.  Holly also served as an army officer for three years.
3. David Jones served as an officer in the Royal Navy followed by a decade as a management consultant.  Both careers took him all over the world, which is why he is now happy to have settled and re-trained as a baker and wood fired oven cooking expert.

For further information, photography, an interview with David or Holly, or a press visit to Manna from Devon Cooking School, please contact:

Hannah Waite at RAW PR and Marketing – hannah@rawprandmarketing.co.uk;

Tel: 07877 455084; @RawSW