Welcome to our family style cookery class.

This cookery class will be taught by the wonderful Eritrean chef, Helen, at Holdspace in Angel.

This small-scale class for 12 participants is not socially distanced. For those seeking a Covid-secure cookery class, please see our events at our Peckham venue and online.

This is a family style cookery class where we will collectively prepare 4 - 5 dishes. The chef will divide the class into groups with each one responsible for creating 1 of the dishes. You are also free to move around during the class to learn about the other dishes. The chef will recap each of the dishes throughout the evening and at the end of the class so that everyone can learn about all of the dishes. You will also be emailed the recipes after the class.

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

Adas (Red lentils with Berbere pepper)
Timtimo (Brown Lentils)
Hamli (Curried Greens)
Shiro (Chickpea flour and Berbere Stew)

This menu is Vegan. Allergens include: vegetable stock may contain gluten. Please let us know if you have any specific dietary requirements!

We will also be selling our beautiful Migrateful aprons! You can purchase them when booking your ticket (pick it up at the event) or before the cookery class starts at the venue. Please note we only accept card payments.

A message from our Chef Helen:

“Hello, my name is Helen Goitom. I am from Eritrea. I was brought up in a city called Asmara – the capital city of Eritrea. My mother taught me to cook when I was 12 years old. I have 6 brothers and 2 sisters. My brothers never cooked, only me and my sisters. I have been in the UK for 1 year and 5 months. I got my refugee status last year, age 28.

In 2014 I was forced to join the army in Eritrea. Everyone in my country had to join. Only my father couldn’t join because he was ill. After 3 years of being in the army I wanted to leave the army because it was very dangerous and scary, I didn’t like it. Often there was not enough food and water for the soldiers, there was never any rest, every day working and no rest. My father was very sick so I asked to go visit him in hospital. They wouldn’t let me. I escaped to see my father. The authorities went to the hospital and put me in prison. I spent 6 months in prison. Then my aunt’s son paid someone to help me escape.

I went to Sudan, then Turkey, the Greece, then Italy, Belgium. In Belgium 12 of us snuck into the back of a lorry, the driver was asleep, he didn’t notice us. And the lorry got to the UK.

I am happy here in London. People help me. There are so many amazing services. When I’m ill I can get medicine. In Eritrea there was no medicine. There were no good schools. I feel very grateful to be here. My friends who I met in the lorry I am very good friends with still, they are like family to me.”

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.

Payments made through Paypal can take up to 48 hours to have the order confirmed. To guarantee your spot on a cookery class we recommend using a debit or credit card.

Please note, we only process refunds and ticket transfers if we are notified 7 days before the class takes place.

(CANCELLED) LONDON - In Person Eritrean Cookery Class with Helen