Brilliant Banku [Coming Soon]

Coming Soon

📍 Location: Forest Hill, SE23 1AG

💷 Price: £75

🍴 Cuisine: Ghanaian

⏱️ Duration: 3 hours, including cooking and dining

👤 Age: 18+ (participants 17 and under welcome with an adult over 21 who's also taking part)

👥 How you'll work: in pairs and some group work

🥘 Dietaries: Adaptable for vegan, vegetarian and pescatarian. Please note, while we take care to adapt recipes for dietary requirements, all ingredients are prepared in a shared kitchen where common allergens may be present.

Banku is one of West Africa's most tactile, most communal dishes. Made from fermented corn and cassava dough, worked over heat until smooth, elastic and just slightly sour, it is the kind of food that demands your full attention and rewards it completely. Served alongside a rich, viscous okra stew with fish, it is a meal that has been feeding people across Ghana and the wider region for generations. In this class you will learn to make it from scratch — the fermentation, the stirring, the pounding — and sit down to eat it the way it was always meant to be eaten.

What you'll learn

• Work with fermented dough — understand how fermentation develops flavour and texture in banku, and what to look for at each stage
• Master the stir — learn the sustained, rhythmic technique required to cook banku properly, developing the strength and timing to bring it to the right consistency
• Pound as a group — experience the communal side of West African cooking as you work together to finish the dough
• Build an okra stew — understand how to develop the characteristic texture of okra stew without losing its body, and how to layer flavour from the base up
• Prepare fish for stew — learn how to season, prepare and cook fish so it holds together and absorbs the stew around it

What you'll make

• Banku — fermented corn and cassava dough, smooth, slightly sour and satisfyingly chewy
• Okra Stew with Fish — deep, savoury and full-bodied, with fish cooked gently through

What you'll eat & drink

• A welcome drink on arrival from Manya Wines.
• Banku with okra stew and fish (or a vegan alternative).
• A choice of complimentary drink:
  • Zobo — hibiscus, ginger, pineapple
  • Chapman — cucumber, orange, lemon, blackcurrant
  • Bitter Lemon — lemon, bitters, mint
• Water and tea provided throughout the class.

How the class will run:

• All ingredients, equipment and aprons will be provided.
• I'll lead you through easy to follow demos before you have a go at your cooking station.
• You'll work in pairs to recreate all four dishes together.
• Once everything is cooked, we'll sit down and eat the full plate together, or pack up a box to take home if you prefer.
• You'll receive a digital recipe pack after class with everything you need to recreate these dishes at home.

Things to know before you book:

• You're welcome to book on your own. I'll pair you with another solo attendee on the day.
• The class includes demos, hands-on cooking, and time to sit down and enjoy the food you've made together.
• This is a hands-on cooking class, so I'm afraid I can't accommodate spectators or provide a waiting area for friends and family. Everyone attending needs to have a ticket and be actively participating.