Always be learning 🍝
It’s been going a good while now, although I covered Zucchini Pasta Bar here more recently for those whom it has somehow slipped under the radar (where TF have you been?). It’s a business that just quietly gets on with being good at what it does. Knocking out good handmade pasta plates and generally being a cheerleader for better pasta places in the NE.
They launched pasta-making classes a while back and it’s something I’ve had my eye on for a while because fresh pasta is the bomb. I’ve been making a fair bit of pasta at home myself so have gotten kinda confident. But winging it really, with little actual guidance, and every day is a learning day. So when my mam booked me on for my birthday, I finally got to see if it was just rolling some pasta through a machine or something with a bit more insight.
The courses are a good three to four hours long and there’s a fair bit to scran, so show up hungry. The afternoon begins with some picky bits and a ‘secco. Lovely stuff. Especially after a boozy night at Solstice the night before, but more on that later. I’ve been dubious about these pasta crisps since I first saw them here years ago but they are like actual crack, so salty. Usual Zucchini moreish garlic bread. It keeps you going, and kept my personal hangover at bay.
Early spoiler alert for those with short attention spans – here are the four of the five types of pasta you make (and the gnocchetti, top).
The course/class/whatever you wanna call it is super laid back, no urgency or hurry to get you out which makes it that much more enjoyable.
It’s run by head chef at Zucchini Chris who is a local, salt-of-the-earth kind of guy. He makes it fun, offering a good blend of beginner info for those who have no idea what ‘tipo 00’ is, to some more experienced questions I fired away. It’s mega friendly, not like a stiff coprorate routine, and hands-on enough that anyone really could enjoy it.
It’s as you’d expect, though if I was criticising I’d say the actual pasta production should maybe take more of the limelight. We make some dough for the gnoccheti but otherwise, the sunflower yellow dough is prepped for you. It’s definitely the hard part and I can imagine some messing that up for sure, but the feel of kneading a pasta dough is definitely the key of the process and should be part of the day, IMHO.
So the focus is on shaping. From garganelli (easy — rolled on a board with a dowel) to tortelloni (fiddly — assembled individually by hand), it’s a good range of tactile skills that distract your mind, and I feel are quite meditative, though your mileage may vary… I maybe would have started with spaghetti and tagliatelle being the easier ones. And who doesn’t love rolling pasta through a machine; also strangely therapeutic.
The pacing is pretty good and not breakneck speed not slow and dragging, you get all your pasta cooked for you at the end as well which is a nice reward. It’s a canny bit of food so box some up for later and bask in the glory of your effort at a later date like we did.
It’s definitely given me the kick to make more pasta of my own at home, recently and I’ve been getting better at it
Overall it’s good craic for anyone with the vaguest interest in pasta, which surely is everyone. Good couples activity, good to do with friends, good work do, or take the parents. It’s not too serious. Nor too competitive, not stiff, but just a relaxed and fulfilling way to spend a day.
So whether you’ve got a hankering to become the next Massimo Bottura, or just having a go at making some pasta at home at the weekend, or have just never been to Zucchini and want to try it in, this is a fab way to spend a few hours, learn something new, and have a laugh doing it as well. Strong, and easy recommend.
Contact: zucchinipastabar.co.uk
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