Devon

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-where">WHAT/WHERE?</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/arriving.jpg" alt="morning at Fire School High Grange Devon " class="wp-image-66956" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/arriving.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/arriving-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/arriving-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/arriving-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



Located near Axminster in Dalwood (where Dalwood wine comes from), <a href="https://www.highgrangedevon.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">High Grange Devon</a> is known for its popular communal feast nights and private event catering. Owned by chef Luke and media lawyer Sara Vandore-Mackay, the venue was set up during lockdown (read <a href="https://devon.muddystilettos.co.uk/little-black-book/directory/high-grange-devon/">the full Muddy lowdown here</a>) and it&#8217;s already multi award-winning and an accredited ICSA cookery school. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/05/Luke-Vandoremackay.jpg" alt="Luke Vandore-Mackay owner of Hugh Grange Devon and Fire School" class="wp-image-65415" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/05/Luke-Vandoremackay.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/05/Luke-Vandoremackay-800x800.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/05/Luke-Vandoremackay-400x400.jpg 400w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/05/Luke-Vandoremackay-768x768.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/05/Luke-Vandoremackay-500x500.jpg 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



I&#8217;m headed here, not for the feasts, but for their bespoke BBQ cookery school. That&#8217;s because a/ my barbecue skills are non-existent, b/ as a 21st century woman I really ought to know how not to poison people, and c/ you get to feast while being schooled. So, it&#8217;s a win-win-win. Plus, I might get a chance to ask Luke about all the celebs he&#8217;s cooked for, including Bill Clinton.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-vibe">THE VIBE</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/chickens.jpg" alt="hens at High Grange Devon " class="wp-image-66957" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/chickens.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/chickens-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/chickens-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/chickens-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



Rustic, laidback and off a lane, nestled on the edge of a woodland, the school is halfway down Luke&#8217;s and Sara&#8217;s garden. The waft of woodsmoke is already on the air when I arrive at 10am, and some hens and a Labrador come ambling over for a snuffle.



Luke&#8217;s saying hello to everyone and setting up behind a long handmade wooden table, while his helper Emma, a friendly plate-spinning Northerner, is taking tea and coffee orders. I&#8217;m one of ten attendees: six guys and four gals, from as far away as London and Shropshire.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/breakfast.jpg" alt="breakfast barbecue at High Grange Devon Fire School " class="wp-image-66958" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/breakfast.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/breakfast-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/breakfast-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/breakfast-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



Emma hands out aprons, while Luke tells us to watch ourselves on the knives, fire and axes, and it&#8217;s all relaxed and good-humoured. One guy&#8217;s been bought the course to prep for a big party meal the next day &#8211; no pressure then. Another, Dan, is an old mate of Luke&#8217;s and clearly up for some gentle chef joshing. Two are farmers, there for ideas to build their own outdoor kitchen.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/serving-breakfast.jpg" alt="High Grange Devon hot sauce " class="wp-image-66959" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/serving-breakfast.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/serving-breakfast-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/serving-breakfast-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/serving-breakfast-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



Luke&#8217;s been whipping up breakfast while we chat and the sizzling smells amazing. It&#8217;s fascinating how Luke can break eggs, flip black puddings, remember everyone&#8217;s names and make witty asides without skipping a beat. Having loaded our plates and added a blob of High Grange own Taste of the West Gold-winning Hot Sauce, we flop down on some colourful beanbags to enjoy a fabulous home cooked brekkie. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-course">THE COURSE</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/infernale.jpg" alt="infernale at High Grange Devon " class="wp-image-66966" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/infernale.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/infernale-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/infernale-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/infernale-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



The course is all about cooking over fire outdoors rather than a barbecue as you and I might know it. It&#8217;s a chance to discover a range of professional grills and outdoor ovens, including the Vulcanus, a Kamado Joe ceramic oven (like a Big Green Egg), a South African Braai Master, and an infernale (above) using an Argentinian hanging barbecue. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/hangi.jpg" alt="Luke Bandore-Mackay cooking hangi at High Grange Devon Fire School " class="wp-image-66962" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/hangi.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/hangi-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/hangi-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/hangi-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



It kicks off with Luke introducing us to a cooking method called a hangi &#8211; an oven you dig out of the ground, popular in numerous cultures (as seen on Motherland when Kevin tries his hapless hand at &#8216;event cooking&#8217; with half a pig). Luke shows us his method of building a fire Jenga-style, and then we watch as he roughly chops a harvest of fresh peppers, fennel, aubergine, red onions into a tray with loads of oil and a huge haunch of local venison. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/good-dog.jpg" alt="High Grange Fire School " class="wp-image-66964" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/good-dog.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/good-dog-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/good-dog-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/good-dog-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



Once the fire dies down the tray is placed onto the hot bricks and covered with hessian and soil to cook for eating at our 4pm dinner. Remembering Motherland&#8216;s Kevin and his raw pig, I&#8217;m wondering if the meat will be ready for our dinner, while marvelling at the Labrador&#8217;s willpower who is watching as keenly as the rest of us.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/salsa.jpg" alt="burnt salsa at High Grange Devon " class="wp-image-66963" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/salsa.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/salsa-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/salsa-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/salsa-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



For lunch, Luke shows us how to fillet a fish and gets some peppers, onions and pineapples roasting on a grill for on a burnt salsa pepper. And I mean burnt. The tomatoes would not pass muster in a Full English, says Luke, but combined together with fresh-picked herbs, oil and lime juice the salsa makes the perfect partner for fish grilled on an South African Braai Master.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/IMG_1450.jpg" alt="smoky Kamado Joe at High Grange Devon Fire School " class="wp-image-66976" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/IMG_1450.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/IMG_1450-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/IMG_1450-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/IMG_1450-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



I&#8217;m not telling you everything I learnt &#8211; you’ll have to go yourself for that &#8211; but the big takeaways for me were to always buy the freshest best quality, local meat or fish you can (our sea bass was swimming in Lyme Bay the day before). Never use briquettes &#8211; Luke says they&#8217;re the chicken nugget of the wood world. They&#8217;re full of accelerants which makes dirty barbecuing (ie placing meat straight on the coals) a no-go. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/meat-matters.jpg" alt="Meat Matters at High Grange Devon " class="wp-image-66967" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/meat-matters.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/meat-matters-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/meat-matters-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/meat-matters-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



Because he uses quality lump wood charcoal, Luke did the dirty barbecue on the Kamado Joe using the only meat that wasn&#8217;t local. It was a rump steak sourced from a mate of Luke&#8217;s who owns <a href="https://meatmattersltd.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Meat Matters</a>. They take dairy cows at the end of their productive lives and put them out to grass for two years and then age the meat for 30 days. Luke rates it as better than Wagyu &#8211; the best he&#8217;s tasted.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-scoff-amp-quaff">SCOFF &amp; QUAFF</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/dinner.jpg" alt="dinner at High Grange Fire School " class="wp-image-66969" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/dinner.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/dinner-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/dinner-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/dinner-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



Of course, by the time dinner is served &#8211; the hangi &#8211; you&#8217;ve been grazing on and off all day. But you will definitely want to make room for the best venison you will ever have tasted, along with the veggies which have now turned to melt in the mouth morsels, and astonishing potatoes (a soft crunchy cross between baked and roast) which have been finished on the Vulcanus hot plate.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/IMG_1509.jpg" alt="venison on a plate at High Grange Devon Fire School " class="wp-image-66977" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/IMG_1509.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/IMG_1509-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/IMG_1509-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/IMG_1509-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



Luke&#8217;s style of cooking is ingredient led, super-local and plentiful His take is to go for quality everything, including the olive oil, and lots of salt, so you don&#8217;t need to mess around with marinades and sauces. Do it right and the fire creates the most incredible range of textures and flavours.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-muddy-verdict">THE MUDDY VERDICT</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1125" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/merch.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-66968" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/merch.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/merch-800x600.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/merch-1000x750.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/devon/wp-content/uploads/sites/14/2024/06/merch-768x576.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /></figure>



It&#8217;s not so much &#8216;school&#8217; in the hands-on meaning of the word, more an experience. You get a chance to fillet and descale a fish, chop kindling with an axe and help build the fires, but you&#8217;re really there to enjoy the theatre rather than wield the tongs yourself. 



What&#8217;s not to love about watching someone else do the work, eating food that&#8217;s been cooked right in front of you and while knocking back local cider? High Grange have nailed the barbecue school experience &#8211; with none of the usual machismo and all the smoky theatre. Sure, you&#8217;re not going to absorb all Luke&#8217;s 25 years of experience in eight hours, but you will feel fired up to buy best olive oil, meat and fish you can afford and give it a whirl. Reassuring to know, burnt can taste great!



Good for: learning to cook over fire on a range of commercial grills and ovens; meeting like-minded foodies locally; the theatre of fire ladled with lots of insights learnt from experience; hen and stag nights, birthdays and other special occasions; leaving with a goody bag with the recipes and Hot Sauce.



Not for: vegans although they do cater for them; people who don&#8217;t like dogs and chickens; heading to a big evening meal booked for later; people who don&#8217;t like standing or being outdoors for long periods; people who want to be taught while doing the cooking themselves.



The damage: £225 including tea/coffee, breakfast, lunch and dinner and lots of tasty tidbits, not including alcohol and soft drinks.



Book it up: <a href="https://www.highgrangedevon.com/fireschool" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Fire School</a>, High Grange Devon, Burrow Knapp Way, Dalwood, Near Axminster, Devon EX13 7ES.

Smokin’! Muddy reviews the Fire School at High Grange

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