Course Review: Edible Gifting with Ebbers

Course: Edible Gifting with Ebbers

Course by Sorted Food (presented by Ben)

We're fast approaching the most wondrous and expensive time of the year. Fortunately, a cookery course for creating homemade culinary gifts appeared in my inbox, costing no more than a few tubs of supermarket chocolates. We all know those contain fewer treats each year and never taste that great either.

Course Content

As the name of the course implies, the goal is to come out the other end of the course with the knowledge to make an array of edible gifts, perfectly timed for the upcoming festive season.

The course is divided into four sections, each containing multiple recipes grouped by the style of items. There isn't a time constraint; you're free to proceed at your own pace. However, the cadence is designed for each part to be completed weekly.

The content can be described as a video cookery book, with each session comprising short videos that break down the processes into simple, manageable steps. This approach is particularly handy if you're forgetful and need to repeat steps.

Students are grouped into more manageable-sized classes to learn together and communicate among themselves, which is something I've come to love about the platform.

Some of the dishes have alternate options, with ingredients and instructions included where needed. Typically, I stuck to the default recipe, except for a few ingredient substitutions. For the Biscotti, however, I did use the alternate recipe as I already had most of the ingredients.

In total, you get walked through seven recipes, including the following:

Biscotti

For the Biscotti, I used the alternate ingredients, as Ben informs us is also traditional, with Orange, Apricot, and Fennel Seed. These tasted and smelled exceptional, not a combination I would've thought of, and a magical outing for the Fennel Seeds that somehow got into the kitchen in the distant past.

Regarding texture, something wasn't quite right; they weren't as crispy as I recall having Biscotti before. I won't dwell on it here, but this feels like a combination of my oven struggling with low temperatures (I tested later, the oven was fluctuating a lot), and the videos seemed confused; there were two consecutive videos stating two different cooking times. My oven will have contributed in part, as I had to cook over 10 minutes longer and still didn't get the crispiness I'd expect. I'll definitely give these another go as they tasted phenomenal, and there's still a pot of Fennel seeds confused by their trip into daylight.

Berry-Infused Gin

This was by far the simplest recipe, but alcohol belongs in a hamper, and it tasted good, so I'll let them off. The simplicity did worry me slightly for the remainder of the course, but it's not representative, as the other items are more involved. I can only assume that the gin is featured early on so that you can drink it during the future cooking sessions. I guess there's a chance that you're supposed to gift it.

Cheesy Shortbread

One of my top two favorites, the other being the Fudge. I've made Shortbread a few times before, the concept isn't new to me, but I've not tried it savory before. Cheese Shortbread is a winner; I'll be making some to gift at Christmas without a doubt. Although I'll be creating double the quantity, otherwise, I'll struggle to part with them; they're that good.

I switched to using my Air Fryer toy for the baked goods from this point, and it worked really well. It takes some practice adjusting times and temperatures, but the results were great.

Cheese Twists

I'm not sure I'll gift these as part of a hamper, only because I'm not confident in their durability. The shop-bought ones are just more crisp. Having said that, they'll be very appreciated if you're popping over to a friend any time of the year. I substituted the Cheddar with Blue Stilton, which was a great choice. I'm sure the Cheddar would work well, but the 'blue' flavor went amazingly with a stout. What a great afternoon that was!

Spiced Nuts

I, and others in my class, were sceptical about these, but they turned out to be a winner that I had to defend to make sure there'd be enough left to take a photo. They were surprisingly addictive, making me tempted to try the honey and Szechuan alternative as well.

Fudge

The other winner, absolutely loved this. I did make a substitution in this one also; as great as Fudge with sultanas would be, imagine Fudge with honeycomb and chocolate, otherwise known as smashed-up Crunchie. The recipe makes a lot, but don't worry; it's not too much, you'll want to keep plenty. I found that there's an added function to this Fudge; I took some into work to share with my direct team, but on the premise that if they ask me for something work-related, the offer is retracted. It worked a treat; it was the most peaceful workday I've had in ages.

Beer Pickled Onions

A bit different, but worth a try. For some strange British reason, pickled onions are associated with Christmas, although I've no idea why. These aren't your normal pickled onions; there's beer with them, which I'm intrigued by, and they're in petal form rather than whole onions. I haven't tasted these yet, but how bad can a pickled onion be? Other than a Ploughman's, I'm not sure how I'm going to use them.

Piccalilli

Piccalilli, another item that seems to come out at Christmas. The only difference is the shiver it sends down my spine. Upfront, I've disliked the luminous yellow vegetable-based goop as long as I can remember, but this isn't really that; it's more a turmeric-infused pickle, so I should be safe. I'll be honest process-wise, this is very similar to the onions; I'd rather have had a Whiskey Marmalade, which is a personal hamper requirement, albeit I get one little hamper a year from work instead of getting a Christmas bonus.

Apple and Pear Chutney

Good thing I like a good chutney with cheese and crusty bread because this makes a lot. Make sure you have a stockpot or use two saucepans. I'm not using large jars, but I filled six; there might be a half a Star Anise special tooth-cracking surprise in one, I couldn't find it. The range felt really good, and when you add them all together, you've made a reasonably sized hamper by the end.

Instructors

The teaching is led solely by Chef Ben, if you watch the YouTube Channel or have stumbled across an Asda advert, which I still haven't seen, you'll know him. Ben, aka 'Ebbers,' did a fantastic job talking through the recipes, with a great mix of explanation and instruction. In the first course produced by the channel, I thought it was a tad too much pure instruction, but the balance felt well-hit here. Having spoken to Ben before, his approach to cooking and interest in the process, in addition to the outcome, vibes well with me, so it made sense that I'd enjoy his approach. It's not super detailed, so don't be put off if you're not so comfortable in the kitchen.

Support and Feedback

It's important to note that the course consists of pre-recorded videos, so you should expect that feedback won't be immediate, which is fair. Questions asked by the class were answered to the best of their ability given the text-based format. With a pre-recorded course, there will always be a feeling of one-way communication, but it seemed that efforts were made to respond and engage in a conversational manner.

On the platform, there is a group chat where you can ask questions, with responses from the guys at Sorted. The response isn't instant as expected; I don't know how the platform works on the back end, but one consistent theme with the courses is that questions can take a while to get answered, which might be due to a lack of notification from the system on the production end. I like that everyone in the class can see the questions; we can all learn from each other's queries. Two in my very small class asked about a vegan alternative on the back of each other's question, demonstrating the usefulness of the feature.

Materials and Tools

In addition to the videos, there are downloadable PDF instructions, very useful for when you're in the supermarket grabbing the ingredients. I already explained that the course is delivered in bursts of short videos; generally, these are well-structured and make the learning experience easier to follow. You're told upfront if there's any equipment that you'll need, but I didn't find I needed anything new. I bought a sugar thermometer to replace my 30-plus-year-old one, but it's not needed if this is more of a one-off exercise for you.

Unlike the prior courses, I did have a couple of problems with the videos and some clashing with the written instructions. Generally, it's easy to follow and consistent, but a few times I did have to introduce some intuition. For the gin, we're told how long to steep the spices such as vanilla, but not how long to macerate the berries. On asking in the group chat, a great feature, I was told it's in the written notes, but it's not. In the video, it's implied that it should be longer than the spices.

With the Biscotti, there are two consecutive videos with different cooking times. It feels like it was recorded with corrected information, then both uploaded, but no clue as to which is correct. It didn't come out right for me using either time, so there's some human error on my part too, obviously! The chutney had different volumes in the written instructions compared to the videos. In this instance, the video made more sense for what we're making. The only other time I found an issue, I had to go elsewhere to check a recipe. The Fudge mentions butter in the listed ingredients, but nowhere does it say what to do with it; I found a very similar recipe on the Carnation website that cleared it up for me. It'll probably read like I'm knocking the course, I really enjoyed it and it's mostly easy to follow along with, but it feels like perhaps they need someone not directly involved in its creation to proofread it first to find the niggles here and there.

Production Quality

The videography past the first week is quite well made, but there are times when the videos are poorly edited. I don't know if this is done in-house or externally, but a few of them need a once-over. This is a small number of the videos, but they do stand out. The platform is a bit buggy, but I won't hold this against Sorted Food themselves as it's clearly a third-party platform. The printed documentation is of high quality and worth keeping. The content remains available for up to six months after your course, but make sure to download the recipes for future use within that time. The Sorted team is great, and they might help if you forget, although I can't guarantee it.

Cost and Value

When I purchased the course, it was only £35! Please double-check the current price when purchasing, as it may have changed, but this felt great not just for a cookery course but for a weekly activity to get you doing something different in the kitchen. It's a brilliant thing that all of the courses made by the team so far have been such good value for money, which can often be a barrier to even online training.

Learning Experience

Personally, I felt this course was set at a good pace, though the last week, having three recipes, may have been a little heavy. But I decided to do them all in one weekend, so that's on me. I cook regularly, so I already have foundational knowledge, but I really enjoyed the weekly creating. I'm not sure if I learned a wealth of new techniques, but I also don't think that really mattered. I made some new recipes for things that I wouldn't normally have done, and I'll genuinely be gifting some this Christmas. Being a practical course in cooking, it's very hands-on, and just doing something planned that I'd describe as a hobby once or twice a week is somewhat cathartic and therapy-like, good for the soul. A great difference this time around was the active encouragement for exploring alternative ingredients and recipes, which I utilized a little, and found out the Crunchie Fudge is one of the best sweets ever made. The class that I was in was very small this time around, but that was actually really nice. Only three of the five of us were actively participating, but as an introvert, it feels weird to say that this was one of my favorite things about the course. The three of us commented on each other's posts and gave encouragement in all directions. It was cool logging in and seeing someone else's creation pop up.

Pros

• Clear teaching and instructions
• Well-aimed at novices and those with knowledge
• Explanations regarding purpose and goals
• Interaction with classmates
• Ability to ask questions
• Alternative recipes
• Inexpensive

Cons

• External website can be buggy
• Inconsistencies between written instruction and videos
• Can take a while to answer questions

Should You Buy This Course?

Yes.

This course sets itself apart from other courses out there both on the subject matter, something I've not come across as a course, but also the conversational yet education delivery, and for a very reasonable price.

I assume there will be future courses, which I'll be signing up for. It would be nice to do it with the same people if at all possible; I'll have to keep in touch with the group. There's a chance that you're reading this outside the run-up to Christmas, but great food gifts for others, or yourself, aren't just for Christmas!

I'm not affiliated with Sorted Food in any way, I just enjoy their content, and now their courses!