David and Holly Jones
Spotlight on David and Holly Jones of the Manna from Devon Cooking School
The Manna From Devon cookery school aims to banish fear of food and cooking anxiety with its relaxed cookery courses, where the main ingredients are stress-free fun, humour, wholesome recipes and superb flavours.
Regular By The Dart contributors Holly and David Jones run the popular cookery courses from their home in Higher Contour Road, a Victorian house they share with Lurcher Leo and Poppy the Three Legged Wonder Dog.
Their love of simple food, laid back personalities and warm humour make every visit a joy. You feel relaxed just stepping through the door – and as most visits are accompanied by a taste of something delicious and home baked, calling in at Manna From Devon is always a treat.
“We want people to come in to a relaxed environment where they can enjoy food, enjoy cooking and playing with ingredients, and creating something lovely without taking it too seriously,” said David.
“A lot of what we do involves building confidence,” Holly added. “We aim to take the stress out of cooking by emphasising how simple it can be. With delicious simple local food the ingredients are so good that you don’t have to play with them very much.”
Both superb chefs, Holly and David have won awards for their food. Holly’s chocolate brownies and David’s bread are legendary. David is the chairman of the Dartmouth Food Festival and both are passionate about supporting and nurturing the Dart’s reputation as a “fantastic foody community.”
The couple came to Kingswear after a chance conversation at a wedding in Dublin. A fellow guest was on the committee of the Royal Dart Yacht Club and mentioned that it needed someone to take over the catering. Two months later Holly and David had taken the job and moved down from the Midlands. “It was a great way to meet local people and producers, and we were immediately welcomed into the village,” Holly said.
Manna From Devon was formed originally as a way to sell their own food, but early starts, endless production and rainy market stalls proved an exhausting way to earn a crust. It was when Holly bought David a place on a bread making course as a birthday gift that the idea for the cookery school was born. David said: “We had great fun in a very little kitchen but all the time I was thinking ‘I’ve got a bigger kitchen than this, a big house for accommodation for guests, and a nicer view – we could do this.’”
That was five years ago and the couple have not looked back. All are welcome on the courses – enthusiastic cooks, complete beginners, families who want to cook together, team-building work colleagues or even hen parties! Highlights this year include the Mad Mediterranean Month in August which promises everything from bread making to an Odyssey of Exploration, trying out recipes from different countries around the Med.
It’s all a far cry from their early days. Holly and David met at university in London, then both entered the armed forces, Holly on a short service commission with the Army, and David into the Royal Navy, starting off at Britannia Royal Naval College.
He then spent ten years in management consultancy while Holly trained as a chef at the acclaimed Pru Leith School and went on to cook all over the country as a freelance, also writing for magazines, working for the BBC Food website and training cooks for organisations such as the National Trust.
With both of them experts on helping people get the best from themselves, the cookery school works perfectly, and Holly and David are determined it doesn’t become all consuming. Time for sailing, reading, rowing, walking and canoeing is precious too.
First published July 2010 By the Dart