In March, two members of the Liquid food team went behind the scenes at the iconic Waitrose cookery school, on behalf of our international food client Maple from Canada. We jumped at the chance to visit one of the UK’s most famous institutions, as we look towards opening our very own cookery school.

In partnership with Destination Canada, we put on an exclusive, virtual maple masterclass for Waitrose readers, aiming to share some maple magic with as many people as possible.

In the leadup to the event, Liquid worked closely with the Waitrose food team in planning which recipe to demonstrate and securing a well-known chef to lead the class and encourage sign-ups.

James Golding, Chef Ambassador for Maple from Canada UK and Group Chef Director at THE PIG Hotels, headed up the demonstration, with the help of one of Waitrose’s development chefs. The pair worked together to create a truly engaging and inspiring class for audiences watching at home.

Liquid attended on the day to represent Maple from Canada, support the Waitrose Working home economics with any audience questions about maple and get some insight into the ins and outs of developing a recipe for a live cooking demonstration.

During the demo, both chefs talked viewers through cooking tips, how pure Canadian maple syrup is made, their personal experience of visiting and living in Canada and answering any live questions for viewers. The chefs also took everyone at home through the steps to make a traditional Québec maple pork pie, a traditional Canadian dish with a twist – the chosen recipe for the masterclass which was developed in-house at Liquid.

141 people tuned in from home to cook-along and interact with the chefs, asking questions on everything from the difference in the grades of pure Canadian maple syrup to how they could perfectly cook the pie. The Liquid food team was also on hand to help answer any viewers questions as they came in through the Zoom chat function.

The masterclass with Waitrose was an invaluable event for both Maple from Canada and the Liquid food team. Some of our team has worked in the food industry for over 15 years, in which time they have witnessed how the cooking world is constantly evolving, working at the Waitrose cookery school has given them that extra insight and some food for thought on how we can develop Liquid’s offer further.

We are always looking for new ways in which we can support and promote our clients. Working closely with Waitrose for their masterclass has not only broadened our knowledge but strengthened an important relationship which we hope to see develop further going forward.