loveFOOD meets... a cookery school owner

David and Holly Jones turned their passion for creating food into cooking classes – all the lessons offered at their cookery school, 'Manna from Devon', are based on their own interests.

Established in 2005, Manna from Devon Cooking School is run by Holly and David Jones, who together teach cooking skills to small groups in their Victorian home overlooking the beautiful River Dart in South Devon.

The Joneses have recently returned from a four-week adventure across India, and have now incorporated their newfound knowledge into an Indian-themed cooking classes. Manna from Devon is also renowned for its ‘cooking with a wood fired oven’ courses. 

It’s never too late to learn

"It’s never too late to learn to cook," says David. "We have a wonderful mix of ages at our cookery school, ranging from the tender age of four right up to some very youthful eighty-year-olds."

David and Holly try and make their classes "light-hearted and entertaining," although apparently some find the idea of cooking "a little daunting" – but David is keen to keep students relaxed.

"For a few, the thought of Gordon Ramsay’s kitchen manner springs to mind. It’s far from being like that here. Our approach is always relaxed. The first thing we try to do is get our students into a space where they’re comfortable. We put the kettle on, have a coffee and try to find out the level of cooking everyone is at. As we only run small classes, it means that my wife Holly and I can be very flexible.

"If we have a mixed group, with some more advanced cooks and some less experienced, then we can adapt the course for individuals so that it's both challenging and appropriate for all. Having small class sizes also means that we don’t have to stick to a set timetable. We have plenty of knowledge to share but we certainly don’t do lectures!"

Everyone can cook

"Cooking is often linked with memories, whether of travel to foreign places or meals at home shared with family and friends. Passion and happiness often lie with these memories, both of which are great to tap into when encouraging a novice to cook for the first time.

"One young guy who spent a day with us fairly recently said he didn’t know anything about cooking, but that he loved eating fish. Within moments he was enthusiastically telling us everything he knew about fish."

By getting hands-on in the kitchen as soon as possible, David believes his students become relaxed faster; kneading bread is a great stress reliever that eases students into the spirit of things quite quickly. The social side to the classes also plays a key part to their success.

"The best part of running a cookery school is meeting such diverse and interesting people," says David. "The sociability of it is great, both for us and those attending a course. Sometimes Holly and I stop talking and the group, who may not have known each other an hour before, carry on chatting away and we have to gently say ‘pay attention’! New friends and acquaintances are made all the time on the courses."

A lesson well learned…

Does the knowledge that our culinary couple pass onto students stick with them after they leave Manna from Devon? It would seem so. Several people, says David, have gone on to set up their own bakeries after attending bread classes with the Joneses. He also tells the story of a ten-year-old girl who "wasn’t confident at all" when she first walked through the door:

"A couple of weeks after attending a class, we had an email from her mother. Her daughter had gone on from here up to the BBC Good Food show with her father, where she entered a ‘Junior MasterChef’ roadshow competition, and won! Her mother said that she wouldn’t have had the confidence to do that had she not been on the class. For us it really is all about exceeding expectations."

You can find out more about David and Holly Jones’ Manna from Devon Cooking School on their official website. There is a selection of classes available, including those catering to the needs of families and groups. 

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David and Holly Jones' lovefood profile