Welcome to On the Ridge

On the Ridge Cooking School at Kureelpa in the Blackall Range, Sunshine Coast hinterland, invites you to come and enjoy our cooking classes whilst experiencing the lifestyle and the beauty of the wonderful Sunshine Coast hinterland.

Enjoy a ‘tree-change, a ‘sea-change’ for a day, a ‘Sunshine Coast hinterland’ day at Kureelpa.

The On the Ridge experience delights the senses and tangibly expresses the desire to share good food and goodwill with those we love and those who are close to us.

Our cuisine is modern Australian, taking the best ideas, using the freshest, local produce, combining the cooking principles, techniques and inspirations gained from many cooking traditions and cultures, and forming it into what we like to eat today.

At On the Ridge we create, cook and celebrate good food to make sitting around the table and dining, a pleasurable, delectable food taste sensation for both family and friends.

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A French Odyssey - Journey through France
In France cooking is a pleasure, the French cook because they love it and they want to eat well...

...take a culinary journey through France with classic dishes like moules marinière, magret du canard, pissaladière...

Coastal Catch - Seafood Delights
Learn how to select good quality fresh fish...enjoy the delights of preparing and cooking our local seafood by grilling on the barbeque, steaming, poaching and baking....

...innovative modern Australian cuisine ...

Italianicious - Cooking with Passion
Freshness, simplicity and lack of pretension is the basis of Italian gastronomy...robust dishes packed with flavour...

...Italians enjoy their cooking and eating...it is a festive, fun affair...

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Notebook Magazine, July 2009...featured On the Ridge Cooking School...'Cook like Nonna: schools that teach you the recipes for success'.

The article , by Laura Venuto, entitled 'The secrets of cooking', is about how today's 'cooking classes teach so much more than the technical skills required to prepare a meal. They can revive lost skills, restore old traditions, reconnect us with the seasons and reveal the secrets of cooking from the heart'...>>>read more

 Savour the Season - Summer

“O spirit of the Summertime !
Bring back the roses to the dells
The honey-bee from drowsy cells.
Bring back the friendship of the sun
The gilded evenings, calm and late,
And peeping stars bid lovers wait.…’

By William Allingham, 1912.

For me, summer is a celebration of friends and family coming together and a time to wind down and re-energise.  Meal preparation seems easier, we feel more relaxed, more informal and entertaining is more flexible with lots of eating and cooking out of doors, barbecuing, stir-frying and sautéing.

We enjoy fresh, crisp salads, seafood and stone fruits – refreshing and cool.   I always like to cook food that is healthy, light and simple, and especially so in Summer.  Spontaneous meals are great for this time of the year so it's a good idea to stock up the pantry and fridge to make things easy. We eat a lot of seafood, which is easy and very quick to prepare. We love mussels steamed in white wine and aromatics, always a favourite in classes too.

For a summer lunch party, I love this chilled cucumber soup with prawns and basil oil…it looks so pretty, is refreshing and tastes divine.

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Special Accommodation and Cooking School packages now available.

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