Guest Chef Takeover: Transylvania Flavours with Irina Georgescu
We’ll begin with a Paprika Masterclass, the foundation of so many Transylvanian dishes. You’ll taste different varieties, learn how to recognise their character, and understand how to use them with confidence. Then you’ll put that knowledge straight into practice, cooking a quick chicken paprikas — a dish that proves bold, authentic flavour doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming.
As we cook, I’ll introduce you to the ingredients that define this cuisine — paprika, caraway, tarragon, garlic, and sour cream — sharing the stories behind them and the role they play in everyday cooking. Through tastings and short demonstrations, you’ll see how simple combinations create depth, and how the region’s history has shaped its food.
It will be my pleasure to show you how to prepare one of my favourite dishes: traditional Transylvanian griddle breads filled with caraway potatoes. I’ll guide you through shaping and folding the dough, giving you practical skills you can easily recreate at home. These are humble, satisfying breads with a story I love to tell.
To finish, we’ll enjoy a dessert inspired by the farmhouse kitchens I grew up around — curd cheese with honey and seasonal fruit, simple and beautifully balanced.
My connection to this food runs deep. I grew up spending summers in Transylvania, where my grandmother and mother cooked the dishes I now share with you. Those experiences, along with years of research and leading culinary tours, inspired me to write my cookery books and to teach this cuisine.
This class is about more than recipes. It’s about how people really cook at home — how they choose ingredients, build flavour, and create something deeply satisfying from simplicity.
By the end of our time together, I hope you’ll leave with more than recipes. I want you to carry a piece of Transylvania with you — the skills, the stories, and the feeling of having been welcomed into something genuine and heartfelt.
I'm looking forward to meeting you! You can book tickets (£145) and find out more here.
Irina x
