Anke: Royal Tunbridge Wells

The Pantiles has been experiencing a transformation recently and the famous chef Rosemary Shrager is one of the people behind these changes. Rosemary and her team are breathing life into the Corn Exchange with their newly-opened cookery school.

Mrs Anke slaps her dough about.

Mrs Anke and I were invited down for the day for a taster course of baking bread, filleting fish, and - the part I was particularly looking forward to - eating.

The luxurious kitchen is quite an amazing space - a welcoming blend of modern yet homely workstations put you at ease and allow you to settle in right away. The feeling of reassurance was also helped by a beautifully laid out table of coffee and cakes that greeted us as we sat down with Rosemary to break the ice and get to know each other. The lovely Jonathan was also on hand to see to everyone wishes: every kitchen needs a Jonathan I'm told, and we agree.

Right, on to the business of cookery.

Now, I must admit that I did hide behind my camera for most of the day, only venturing out to have a go at extracting a fillet from a sea bass. Which I think I did rather well at. I was more than happy to watch Mrs Anke and the rest of the invited guests exercise their skills under the expert guidance of Rosemary's executive chef, John Kirby, and his colleague Johnny. There are lots of people with names starting with J here aren't there.

Being a boy I was keeping a keen eye on the technology surrounding us. Their extraordinarily well-appointed kitchen is not only one of the most advanced in the country it is also one of the most eco-friendly. As a few examples: they have conductive hot plates which have special matching pans that help reduce energy usage by 30%, no wasteful gas here. Only 10% of their food waste is actually thrown away - the rest is dried in a dehumidifier and made into powders and ingredients for stocks and sauces, and they have an amazing glasswasher that does a cycle in 75 seconds!

After enjoying our little taster of the classes on offer (you can read more detail on Mrs Anke's post) we all sat down together around the chef's workspace to watch the masters at work, have a chat about food, and sample three courses made with the ingredients that we had helped to prepare. The dishes were delicious and to be able to watch them being prepared and cooked right under your nose is a really special experience. Quite how the chefs deal with all those pots and pans whilst chatting and answering our questions is beyond me.

I think this venture is a real coup for Tunbridge Wells and looks set to become quite a treasured glocal™ business. Glocal? Eh? What am I on about? Well, people are already booking up courses from all over the world which will be fabulous for our local economy, and one of the core values of the school is to use as much local produce as possible. Pretty much everything used in the school is sourced from around us here in Kent and Sussex. See, global and local - glocal™. Whatever I'm gibbering on about one thing I am absolutely sure of is that this new school will give the bottom end of town a real boost.

They will also be opening a delicatessen and café at the end of the year. So come on Tunbridge Wells let's get behind them, it will bring great things to our town.

Mrs Anke and I really enjoyed the day, we learnt a lot in such a small space of time, and can heartily recommend that if you want the perfect unusual present this year then head on over to their website to book.

You can now head on over to Mrs Anke's blog and she will fill you in on the the details of the day.

Our Chalybeate Spring finally opened today in a fanfare of pomp from the town crier with the first official glass going to the Mayor and Mayoress.

A dipper serves up some fresh Tunbridge Wells Water using a special ceremonial ladle.

Mrs Anke and I were there to drink one of the very first glasses ladled from the Spring. It was a special moment, it felt like the whole of Tunbridge Wells had suddenly come alive. It's a great feeling knowing that we can once again take our out-of-town friends to The Pantiles to show them why our town is so special.

If you want to be a true Tunbridge Wellian and drink a glass of the precious liquid then you will have pay £1 for the privilege, for that you get it expertly served to you by a dipper and you also help with the upkeep of the Spring. But if you don't want to spend the money then fear not, you can help yourself completely free. Top tip: spend the pound!

Bizarrely, which may possibly be due to the heavy rainfall, the water actually tastes different this year. It tastes much more like fresh pure spring water and less like sucking on an old penny than it used to. I'm not sure if I prefer the new taste or the old, the general consensus today was it was a really refreshing drop and a much cleaner taste. It was always fun seeing people's reactions when they tried it, and I'm intrigued to know what you all think of the taste now.

Now, go drink and be merry, and tell all your friends!

Click here to see some more photographs from the opening.

Our famous Chalybeate Spring is getting a lick of paint in preparation for its grand re-opening this Easter weekend.

Kane, the painter, who said he was spending a few days making sure the Spring looked beautiful for its opening day. I can't wait!

Having been closed for two and a half years the water will at long last be flowing once more and we can once again give tourists a taste of why Tunbridge Wells exists. Finally we will be able to boast that we are a spa town again.

The Spring was closed back in August 2010 after E. Coli was found in the water. The apparent low levels of rainfall prevented the water being tested again until the end of last year and it now appears that the heavy rainfalls over the past year or so have replenished the aquifer to a level that the water has been given a healthy green light.

Rumours are that the price of a glass will rise to £1 but let's be honest these glasses of rusty-coloured liquid are the reason tourists visit us, and it's a small price to pay to drink a piece of history. I shall certainly be partaking in a glass.

Stay tuned next week as I shall be there to document the first glass being poured.

We can now finally bring you an exclusive look inside the new Tunbridge Wells Hotel on The Pantiles, and it looks fantastic.

Panorama of the Bridal Honeymoon Suite of the hotel.

It was my wedding anniversary and we got the call to go spend the morning in the bridal honeymoon suite at the new hotel. When I say we I mean David and I, not the wife, she was left at home whilst we documented this brand new refurbishment for our Tunbridge Wells Project. I was popular that day I can tell you.

We've just started to add the images online to the Project so keep checking back soon and I'll update this post when more photos get posted.

Click to see more photographs of the new hotel.

It's not often I post Press Releases, preferring to sniff out and write my own stories, but I think when they are as exciting and possibly as important as this I felt it needed a place here.

Inside the Corn Exchange.

If there is one thing the Corn Exchange needs it is people through the doors, and not only that but people then staying put inside. If any of you have been inside, and I'm sure most of you have, you'll know that it really struggles to achieve this and generally looks like the photograph above. So, the following great piece of news is just the shot in the arm the place needs.

PRESS RELEASE: Over the past couple of years, the historic heart of Tunbridge Wells has attracted gourmets from Kent, Sussex and beyond, with its fortnightly farmers markets and annual Pantiles Food Festival. Soon there will be greater reason still for foodies to visit...

TV chef Rosemary Shrager has announced plans to open a Cookery School in The Corn Exchange on the Lower Pantiles. The school, created to Rosemary’s own specifications, will be accepting students on one and two-day courses from Spring 2013. Gift vouchers are already available. In addition to a range of courses for home cooks (plus chef's tables, corporate events and private hire), apprenticeships will also be offered to provide professional qualifications and work experience.

The scheme was created in collaboration with the Marquess of Abergavenny - who bought the Lower Pantiles earlier this year and is keen to revive its fortunes.

A spokesperson for Rosemary Shrager said, "Rosemary has fallen in love with The Pantiles - and looks forward to working with the local business community to put it on the map as a tourist destination for gourmets. There are already many elements that will attract food fans to the area - regular farmers markets, The Pantiles Food Festival, one of the South-East's biggest cookware shops and numerous bars and restaurants."

Ahead of the Cookery School launch, the newly refurbished Tunbridge Wells Hotel, formerly The Swan, will be opening this month (November). Owned by Julian Leefe-Griffiths – known for his local gastro-pubs The Black Pig (in Tunbridge Wells) and George and Dragon (in Speldhurst) – the hotel will incorporate two eateries - La Boucherie and Brasserie des Sources. Both will have a strong leaning towards local and seasonal produce. Rosemary and Julian have already cooked up a deal to offer discount accommodation rates at the hotel to students booking her courses.

Rosemary says, “I absolutely love Tunbridge Wells, so it's all very exciting. There's so much potential here, and because The Pantiles is already a destination it's the ideal venue for the school and all the more reason for people to come for a cookery course and stay a few days more. With the many excellent local food producers and suppliers, great farmer's markets and even a food festival held on my doorstep, I can't wait to be a part of the vibrant food community here.”

Owner of the Lower Pantiles, The Marquess of Abergavenny has known Rosemary for many years and was keen to encourage her move to The Pantiles. “Rosemary’s Cookery School is key to our development plans for the future of the Lower Pantiles,” says the Marquess. “Most of our energies over the past nine months (since acquisition) have been focussed on restoring the buildings and giving the Lower Pantiles a much needed fresh coat of paint.

“Now, with Rosemary on board, we can look toward filling the space with more people and businesses that are likely to be a draw,” he says.

We'll have more soon when we can get you an exclusive chat with Rosemary when she's all finished in the Australian jungle, including a great competition. Stay tuned!