My Chef Skills – Get 20% off the Netflix of cooking

Meet the entrepreneur behind one of the UK’s first dedicated online cooking course subscription service. My Chef Skills features masterclasses from food writers, Michelin Starred chefs, tutors and local restaurant owners, all passionate about sharing the tricks of the trade with budding home cooks everywhere.

The background

In 2020, Jonny Ross’s music agency went from having over one thousand events on the books to having none, virtually overnight. It was a sharp change of pace for the Harrogate businessman, used to booking acts for international clients whilst touring his own five-piece band. As we catch up with him, driving down South to film his latest Masterclass, it’s clear Jonny isn’t one for life in the slow lane.

As the rest of Yorkshire found solace in home baking, Jonny had his sights set a little higher. “When everything got cancelled, I had a lot more time on my hands and fell down the rabbit hole cooking.” He found you could learn a lot online, but struggled to grasp the professional techniques he’d seen on TV or replicate the flavours he’d experienced dining out.

Save 20% off My Chef Skills online cookery classes here

The inspiration for My Chef Skills started in Jonny’s kitchen, but by November, with a never-ending cycle of lockdowns, he decided to enrol two videographers and hit the road, filming hundreds of online cookery classes with some of the top chefs in the business.

The Benefits

With eighty-three subscribers to the My Chef Skills website in the first seven hours, Jonny has obviously hit a gap in the market. “I think people wanted to do something productive and learn a skill, use their time wisely.” For some, it’s the guitar, or a modern language, but for Jonny, he’d always dreamt of entering MasterChef, “and now I could, with no formal training… if people sign up, they too will have the advantage.”

Whether you’re looking for a gift for the budding chef in your family, or a friend looking to raise their dinner party game, the My Chef Skills site offers practical videos which guide you through hundreds of recipes, accessible whatever your skill level.

The Chefs

With “chefs sat at home not being able to do what they love”, Jonny jumped at the chance to be able to showcase an industry heavily impacted by the pandemic. Expect regional names such as Andrew Dixon, Head Chef and Tutor at The Grand York’s Cookery School, the Harewood Food & Drink Project’s Josh Whitehead, and Rob Clarke, Chef-Patron of Clark’s Restaurant in North Yorkshire.

However, the talent doesn’t stop there, with My Chef Skills you can create an amazing savoury Chelsea Buns with Bake Off star Karen Wright, and fluffy Bao Buns with 2021 Masterchef finalist Philli Armitage-Mattin.

The Classes

Just browsing the website makes you hungry. A range of cuisines are covered and the story behind each dish translating beautifully to the camera. Chef and author Anjula Devi shares with you the fundamentals of Indian cuisine, layering spices, and creating delicious naan bread and pakoras, having grown up working at her Dad’s busy catering business. Perfect the best beef wellington with the Chef behind the accolade ‘Britain’s Best Roast Dinner’, and sharpen your knife skills with Leeds based Masterchef Matt Healey. Worried about preparing crab meat or filleting fish? With access to My Chef Skills, you can tune in to the King of Seafood, Two Michelin Starred chef Nathan Outlaw’s magnificent series. View all the My Chef Skills courses here.

The Subscription

My Chef Skills subscriptions start from as low as £12.50 a month, and in a similar way to Netflix, you can cancel any time. Instantly get access to each Chef’s masterclass (covering eight to ten techniques) with two new courses released each month. Meals can easily feed four people, and at this standard, could easily cost £25 per head in a restaurant.

Save 20% off My Chef Skills online cookery classes here

Jonny is a living testament to the quality of the instruction and recipes, “ I will be pickier when I go out now, as I can do it at all home!”

Trade Secrets

For Jonny, it’s all about planning and preparation. In a restaurant, the Chef might start working with one ingredient days ahead of the set menu, prepping, vacuum sealing, pressing, frying, all techniques you can replicate without loads of kit, in your home kitchen.

In between home-schooling and setting up the website, Jonny managed to cook some of the best dishes of his life, simply by implementing three ten minutes processes each day. We’ve all slaved over the hob unable to enjoy your guests’ company, but now “when your friends come round, you can cook a quick meal, but the end product is amazing because you’ve done those processes.”

Why join My Chef Skills cooking courses?

With a host of yet more Yorkshire culinary masters soon to be released, plus a plant-based Christmas in the pipeline, if you needed any further persuasion, Jonny offered YFG readers three reasons to subscribe to My Chef Skills online cooking courses:

1. My Chef Skills will undoubtedly elevate your cooking to the next level, any time anywhere. An internet connection and subscription is all you need to wow friends and family;

2. It has already transformed the way home cooks can get the best out of their ingredients, resulting in true confidence in the kitchen;

3. It’s entertaining, relaxing, escapism. Each chef’s personality shines through the screen, and you’ll be rewarded with not only a delicious meal but the knowledge of your personal achievement.

Save 20% off My Chef Skills online cookery classes here