Course overview

River Cottage's Rachel de Thample teaches you how to use fermenting to create your own fermented food and drink.

Fermenting is one of the most ancient and most widely used food and drink preparation techniques. If you love the tangy, savoury tang of sauerkraut, flavours of fermented veg, the delicate fizz of kombucha, the invigorating kick of kimchi, the delicate fizz of kombucha or the soothing calm of kefir, this is the course for you.

Fermentation is a transformative process that makes food not only more nutritious but also more delicious. By eating natural, whole and live foods, we can boost the profile of our healthy gut bacteria.

During this course you will be taken on a culinary adventure into the many realms of fermenting, exploring an array of krauts, kombuchas and lacto-fermented delicacies. By the end of the journey you will have your shelves lined with happy bubbling ferments and your fridge stocked with irresistible, meal-enhancing delights.

Rachel will share skills and secrets gleaned from many years experimenting in her own kitchen and at River Cottage, enhanced by the inspiration and creativity of a host of fellow fermenters.

You’ll learn all you need to know to get started, master the basics and branch out creatively into new avenues.

You'll learn:

the science of fermenting
recipes for kraut, kombucha, kefir and lacto-fermentation
seasonal variations for ferments
how to make a scoby living culture

The course includes:

4 on-demand video lessons - presented by Rachel de Thample and River Cottage
lifetime access to the videos, notes and interactive class
flexible classes - join and learn when and where you like
downloadable lesson notes
practical fermenting assignments and recipes (with tutor feedback available)
access on your mobile, PC, Mac or laptop
small interactive online classroom - chat online to students from around the world and share your creative ideas

Independent Cookery Schools Association approved

This course has been approved by the Independent Cookery Schools Association (ICSA), recognising the highest standards of training.

Time to complete the fermenting course:

Every student is different but in general we think the whole course will take around 15 hours 20 minutes to complete including:

Video lessons: 3 hours 20 minutes in total
Course notes: 30 minutes per lesson
Your gut health recipe assignments: at least 2 hours per lesson
Interactive classroom time: 15 minutes per lesson
Tutor feedback review (Expert level): 15 minutes per lesson

You'll need:

Your lesson notes will include the full details of the ingredients you'll need, but you will be making fermented food and drinks, so you'll need standard kitchen equipment.

Ready to get started?

Just add the course to your basket above - choose the 'Expert' option for personal feedback from Rachel on your fermenting assignments.

If you know someone who'd love this course then give it as a gift - just tick "This is a gift" at the checkout.

Any questions? Contact us by clicking on the orange speech symbol - we'd love to hear from you.

Watch course trailer

Lesson summary

Kraut

‘Fermentation’ describes the chemical conversion of sugars to alcohols or acids. During this lesson you learn the basics and touch on the science behind this ancient art. Rachel will show you the endless possibilities offered by kraut, including seasonal recipes, and by the end of the lesson you will have created a simple but delicious red cabbage kraut, dandelion krautchi and a phenomenal curried carrot kraut. While these krauts are completely delicious straight from the jar, you can also employ them as brilliant ingredients to transform your cooking. Rachel will show you how to whip up some gorgeous delights such as dandelion krautchi potato cakes.

Lacto-Fermentation

Lacto-fermentation is the process that produces traditional dill pickles, kimchi, sauerkraut amongst other fermented delights. Rachel builds on the same simple fermentation process that you learned in lesson one by teaching you about 4% brines and the difference between kraut and kimchi. You will learn how to make two types of kimchi, including a smoky beetroot number, as well as some garden-inspired carrot & lovage pickles. Embracing the rich and flavourful brine from these piquant ferments, she shows you how to make the most of every drop turning her hand to a bit of cocktail mixology – transforming kimchi and pickle brines into the most incredible Blood Marys we’ve ever tried.

Kombucha

A scoby is the living culture containing beneficial bacteria and yeast that transform sweet tea into tangy, fizzy kombucha. Learn how to make your own scoby, and follow Rachel’s simple steps as she demonstrates how to create seasonal variations on your basic kombucha using fruit and herbs from the garden. By the end of this lesson you will have learned a whole host of recipes featuring kombucha, including a kombucha-fermented pickles and a brilliantly simple kombucha salad dressing.

Kefir

Kefir is a cultured, fermented milk drink originally from the mountainous region that divides Asia and Europe. Learn all the basics, including how to obtain kefir grains, quantities, brewing times and storage. Rachel will also teach you how to infuse your delicious brews with seasonal flavours. Once you’ve mastered the brewing techniques for both dairy and water kefir, you’ll be ready to use these nourishing drinks to create other healthy recipes including kefir-fermented blinis.

Choose how you want to learn

Expert-level

Develop your learning further with marked assignments and personal tuition:

Start the course whenever you like
Tutor access for personalised assignment feedback & coaching
Certificate of completion and CPD learning hours
Online classroom with up to 20 classmates
Lessons with expert videos & notes
Group chat & direct message with tutor & classmates
Lifetime access to videos, notes & classroom

Peer-level

Get the most from shared knowledge and community study:

Start course whenever you like
Practise what you learn with your peers
Online classroom with up to 20 classmates
Lessons with videos & notes
Course assignments
Group chat & direct message classmates
Lifetime access to videos, notes & classroom

meet the expert

Rachel de Thample

With a background in top kitchens, Rachel is an author and expert in fermentation, local food initiatives, and culinary tutoring.

Why choose Learning with Experts?

Start whenever it suits you, and immerse yourself in motivational lesson tutorials with expert guidance.

Enhance your learning and personal growth with lesson assignments. Each course includes an optional assignment at the end of every lesson.

Drop a friendly message or respond to your assignment feedback. Our world-class experts are just a click away, ready to help you!

Stay informed about your own progress and those of your peers, and take joy in celebrating achievements along the way.

Chat and share ideas with passionate communities of learners from around the world.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between PEER and EXPERT options?

At Peer and Expert level, you get access to the same core content and features:

Video lesson tutorials led by your expert tutor
Downloadable lesson notes
Option to practise what you learn with lesson assignments
Group learning within an online interactive classroom of up to 20 classmates
Lifetime access to videos, notes and classroom

If you choose Expert level, you get all of the above plus the following:

Personalised assignment feedback and coaching from your expert tutor
Opportunity to interact with your expert tutor through a private messaging system
Certificate of completion.

What is an online classroom?

Our online classroom has been developed to allow you to learn from our experts in a sociable environment alongside up to 20 other students. After each video tutorial led by your expert, you will be encouraged to practice what you have learned with optional assignments - these can be seen by the other students in your class, who are free to share their own thoughts and questions with you.

You will be encouraged to take part in an ongoing class discussion where you can discuss ideas, post images or work, and comment on each other’s assignments. It’s a great way to learn from other like-minded people who share your passion from all over the world.

This means not only do you benefit from people who are outstanding in their field, but also from a close-knit group of like-minded people whom you can learn alongside. Group learning has shown to greatly improve not just the experience of studying, but also how well you retain the knowledge, and we have built our classroom experience around this fact.

When can I start my course and how long will it take?

You can start your course any time within 12 months after receipt of your purchase confirmation email. Once you start, you’ll have lifetime access — meaning you can revisit the lesson videos and notes whenever you want.

Our courses are designed so that you can study at your own pace, some prefer to binge learn while others like to spread their studying over a longer period of time - it’s completely up to you. To give you a rough time frame, each lesson video is approximately 30-40 minutes long, and we recommend that you spend around an hour on each assignment.

How often can I speak with the Expert?

If you opt for the Expert version of your course, the time you have to interact with your tutor is limited to course length. You will have one week per lesson to chat to your tutor and to have your assignments marked, and during this period you can ask them as many questions as you would like.

To find out the length of each course, head to the product page and look at the Course outline to see how many lessons it contains. e.g. a four lesson course assumes that you will have completed the assignments within four weeks.

Your tutor interaction period will start as soon as you enter the classroom. If you find that you are struggling to complete the assignments in the allocated time or you wish to put this function on hold, just get in contact with one of the team via the support button and we will help you out.

Support and full FAQs

If you need any help with a course, be it one you’ve started already, or one you are looking to purchase, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Support email address, or view the full FAQ’s here.

You can also use the orange speech bubble on your page to start a conversation with us.

For privacy or data questions, please contact us here.

Fermenting for Taste & Health