Richard Pash, a marketing manager at Mars and another Venturi customer, says cookery feels natural compared to some teambuilding activities. Constructing a bridge across a stream when there is a perfectly good one 50 metres away may seem a little pointless, but cooking a three-course meal you intend to sit down and eat certainly isn’t. “Unlike many courses we’ve been on, it’s the opposite of contrived,” says Mr Pash.
Venturi’s Table isn’t the only company offering corporate cookery courses. Cookery School at Little Portland Street in London has an increasing number of corporate clients who, says principal Rosalind Rathouse, comprise about a third of its business. These include Investec, BP and Iron Mountain.