Thinking about trying your hand at candle making? An online class is a great way to learn how.

I purchased my class from ClassBento:

https://classbento.com.au/candle-making-course

They have lots of different options for candle making classes (and classes on pretty much anything else you might want to learn!). The one I chose was run by Forsa Katsis from Early Settler Aromatherapy. The class was run via Zoom on a weekday evening.

There are two options, the class only for $65 or the class plus a candle making kit delivered to you for $99. I took the option of getting the kit delivered and would definitely recommend it. I was a little skeptical when they said the kit was worth $50, but when it arrived I was pleasantly surprised. Buying what was in it at retail prices and having it delivered would probably cost more than $50.

The photo at the start of this post shows everything that was included. It has supplies to make 4 good sized candles. Additional equipment the class instructions say you’ll need are:

• Double boiler to melt wax or microwave proof jar
• Plastic measuring jug
• Thermometer
• Scales to measure wax and fragrance

I bought a thermometer but then didn’t end up using it as the instructor shows you how to judge the temperature by the look of the wax so if you don’t already have one, I wouldn’t go out and by one.

The class was run a little differently to what I had expected. I was thinking the instructor would demonstrate how to make candles while everyone followed along making their own candles at home. It doesn’t work like that. The booklet you receive with the kit details how to make the candles and so most of the class is spent covering things like wax selection, what size wicks you need, the ratio of fragrance to wax and jar selection. It’s only after the class in your own time that you make your candles.

The instructor does run face to face classes in Melbourne and these may operate slightly differently to the zoom workshops:

https://www.earlysettleraromatherapy.com.au/about-us.html

The instructor was very engaging and knowledgeable as she has been making candles for over 14 years. She gave lots of helpful tips. There was plenty of time for questions at the end.

And the end result:

I was pretty happy. I’m a complete novice and didn’t have any real trouble following the instructions. I’d suggest making one candle to start so you can then iron out any issues before making the next one. My other big tip would be use one of the opaque jars for your first few candles and leave the clearer jar to last when you’ve had a bit more practice as any bubbles in the wax will be obvious in this jar but not the others.

I’ve been visiting the Essential Ingredient since it opened in Crows Nest back in 2005. It’s my favourite place in Sydney to buy gourmet spices, ingredients you struggle to find elsewhere in Sydney, cooking equipment I never knew I needed and a great range of cookbooks. But this was my first time doing a cooking class there.

I chose Mexican because it’s a food I love and it’s sadly under represented in the Sydney dining scene.

The class ran for around 3 1/2 hours starting at 6pm. During the class we cooked 6 dishes: vegetable quesadilla with tortillas we made; tequila prawn tapas with guacamole and pico de gallo; achiote barbecued chicken; barbecued corn with chipotle mayonnaise; rocket, radish and orange salad and Oaxacan mangoes.

Despite a bit of a hitch where someone mistook a bowl of salt for sugar, all of the dishes turned out great. They were all full of flavour but still very light and fresh.

The presenter Wanitha Tanasigam was very bubbly and clearly had a wealth of cooking experience. There were only 8 of us in the class so there was plenty of time for one on one instruction. As well as showing us how to cook the dishes, she helped everyone improve their knife skills and showed us plenty of little tips that will make things easier in the kitchen.

While at $170 it may not be the cheapest cooking class in Sydney, given it included the cooking instruction, wine and beer to have with the meal, take home recipes, a 10% off shopping voucher and a tortilla warmer, I think it was pretty good value especially considering the quality of the instruction and the produce we cooked with.