The UK’s best cooking classes

From sushi-rolling to pasta-making, a cooking class is a great way to learn new kitchen skills in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere – whether you’re serious about perfecting a culinary technique or just want a fail-safe recipe for your favourite dish. Here’s our pick of the best cooking classes around the country.

Cookery School at Little Portland Street, London

This Fitzrovia-based school is ideal for cooks who have “caught the sustainable bug”, said Time Out. Its courses amd classes “prioritise local, organic produce” and there’s a ban on plastics in its kitchens. Among the stand-out classes is a Sourdough Masterclass with bread guru Dan Lepard; a “gut health” class with a nutritional therapist, and A Taste of Mexico masterclass where you make guacamole, tortillas, salsa tatemada and Baja fish tacos. Bring a container for leftovers – “though there are unlikely to be any”.
cookeryschool.co.uk

Cinnamon Bun Baking Masterclass, Söderberg, London

This Scandinavian bakery and coffee shop in East Dulwich is “known for fantastic pastries”, said Ellie Donnell in SquareMeal. Bag a place to learn how to bake its “signature cinnamon buns” and you can “expect a welcome glass of fizz” before you “make, twist, and shape” the dough from scratch. As your buns bake, you sit down to a delicious meal (with wine or a cocktail), before taking them home in a Söderberg tote bag.
soderberg.uk

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River Cottage Courses, Devon

Fans of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and his long-running TV show will be delighted with a trip to his famous 17th-century River Cottage HQ. There is an extensive choice of one-day courses, albeit with a “hefty price tag”, said Rhiannon Batten in The Guardian. The River Cottage Experience includes a tour of the organic farm, a three-course dinner, and the chance to make a farmhouse loaf and a wood-fired pizza. Other stand-out courses include Mushroom Foraging Basics, Pasta the River Cottage Way, and Cheese Making for Beginners.
rivercottage.net

Hampton Manor Cookery School, Warwickshire

Overlooking a walled kitchen garden, this charming cookery school is “just one of the many gems” in a “food lovers’ paradise” that includes the Michelin-starred restaurant, Grace & Savour, said delicious magazine. Seasonal workshops include a two-hour introduction to fermentation where you’ll learn the basics of pickling and preserving; a focaccia & forage workshop where you’ll hunt for edible flowers and bake your own bread, and, in December, a mince pie making class to get you in the festive mood.
hamptonmanor.com

Martini Masterclass, The Egerton House Hotel, London

While not strictly a cooking class, this is a quality opportunity to learn the secrets of mixology. The “quiet but luxury townhouse hotel” in Knightsbridge is an ideal setting for an “informative” session “away from the commotion”, said Rachel Holland in House & Garden. And, as it’s “known for serving one of the most famous martinis in London”, the hotel has “certainly earned the right to teach on the subject.” Talented bartender Gianfranco dives into the history of the martini, before passing on his tips as you make one of your own and sample it, with a selection of canapés.
egertonhousehotel.com