Baking classes

LONDON AND SOUTH
 
Leiths School of Food and Wine

London, W12

T: 020 8749 6400 Email

Leiths School of Food and Wine in London has an international reputation as a first class training school for chefs. Alongside the professional diploma programmes, Leiths also run a selection of specialist and enthusiast courses, such as bread-making, pastry classes and a cakes and baking workshop. The cake workshop lasts half a day and students are taught how to make five mouth-watering cakes including mini pistachio cakes with lemon drizzle icing. Afterwards you can take home three self baked cakes and a tray of Leiths chocolate brownies. Half day courses cost from £125. See the website for dates or ring for details.

Cinnamon Square

Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire

T: 01923 778353 Email

Paul and Tricia Barker, owners of the award-winning bakery Cinnamon Square in Rickmansworth, open their doors to teach courses in traditional home-baking, Italian breads and pizza, classic cake-making (Victoria sponge, Swiss roll) patisserie (making pastry, ganache, creme patisserie) and working with chocolate. Classes include the art of chocolate (£85), where participants learn how to master the art of tempering chocolate and then proceed to make a host of goodies such as ganache, pralines and chocolate figurines. See the website for dates. Cinnamon Square also run a similar workshop for children, which costs £25.

Newlyn’s Cookery School

Hook, Hampshire

T: 01256 704128

Newlyns Cookery School aims to show you how to get the best out of the seasonal foods offered in their Farm Shop. Cookery courses are provided for anyone who wants to learn the basics, to classes on how to prepare impressive specialist menus. Newlyns offer hands-on courses for up to 12 people or demonstration courses for up to 20 with all of the courses designed to be fun and interesting. On October the 9th 2010 there is a bread & baking course, which costs £125 for 5 hours. The school also runs young chef courses. See the website for dates.

SOUTH-EAST

Lighthouse Bakery School

Bodiam, East Sussex

T: 01580 831 271/M: 07946 530 969

Lighthouse bakery is a small wholesale bakery and bakery school overlooking Bodiam Castle in the beautiful East Sussex countryside. The school offers a diverse range of one-day courses to help you make fabulous breads at home with baking for beginners or advanced baking. Courses are often themed around seasonal holidays and cultures and courses that run include: American baking, Jewish baking and baking for Christmas. Fees for day courses are £165 and include a home-made lunch. See the website for dates.

SOUTH-WEST
 
The Bertinet Kitchen

Bath, Somerset

T: 01225 445531

The Bertinet Kitchen was opened in September 2005 by French chef and baker, Richard Bertinet, who has featured in delicious magazine. Originally from Brittany in North-west France, Richard trained as a baker both in Brittany and at the Grand Moulin de Paris. Set in historic Bath, The Bertinet Kitchen offers a range of relaxed and fun courses for food lovers of all abilities. The programme includes: an introduction to bread-making at £145; the more advanced croissant and Viennoiserie masterclass (£175); or a three day cooking the books course (£450) where students focus on all three of Richard's books - DOUGH, CRUST and COOK. There is now a specialist cupcake class, too. It's a very popular school, so courses book up fast. See the website for dates.

NORTH

Bettys Cookery School

Harrogate, Yorkshire

T: 01423 814016

Bettys has been an established name in the world of baking since the opening of their first Harrogate tearoom in 1919. Taking inspiration from both its Swiss heritage and the Yorkshire location, Bettys Cookery School offers a wide selection of practical courses and demonstrations for all ages (including kids) and abilities. It's all in the pastry is a practical, one-day course, which costs £160 per person and specialises in mastering the creation of various pastries. Also, for when you begin to feel festive, Bettys offers a special Christmas cakes and puddings course for £170. See the website for dates.

Harmony House

Nr. York, Yorkshire

T: 01904 720933 Email

Take a class at Harmony House, where the name speaks for itself; the school, once the village post office, is set in peaceful surroundings in a quaint Yorkshire village five miles south of York. Your day commences with tea, coffee and biscuits while you meet your tutor and fellow students and get an introduction to your surroundings. Then its into the kitchen to don aprons and begin your culinary creations. The school offers a range of courses for children and adults and covers all aspects of cookery including home baking for both kids and adults. Once you’ve worked your way through the extensive menu, sit back, relax, and dine on your good work. Full day courses, £80; half-day courses, £50. The school also offers accommodation for cooking weekends from £30 per night. See the website for dates.

WALES

J&R School of Cooking

Llanwrtyd Wells, Powys

T: 01591 610264

The friendly chefs at J&R School of Cooking welcome anyone who has ever wanted to learn to cook. Courses start with a welcome briefing to discuss the day’s activities over freshly brewed tea and coffee and homemade Welsh specialties. The fun starts when you enter the kitchen, where there will be tips and guidelines provided by professional chefs. The atmosphere is relaxed and while taking part in the cooking course you can sip wine and chat informally throughout. Forthcoming patisserie days can be found on the website and cost £150 for a full day's course.

SCOTLAND

The Cookery School of Glasgow

Glasgow

T: 0141 552 5239 Email

This Scottish school offers popular home-baking classes where you can learn to make a classic Victoria sponge and receive instruction on how to perfect the ubiquitous cupcake. There are also chocolate-making, dessert-making and canapes and petit fours classes. Prices start from around £100 for a day. There are courses for both adults and children. See the website for details.