Whether you're wanting to expand your culinary skills or are just looking for inspiration to spruce up a traditional turkey, these regional Christmas cookery classes are just the ticket.
London
T: 020 8749 6400
Email
16-20 Wendell Road, London, W12
Love to play the host? This year, Leiths is offering a
Canapé Demonstration evening (
3 Dec, £60) for those who enjoy elegant tasters such as fig and Mascarpone blinis. The aim is to finish the class with more confidence than you started with to make entertaining this Christmas this year a little less of a chore. After taking in ideas, flavour marriages, tips and techniques – all mingling together to magic up a plethora of captivating canapés – you end your evening with that all-important glass of Prosecco.
The Kitchen
T: 0207 736 8067
Email
Parsons Green, London, SW6
The Kitchen is a new London food store where people can go and prepare their own restaurant-quality meals, under the guidance of Michelin-starred chef Thierry Laborde, for you to take home and cook. This innnovative establishment is conducting an array of seasonal sessions to take the stress and mess out of festive feasting:
Christmas Cake Making Session (14 Dec, £20): customers can then leave their masterpiece in good hands, where it will be carefully cooked and stored.
Ordering Turkey (15 Dec, £POA): Order your free-range Christmas turkey, goose and vegetables.
Kids’ Christmas Session (20 Dec, £20): Parents, sit back and relax while you watch your little darlings make Christmas tree decorations and food gifts.
Christmas Cake Decorating Session (21 Dec, £15); Add those final all-important touches.
Christmas Indulgence Session (22 Dec; £20): A last minute chance to rustle up chocolate truffles and mince pies.
Finishing Touches (23 Dec; £20): Put the finishing touches to preparations with stuffing for the turkey, plus trimmings.
South
T: 01582 454 070
Email
Tea Green, Hertfordshire
Forward planning and advanced preparations are the secrets to a successful Christmas, something The Novelli Academy understands this, which is why the esteemed school is offering four different masterclasses in the lead up to the festive period:
- A Dickensian Christmas Special (10 Dec, £150) embraces the food of Christmas Past, and shows students how to make Victorian dishes with a modern twist.
- Seasons Greeting Friends (11 Dec, £150) suggests alternative ways of stuffing the turkey – and your face, plus divine creations from leftovers.
- Joyeux Noel Bonne Année (17 Dec, £150) takes tips from across the pond, and offer contemporary and traditional French festive recipes.
Splat Cooking
T: 0870 766 8290 E: Go to the website to email
Various venues (see each class)
A friendly, professional, family-run company that provide cookery classes, parties and workshops for children and adults in various venues around the British Isles. The online shop is also well worth a look.
- Edible Christmas Presents (28 Nov or 1 Dec, £50), Princes Risborough, Bucks. A whole morning dedicated to making Edible Presents including truffles, different flavoured fudges such as cardamon and chilli, mini Christmas Puddings and mini sugarpaste masterclass where you'll decorate an individual Christmas cake and mini christmas biscuits. Everything will be gift-wrapped ready to give as presents.
- Gingerbread House Workshop (Two days: 22 & 23 Dec, £75), Great Missenden, Bucks. On Monday you'll make up the gingerbread and cut out the house, make stained glass windows and any other shapes you wish to go with your house, we'll stick it together so it sets overnight and on Tuesday you'll decorate it and take part in our sugarpaste modelling masterclass to model reindeer, santa, penguins, snowmen or anything else you fancy to go on your house. Make a house together as a family or make one house each.
- Heavenly Christmas Cupcakes (16 Dec, £35), Letchworth, Herts. New flavours and icings with a Christmas theme, Gingerbread, Fruit and Nut Florentine and Chocolate Truffle Cupcakes.
- For children's Christmas cookery classes from Splat, see the children's cookery classes page.
T: 01772 784969
Email
104-106 Higher Road, Longridge, Preston
Spend the day with Michelin-star chef and local celebrity Paul Heathcote at his restaurant, picking up techniques, tips, and inspiration for your gastronomic gathering. Using only local fresh produce, you'll watch demonstrations on how to make your Christmas a culinary success before being treated to a 3 course champagne lunch. The
Cooking for Christmas classes run throughout November and December and cost £75. Check out the
website for further details, dates and availability.
North-east
T: 01765 680900
Email
Swinton Park, Masham, Ripon
A stunning venue for a cookery class, Swinton Park is an impressive ancestral castle set in 200 acres of parkland, lakes and gardens and is listed as one of the highest-rated hotels in Yorkshire. A restored Georgian stable is home to a state-of-the-art cookery school where the
Festive Fare day course will take place on (
29 Nov &
6 Dec, £140) and
Christmas in a Box evening class (
4 &
11 Dec, £115).
Festive Fare is designed for those who are feeling the need for some fresh ideas and new interpretations to traditional dishes and includes a 3 course meal;
Christmas in a Box offers a novel and stress-free approach to an entire Christmas Dinner.
T: 0131 333 5001
Email
Newliston, Edinburgh
The Edinburgh School of Food & Wine lies a few miles west of Edinburgh city centre. Based in an 18th century Coach House, the school has an established reputation for providing a variety of cookery courses and qualifications. Bring out the Mamma Mia in you by opting for the Italian Christmas Cookery day course (6 Dec; £120).