The best cookery schools in the UK

River Cottage, Axminster, Devon
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage has some of the finest cooking courses available, especially when it comes to down-home DIY-from-scratch skills. Our head of food Tom Shingler attended the one-day Curing And Smoking course (from £245) run by Good Game founder Steve Williams and found it “deeply informative and comprehensive”. Other standouts are Hands-On With Fish And Shellfish and the increasingly popular Gut Health course.

Food Hub, Stowmarket, Suffolk
In the grounds of Kenton Hall Estate farm, Food Hub Cookery School offers courses (starting at £45) from knife skills, fish preparation and nose-to-tail pork butchery to fresh pasta, baking and pastry. They also host barbecue lessons in summer and visiting chef tutors for masterclasses in dim sum, sushi, tapas and many more. Food producer Emily Gussin visited for a brunch class with cookery school chef Sophie-Rose Glover, who was “incredibly knowledgeable and such an engaging teacher”.

Hampton Manor Cookery School, Warwickshire
Overlooking the beautiful walled kitchen garden of the 45-acre estate and hotel, the cookery school is just one of the many gems of this food lovers’ paradise and shares the space with two sustainability-focused restaurants, including the Michelin-starred Grace & Savour.

You can start your sourdough journey with bread and butter making, learn the basics of fermentation or try your hand at rolling fresh pasta. The food team’s Emily Gussin enjoyed the two-hour cinnamon bun course, saying, “We made the dough and filling from scratch, learning clever hacks along the way. The recipe card given out is now on my fridge, ready to make my next batch at home.”

Migrateful, London, Bristol, Brighton & online
Italian, French and Indian food get a lot of love in the UK but there’s a whole world of flavour to explore. Migrateful offers classes (from £45) on dozens of cuisines, from Sudanese to Syrian, with a powerful purpose: promoting unity through food. The charity empowers refugees and migrants to become chef tutors, sharing the cuisine of their home country to help them overcome barriers to employment and integration. After attending a class on Gambian cookery in London, the digital team’s Phoebe Stone said: “Chef tutor Awa gave great tips and it was really hands-on and sociable.”

Pump Street Bakery, Suffolk
In the pretty village of Orford (some say it’s Suffolk’s prettiest), production director Jake Hopkins got a taste of two of Pump Street Bakery’s popular classes: Understanding Sourdough (£195 for a five-hour workshop) and Exploring Craft Chocolate (£95 for a two-hour workshop), both with third-generation baker David Wright.

“The first class involved learning all about sourdough, then shaping some into a loaf and pizza base, cooking the latter in the outdoor wood-fired clay oven for lunch. The chocolate class taught the attendees the complete process from selecting and roasting the beans to tempering the end product, before we were let loose to create our own chocolate bars. I’d describe my salted-caramel chocolate effort as – well, let’s say “unique” – but I was delighted to leave the classes with my own bread, chocolate bars and an in-depth guide to making sourdough at home.”

JnrChef, online
JnrChef is a new recipe box subscription for children. Every four weeks, it delivers fresh ingredients with access to online cookery lessons specially designed for kids (from £29.99 a month). Our head of commercial Liz Webber tested one on her 11-year-old son, Billy. “He was thrilled to receive a box and cooked chicken kebabs for our family dinner. The ingredients were super fresh, the instructions easy to follow, and the video was a brilliant way to guide and inspire young cooks. The end result? Absolutely delicious!” If you have a child or grandchild with an interest in cooking, it could be a wise investment (especially if you’re getting dinner out of it).

Jamie Oliver Cookery School, London
The main man is back in the capital with his new flagship school in Oxford Street’s John Lewis. Editorial director Laura Rowe visited the school, which sits alongside Jamie’s new, colourful 50-seater café (think bursting-full focaccias and crisp British fizz) and features two classrooms accommodating up to 48 students.

There are more than 30 classes, starting from £59, and they include the Italian flavours Jamie is best known for – on her visit, Laura (pictured with Jamie and her partner) made Sardinian-style gnocchetti sardi in a carbonara sauce made with proper guanciale. Other cuisines are available, from Peruvian to Vietnamese, and you can also learn specific techniques.

There’ll be a rolling roster of guest chefs and experts, including Gennaro Contaldo, Noor Murad and Calum Franklin. In school holidays, look out for Kids Learn For Free classes. As you might imagine from one of the biggest names in food (Jamie was recently declared a Chef’s Table ‘Legend’), you can expect a polished, entertaining experience with delicious results.

Hackney School of Food, London
This fantastic food learning hub is in the old caretaker’s shed of a primary school in Hackney. Complete with a gorgeous garden featuring chickens, bees and a pizza oven, the school offers different classes for everyone; from primary schools, to free community projects, to one-off supper clubs and masterclasses open to the public. Hackney local and delicious. food producer Pollyanna Coupland “loves the classes and their overall approach to teaching the local community about food.”

Inspired? Browse our skills hub, where you’ll find guides on making your own mustard, flatbreads and more.