The best hotels with cookery courses in England
More hotels than ever are hosting cookery courses in England – so now is a great time to try your hand at creating some of your own tasty masterpieces. Whether you fancy trying something new on holiday or you're looking for a foodie getaway, we have rounded up some of the most deliciously tempting classes to get your tastebuds tingling.
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It was Raymond Blanc’s personal vision to marry a boutique hotel with fine dining and within the first year of opening in 1984 the hotel had earned two Michelin stars. The Raymond Blanc Cookery School gives visitors a taste of the effort behind its success. The sessions led by head tutor Mark Peregrine and team include classes on how to cook like the acclaimed chef patron’s mother in Maman Blanc’s Classic Cuisine (from ￡365) and the Magic of Macarons (from ￡185), using produce from the hotel’s prestigious two-acre kitchen garden.
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If you’ve ever dreamed of cooking with British chef and television presenter James Martin, this is your chance. Every month he showcases some of his favourite dishes before watching over you as you recreate them (from ￡350). Guests depart with a new found ability to create raw granola bars, nori and coconut wraps with fragrant cauliflower rice or even beetroot ravioli with sunflower seed cream. If that doesn’t tempt you, perhaps try your hand at some of the other exciting classes, such as the wellbeing sessions led by Anna Middleton.
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Chef Kevin Hughes holds full and half-day cookery courses in the dedicated stylish and relaxed demonstration kitchen, in the converted stables adjacent to the castle hotel. He shares his tips, tricks, recipes and stories through a range of classes including how to create the perfect afternoon tea, the ultimate brunch and even Spanish tapas or barbecue essentials by Weber. Dishes are created using fresh, seasonal ingredients from the estate’s very own four-acre walled garden, with venison, rabbit, smoked trout and game sourced from the wider grounds. Foodies are well-catered for here and there are two exceptional restaurants on-site.
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The hotel’s restaurant Hartnett Holder & Co kitchen hosts hands-on courses which draw on the kitchen’s confident approach to cooking and eating in its signature home-cooked style. This is an informal and fun opportunity to learn how to cook delicious and fresh food for everyone – from beginners to budding masterchefs. Tuck into a choice of workshops such as HH&Co Bites with Paul Ainsworth (from ￡65) and Guest Chef Cookery Workshops with stars such as Rick Stein and Tom Kerridge (from ￡260). Bring a taste of home-rolled pasta, home-cured salmon and home-baked pizza to your own kitchen at home.
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This is an opportunity to learn more about the passion and skill that goes on behind the scenes at Claridge’s. Masterclasses provide practical tutorials and could include lessons on the art of jam and jelly-making, pickling, preserving and creating delicious English chutney (from ￡225) and how to turn game into patés, pies and terrines, including Claridge’s well-known duck terrine and game pie (from ￡250). Start the day with a welcome cup of tea or coffee in Fumoir and enjoy lunch in Claridge’s kitchen after the session.
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The cookery school at Thyme isn’t just about food. Watch as chefs and mixologists guide you through the art of making alcohol infused with herbs and seasonal fruits, shrubs, cordials, syrups and bitters, and seasonal cocktail and mocktail recipes (from ￡75). Perhaps a food illustration? Botanical Painting with Anna Koska classes take you through her approach to botanical painting with egg tempera, history and guidance as she shares 25 years of experience (from ￡175). If these aren’t enough to whet your appetite, there’s a host of masterchef masterclasses.
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This 18th-century manor house steeped in history is a quintessentially British escape to the countryside with formal fine-dining and tranquil gardens. They’re so serious about food here, you can even attain a Diploma. But if you feel like you’re biting off more than you can chew and fancied something a little lighter-hearted (or try something new), they have a great menu of choice for beginners. Each course, from barbecue masterclasses to A Taste of Lancashire, is designed to teach you the fundamental skills and techniques, understanding the ‘whys’ as well as the ‘hows’.
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Lucknam Park have a variety of offerings for budding cooks and kitchen connoisseurs, with a dedicated focus on men. No matter what age or ability, The Modern Man’s Kitchen is a chance to learn how to make some great dishes, as well as techniques to learn at home, from basic knife skills to making desserts. Other classes include How to Design a Dinner Party (canapés, mains, desserts and petit fours), or Glorious Game which looks at how to cook wild meat properly and create rich sauces and accompaniments (each from ￡185).
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The food at Eckington Manor is a treat, so much so that they have set up a state-of-the-art cookery school. The kitchen is run by husband and wife team Sue and Mark Stinchcombe – Mark was the winner of Masterchef: The Professionals 2015. They offer a range of fun and simple courses, teaching cooks how to choose and treat quality ingredients and create dishes using simple recipes they can take home with them. Classes range from knife skills (from ￡5 for half an hour) to three-day AGA cookery courses (from ￡525). Tailor-made, one-to-one courses are available. They also host professional chef courses.