Fab Five: The best hotels with cooking classes for children in England
It's a fact, one of the best ways to have fun during the school holidays is to get busy baking. Come rain or shine, we would don our aprons, throw open the recipe books and make a big mess before tucking into our finest creation du jour. One of the not-so-fun bits was the clearing up afterwards. The solution? Treat the children to a cookery course at one of these hotels in England for your next break. We've rounded up some of the most deliciously tempting and delightfully fun hotels with cooking classes for children to sink your teeth into, from pasta-making mornings to sushi-rolling sessions, with a few chocolatey surprises thrown in for fun. After all, an apron is just a cape on backwards.
Le Manoir is an excellent place to introduce kids to fine dining: the children's menu offers sophisticated takes on familiar dishes. If you're eating here, spend a while before your meal exploring Raymond Blanc's expansive walled garden, observing which vegetables are in season. Staff take an unstuffy approach to young people, even after the last pudding has been eaten, and waiters will invite children into the kitchen to choose their favourite flavour from the ice cream freezer. The point here is to share joy in eating. This ethos extends to the Raymond Blanc Cookery School where children learn to make four dishes from scratch and are presented with a course certificate at the end (￡555, full day for an adult and child aged seven to 12).
? The best hotels with cookery courses in England
One of the most exciting and intelligent offerings for children is the Le Petit Chef masterclass at The Connaught in London. Younger residents can sign up (with their parents) for a cooking lesson led by the pastry chef at Hélène Darroze before they head to the two-Michelin star restaurant for a meal, which ends with the pudding they made. Le Petit Chef masterclass and dining experience costs from ￡206 for two parents and one child, including lunch or dinner for parents from the à la carte menu, and a mini masterclass with the pastry chef for the child. Children get to take home personalised aprons and chefs’ hats, plus food-themed films to watch in the hotel room.
? The Connaught London's Le Petit Chef masterclass
Junior chefs aged eight to 12 will learn how the team at Chewton Glen grow their fruit and vegetables in the kitchen gardens and the seasonal ingredients that make a menu great. They will love the Tortellini and Truffles course that's not only delicious (with hand-made truffles at the end) but educational. Other sessions could include Make and Bake, with cheesy rolls created using herbs picked from the garden; salmon and sweet potato fish cakes with crushed pea and mint crème fraiche (￡45, half a day). Teenagers aged 13 to 17 can get involved too, by enrolling in classes like Sushi and Souffle or Puffs and Pavlovas. And that's just for starters...
? Stay in a Chewton Glen Treehouse Suite
This magnificent castle hotel in the middle of Yorkshire is well recognised for its cookery school. Kevin Hughes and his culinary team lead the lessons and use seasonal ingredients sourced from the walled gardens and wider estate. For children's courses, each one is tailored to the holiday theme. Children will learn how to make delicious treats they can practice at home, from romantic lemon kisses in February, to scary mummies’ fingers in October. And the best bit? No washing up for you. A half-day session for mini chefs (ages six to nine), with an apron, recipes and goody bag to take home is from ￡50 per child. Half-day beginner courses for children aged 10 to 14 are from ￡60.
? Swinton Park: is this Yorkshire's best spa?
Mini pain au chocolat are offered on arrival before the group head into Lime Wood’s HH&Co kitchen led by celebrity chef Angela Hartnett. Here, the 'little nippers' are shown their first demonstration, which could include simple courses such as pasta or pizza. Once the hard work is over, everyone sits down to enjoy their culinary creations together. This is a great way to get the children excited about cooking from scratch as they learn how to get stuck-in and make their own delicious meals in a hands-on and supportive environment. Little Nippers courses, for children aged between five and 12, are from ￡65 for two hours – which gives you enough time to enjoy Lime Wood's incredible spa.