Improve your gastronomic skills at one of these top cookery schools

Raymond Blanc Cook School

Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, Great Milton, Oxford OX44 7PD.
Tel: 01844 278881. www.manoir.com
Prices: From £310 per person for a one day non-residential class.

Set within beautiful surrounds, Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir invites you to combine a stay at the exquisite hotel with the chance to develop culinary skills. For passionate foodies eager to unlock secrets of fine gastronomy, the school’s hands-on approach will definitely leave you with a new-found confidence in the kitchen. With courses on cooking up seasonal dinner party dishes and delicious Christmas dinners, you’ll be shown the way to becoming the host with the most. Plus, entertaining can be done with ease by re-creating these tried and tested recipes in your own home.

Leiths School of Food and Wine

16-20 Wendell Road, Stamford Brook, London W12 9RT.
Tel: 020 8749 6400. www.leiths.com
Prices: Evening class, from £320 per person for a four week course; specialist class, from £58 per person for one night.

With a reputation as a first-class training school for top chefs the world over, Leiths has been teaching students the art of restaurant quality cuisine ever since it opened its doors in 1975. A varied programme and dedicated staff of experienced professionals offer both career cooks and enthusiastic amateurs lessons in everything from chocolate-making and Thai curries to pastry preparation and Italian fare, while a sizeable demonstration theatre and five fully-equipped kitchens help provide the perfect environment in which to learn. So, whether you want to sign up for a short course or an evening’s workshop, there will be a class to suit.

Lucy Cooks Cookery School

Mill Yard, Staveley, Near Kendal, Cumbria LA8 9LR.
Tel: 01539 432288. www.lucycooks.co.uk
Prices: £40 per person for a demo & dine experience, from £70 per person for a morning/daytime practical course.

Feed your appetite for fresh local produce by learning to cook in the heart of the Lake District in the foothills of the Kentmere Valley, the home of famous regional delights such as the Cumberland sausage, Grasmere gingerbread and Kendal mint cake. With specific classes for calorie counters, carnivores and vegetarians, you’re sure to go on a journey of discovery – broadening existing talents or discovering ones you never knew you had. Not only is this a fantastic venue for family fun days, but you’ll leave with terrific treats after spending time together in the kitchen.