Festive baking — buche de Noel,
Delightful Tea Bake School, Great Wakering, Essex
You’ll log (get it?) some tip-top baking techniques, including how to make ganache, during this fun and hands-on half-day course:
Dec 9, £85 p/p, 3.5 hours, delightfultea.co.uk
Christmas entertaining,
Northcote Cookery School, Blackburn, Lancashire
A practical day course from the kitchen of the highly accomplished Nigel Haworth for beginners looking to learn how to put on a spread at Christmas.
Dec 10, £195pp, 7.5 hours, northcote.com
The ultimate Christmas cookery class,
Jenius Social, Islington, London
Covering all the Christmas classics with some creative twists – game terrine with cranberry sauce and Brussels sprouts and bacon gratin are on the menu – this class will leaving you sitting pretty for the big day.
Dec 11, £190pp, 4 hours, jeniussocial.co.uk
A Spanish Christmas,
The Bertinet Kitchen cookery school, Bath
Jenny Chandler presents a Spanish spread that includes salt-cod fritters with piperade, cockerel with Catalan fruit-and-nut stuffing and turron ice cream with almond crisps and sherry-plumped raisins.
Dec 11, £165pp, thebertinetkitchen.com
Merry molecular Christmas,
Waitrose Cookery School, King’s Cross, London, N1
Brush up on a few Heston-like culinary tricks to impress gourmet guests during the festive season. Anyone for celeriac and calvados caviar, juniper snow and chestnut milk foam?
Dec 12, £100pp, 5 hours, waitrose.com
Can-do Christmas canapés,
Dancing Trousers Cookery School, Lechlade, Gloucestershire
Fed up with pigs in blankets? Learn how to make both savoury and sweet mini bites that look good and taste even better, including parmesan choux puffs with truffled mascarpone and mini mince pies topped with frangipane.
Dec 12, £95pp, 4 hours, 45 minutes, dancingtrousers.co.uk
Christmas-themed cookery,
Exeter Cookery School at Sapphire Spaces, Topsham, Devon
Surprise your guests with some tasty alternatives to the standard festive fare. This hands-on course will involve key time-saving tips and techniques, an Eastern slant on moules a la crème and a slow-braised pork belly main course.
Dec 12, £149pp, 7 hours, exetercookeryschool.co.uk
Christmas breads,
Harts Barn Cookery School in Longhope, Gloucestershire,
Don’t forget bread at Christmas. Bake Off fans can get stuck in, turning sweet bread dough into festive fancies such as mincemeat chelsea buns and stollen.
Dec 12, £50pp, 3 hours, hartsbarncookeryschool.co.uk
Panettone and mince pies for parents and children/teens,
Christmas is the ideal time for a joint mum or dad/child collaboration in the kitchen. In this festive class they will learn how to master a golden Italian panettone and then take it home boxed and ready to impress family and friends.
Dec 12, £75 (parent and child), 2.5 hours, cambridgecookeryschool.com
Christmas showstopper desserts,
Wilmslow Cookery School, Cheshire
You’d be amazed how clingfilm can make such a difference on this course for sweet tooths, that makes three desserts that can be frozen for Christmas.
Dec13, £90pp, 4 hours, 45 minutes, wilmslowcookeryschool.co.uk
An Italian Christmas with Stefano Imperiale,
Ashdown Manna Cookery School, Blackham, East Sussex
Find out how the Italians celebrate Natale on a day course that will cover pasta, polenta, panettone, chocolate salami and roasted pheasant with parsnip and chestnut mash.
Dec 13, £125pp, 6 hours, ashdowncookeryschool.co.uk
Christmas preserves,
The School of Artisan Food, Welbeck Estate, North Nottinghamshire
Join Lindy Wildsmith at this award-winning cookery school — Prince Charles is a fan — for a day jam-packed with recipes for all things pickled, jellied and soused.
Dec 14, £145pp, 7 hours, schoolofartisanfood.org
Creative Christmas,
Tante Marie Culinary Academy, Woking, Surrey
This full-immersion, two-day course could be the key to a truly memorable holiday meal. Potted crab, hand-made sausages and pear torte with brandy sauce are part of a menu designed to test culinary skills.
Dec 15-16, £300pp, 7 hours each day, tantemarie.co.uk
Christmas cooking – too much turkey?
Season, The Exclusive Cookery School, Winchester, Hampshire
Make sure Christmas is not a turkey this year with the expert guidance of chef Sylvain Gachot at this impressive school situated in the lovely grounds of Lainston House.
Dec 16, £185pp, 7 hours, exclusivehotels.co.uk
Gingerbread house,
The Konditor & Cook Cake School, London, SE1
Parent and child can construct and demolish a delicious gingerbread house, then repeat the process using the handy skills and techniques learned during this two-hour course.
Dec 22, £35 (for both parent and child), 2 hours, konditorandcook.com
13 plus Christmas presents,
Newlyns Cookery School, Hook, Hampshire
Imparting festive cheer among adolescents may sound like a challenge but the team at Newlyns claim to have this all wrapped up. Students can experience the hands-on joy of preparing chutneys, truffles and biscuits from scratch, while ticking some presents off the Christmas shopping list.
Dec 22, £60pp, 4 hours, newlyns-farmshop.co.uk
