Dishy Cookery School

Basic Ingredients: With good links from London Waterloo, this Surrey based cook school offers five-hour day courses from its homely but smartly equipped kitchen in the pretty village of Thames Ditton. The school is run by lifelong culinary explorer Christine Thompson, whose ethos of promoting locally sourced, seasonal produce sits comfortably with her informal but informative tuition that strives to instil a passion for good food in students of all abilities. Most courses are £95 and cover skills such as baking and sausage-making as well as healthy contemporary cuisine with Gastro Vegetarian and Cooking with Fish.

They say:  I hope that my courses will inspire others to fall in love with cooking and sharing in the eating of good food.

We say: Previous group courses have included Beat the Clock, with two teams battling it out to serve presentable and well prepared dishes in the fastest time. Other bespoke corporate events are available and can be arranged online or by calling Christine directly. Check out Christine’s blog for some tasty recipes such as raspberry and vanilla Welsh cakes and chocolate and beetroot brownies.