Where to Find Cooking Vacations in the UK

Cooking vacations are becoming more and more popular around the world. They are held in larger venues such as cookery schools all the way down to a local Bed & Breakfast. The latter, of course, will be catering to much smaller groups. Both though will provide guidance and instruction from an experienced chef who will infuse you with his/her own food passion.

During your stay, which can last anywhere from a single day up to a week, you will spend time in the kitchen learning and preparing foods under the direction of the chefs. Time between cooking workshops can be spent exploring local farmyards, gardens, and regional food producers and taking in the local sights.

North East Region


Swinton Park Cookery School
Located in a luxurious 30 bedroom castle hotel in North Yorkshire. The Swinton Cookery School has 2 day residential courses run by celebrity chef Rosemary Shrager. They also have day, evening, and themed cookery courses throughout the year plus Chef's Table Demonstration Dinners and a Sunday masterclass.

North West Region

Bread Matters

If you have a passion for bread, or would just like to learn how to bake it, then these are the courses for you. Taught by artisan baker Andrew Whitley, these courses will take the mystery and fear out of bread-making.

Bread Matters is located in Penrith Cumbria, just a few miles west of the Lake District National Park. Most courses are run over a weekend and information on local accommodations are provided when you register.

Leah's Pantry

Located on Harrop Farm in the Peak District, the Pantry offers a range of cooking demonstrations and foodie breaks using local and seasonal produce. Accommodation is available on site in a B&B or self-catering cottage.

East Midland Region

Bridge Sixty-Seven Cookery School

One day cooking courses at a working farm teaching a range of handy cooking skills. Bridge 67 is located on Binley's Bridge Farm in Smeeton Westerby, Leicestershire. Starting in 2011 they will be offering 5 day foundation and intermediate courses. A list of nearby B&Bs, hotels, and cottages is available,

West Midlands Region

Eckington Manor Cookery School

1/2 day to 2 day courses are offered for all cooking abilities. They provide a wide range of hands-on and demonstration courses. Accommodation is available on the Manor grounds in a Bed and Breakfast setting.

Also located here is Eckington Farm, a working farm with an award winning breeding program and is managed under the government's Environmental Stewardship Scheme which aims to achieve the highest level of environmental conservation. Wherever possible ingredients for the Cookery School. The Shop and the Bed & Breakfast are sourced direct from the farm.

Cookaway Food Breaks


Prpvides weekend cooking courses with an emphasis on local and seasonal foods. They are located in Herefordshire near the Welsh border at Caldicott Farm, Broad Oak. Accommodation is in Meadow Barn, a cruck style converted barn with medieval origins. Meadow Barn B&B is also available for self-catering holiday visits.

East Region

The Cookery School

The Cookery School at Braxted Park is located on 500 acres of parkland between Chelmsford and Colchester. An exciting range of 1 and 2 day cooking courses are available geared towards the absolute beginner all the way up to the experienced chef.

Cooking in Norfolk
Located the rural Norfolk countryside near Norwich, they provide 1 and 3 day cooking holidays with overnight accommodation available on site. For those who want a bit of pampering, in-room aromatherapy massage is available. Cooking courses run weekly, Monday - Wednesday.

London Region

Ren's Kitchen

If you have an interest in Indian cuisine then check out Ren's Kitchen in London. Ren offers classes for up to 6 people either in her own kitchen or in the privacy of your own home. Menus are tailored to the needs and desires of the students. Along the way she helps you to better understand the spices used in Indian cooking.

South East Region

The Cooking Academy

This cookery school located in Hertfordshire provide 1 and half-day courses in Indian and Thai cooking. They also provide cooking courses for teenagers, Japanese sashimi and sushi courses, and "Ready, Steady, Cook" style team building and corporate events.

Raymond Blanc Cookery School

This award winning restaurant and cookery school at Le Manoir aux Quat' Saison in Great Milton, Oxfordshire is the only cookery school in the world in a 2 Michelin Star restaurant. The 15th Century Manor house is set on 27 acres of gardens, including an organic food garden.

It offers 1,2, or 4 day cookery classes for both adults and children from a team of dedicated and experienced chefs. Learn how to prepare a beautiful dinner party, cook Christmas dinner, or discover the perfect marriage of wine and food. These are just a few of the wide range of cooking opportunities available at Le Manoir.

Murray School of Cookery


They offer cooking demontrations, non-residential weekend courses, and a 4 - week intensive course leading to a certificate in cooking.

Murray School of Cookery has now merged with The Cook Academy in Arlesford, Hampshire near Winchester.

South West Region

Ashburton Cookery School
Located in Devon within Dartmoor National Park. They offer cookery courses for people with a wide range of skills and knowledge, from complete cooking novices to the seasoned professional chef. Courses range from 1 - day sessions all the way up to a 4 - week course leading to a diploma in cooking. Rooms for guests are available at Ashburton Court.

St Martin's Bakery and Baking Course
This cooking school in located on St Martin in the Scilly Isles, located about 25 miles off the coast of Land's End in Devon. The Isles are owned by the Duchy of Cornwall.

Five day stays with 3 day of intensive baking courses are run in November, January, February, and March. Over the days you will learn the art of baking breads, flans, pies, pastries, cakes and quiches. The package deal includes the helicopter flight from Penzance to the Isles and back again, accommodations, and all meals.

Panary

Cann Mill near Shaftesbury, Dorset.

Offers 1 to 3 day courses in bread making and craft baking. Cann Mills is a working water mill and provides a range of flours.

Accommodation is available at nearby Bed & Breakfasts and information on these is available on the website.

Padstow Seafood School

Learn about cooking fish and seafood from Cornwall's very own Rick Stein. Courses provide a balance between hands-on work and demontrations. One and two day courses plus evening demonstrations are available. Accommodations are available at any of the 40 rooms located at Rick Stein's area restaurants.

Region 1 - Outer Islands, The Highlands, and Skye

Wild food cookery weekend

An exciting weekend of learning to cook using ancient ways of cooking. You'll learn how to forage for greens, how to cook over an open fire, and in a stone-lined pit. You can also try baking bread over a fire and cooking fish in clay. All of the food comes from local farms or from what you forage on the day.

Scottish Highlands Cooking Vacation
You'll be staying in a traditional Scottish Inn, Glenuig Inn. The town of Glenuig is situated on the shores of the Sound of Arisaig, 35 miles west of Fort William. During the 7-night stay you will have the opportunity to tour local farms, working sheep and cattle farms, an organic fish farm. And of course you will have the chance to sample locally produced whisky.

Region 2 - Grampian Highlands, Aberdeen, and the North East Coast

Knowle Bed and Breakfast

Offers 2 and 5 night stays with 4 days of professional cooking instruction in the longer stay. Four to 6 people need to book together with 2 or 3 of the guests doing the cooking and everyone enjoying the results. They are located on beautiful Loch Ness near Drumnadrochit and just 800 meters from The Great Glen Way.

They also have their own smokehouse and produce their own smoked back bacon at Loch Ness Smokehouse

Region 3 - Perthshire, Dundee, Angus, and the Kingdom of Fife

Cookery Course Weekend at the Four Seasons

Two nights stay at the beautiful Four Seasons Hotel in St Fillans, Perthshire combined with a weekend of cooking. Courses are offered on healthy eating, mid-week meals, creating a buffet, and many others. Men only classes are also on offer.

Region 4 - West Highlands and Islands, Loch Lomand, Stirling and Trossach

Nick Nairn's Cook School


Located in the foothills of the Trossachs near the Port of Menteith, this school offers one day cooking demonstrations. Nick Nairn is a champion of seasonal, Scottish produce and is well known from his many TV and public appearances. Accommodation is available at many nearby hotels, B&Bs and self-catering cottages. This area of Scotland is just an hour's drive from Glasgow and is famous for its natural beauty.

Region 5 - Glasgow and The Clyde

The Cookery School

This cooking school in Glasgow offers 1 day, weekend, and 5 day cooking courses. Accommodation can be found at nearby hotels. There are over 40 different courses available, including Modern Scottish, Classic Scottish, Pasta, and Home Baking. You can take a basics course in Kitchen Skills or learn how to create a Dinner Party. Other courses are available in cake decorating, cocktail making, or even wine and whisky tasting.

Region 6 - Edinburgh

Edinburgh School of Food and Wine

This school offers 4 week to 6 month cooking courses for the professional chef, but also offers 1 day, 1 week, and weekend courses for the amateur who just wants to expand their culinary knowledge. Courses are designed to be hands on, practical, and fun. The school is located in a converted 18th century Coach House on the grounds of Newliston House, 12 miles west of Edinburgh City Centre.

Region 7 - Scottish Borders

The Cook School in the Scottish Borders

Spend a day learning to cook a variety of foods through hands on work and demonstrations. Theme days focusing on different cooking styles and techniques are available including vegetarian, Italian, pastry and bread-making, and fish and seafood days. They also provide regular courses on cooking with an AGA. They are located 2 miles north of Broughton village in the heart of the beautiful Scottish Borders. Accommodation is available near by.

Region 1 - Anglesey and Snowdonia

Cadair View Lodge

Stay in a log cabin, made from Norwegian pine located at Trawsfynydd Holiday Village, at Bronaber, in the heart of the of the Snowdonia National Park. Amongst the other activities available they now offer short break cookery courses. Sessions run about 3 hours and you can mix and match different courses to create your own special cooking break. Cookery courses are offered in conjunction with Wild in the Pantry.

Region 2 - North Wale Coast and Borderlands

Region 3 - Mid Wale and Brecon Beacons

The Drovers Rest Restaurant

Located beside the River Irfon in Llanwrtyd Wells, Mid Wales, Powys. Rooms are available above the restaurant or in nearby High View House. Cooking courses include vegetarian,game,meat,vegan,organic, healthy eating,sweets and desserts to working within a budget, menu planning and table layout. You have a choice between day courses, weekend and week-long courses, or even stag and hen parties.

Region 4 - Ceredigion

Region 5 - Pembrokeshire


Cooking with Angela Gray at Slebech Park

Located on 600 acres of natural parkland near the Cleddau estuary. The Dutch style walled garden provides fresh produce for the cookery classes and local producers are involved not only in providing products but also local food events and food tours. Accommodation is available at Slebech for those wishing to stay in Pembrokeshire for a few days.

Region 6 - Carmarthenshire

Region 7 - Swansea, Gower and Neath

Region 8 - Cardiff Coast and South Wales

Cooking with Angela Gray at Fonman Castle

This 13th century castle near Rhoose in the Vale of Glamorgan is still privately owned. Participants at the cooking school are able to harvest their own ingredients from extensive gardens, including a walled culinary herb garden. Courses are non-residential and a list of nearby accommodation is available.

Region 9 - Wye Valley and Vale of Usk

The Culinary Cottage

Beginner's to advanced courses are available. Located near Abergavenny overlooking the Black Mountains. Accommodation is available on site and for those who want to do a bit of walking there are several trails and a nearby local pub. 1-day to 5-day courses are available. They also offer specialised courses for the AGA, a busy mum's cooking course for kids, seasonal cooking, and even a course to take the fright out of Christmas dinner.

County Antrim

County Armagh

County Londonderry

My Little Kitchen Cookery School
Offering cookery courses for adults and children. All take place in a secluded farm in Greysteel, County Londonderry and are run by husband and wife, Phillip & Nuala Ford. Learn to cook a feast in a fun and relaxing atmosphere.

County Down

Flavour Academy

Cookery courses for everyone from the nervous beginner to the confident chef. Located in County Down on the River Bann, near Banbridge.

County Fermanagh

Belle Isle School of Cookery

Winner of the 2009 Northern Ireland Tourism Award for PR Excellence

This school is located on a small island in Upper Lough (Gaelic for "lake") Erne, in Northern Ireland. They offer 1 day non-residential, 2 day residential, and 4 week diploma classes in a relaxed atmosphere.

County Tyrone