5 fun cookery experiences for groups

Group Leisure suggests five culinary classes for groups who enjoy cooking, from a seafood session in Cornwall to a workshop that masters the making of canapes in County Cork.

1. Hone your skills in Yorkshire

Afternoon Tea Baking, Aga Cooking, Barbeque Cookery, and Dishes for Seasonal Entertaining are just some of the courses available at Swinton Park Cookery School in Ripon, Yorkshire.

Pictured: Try your hand at all kinds of cooking at Swinton Park.

The Cookery School runs a programme of two day, one day and half-day hands-on cookery classes throughout the year. Courses can be either residential or non-residential and are available for all ages and ability levels, covering a range of themes and cookery techniques.

cookeryschool@swintonpark.com
www.swintonpark.com/cookery-school

2. Learn from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s cook

Groups can experience cooking under the watchful eye of a professional at Llanerch Vineyard in Wales. Chef Angela Gray has worked as a personal chef to a number of famous individuals, including Andrew Lloyd Webber, and now teaches cooking to groups of all abilities.

Pictured: Learn from an expert at Angela Gray's Cookery School.

GTOs can choose from Saturday morning courses, three hour long skill-building sessions, chef nights and lunch time workshops – or even create a bespoke event. Cakes, puddings, pies, curries and seafood are just some of the cuisine options available on the list of courses.

enquiries@angelagray.co.uk
www.angelagray.co.uk

3. Step inside the real River Cottage

Fans of the television show River Cottage can book onto a number of culinary courses at the cottage itself, located in Devon. Sessions in seashore and hedgerow foraging, and in finding mushrooms, are some of the quintessentially British sessions available to groups.

Pictured: Out on a foraging day trip.

A one-day Hedgerow Foraging course, for example, will guide participants through the pleasures and perils of nature’s harvest. Groups will explore the Devon countryside to identify and gather an edible crop, before returning to River Cottage to study and cook it.

01297-630300
www.rivercottage.net/cookery-courses

4. Cook like Rick Stein

Rick Stein’s Cookery School is based in Padstow, Cornwall. A range of courses give participants the chance to try their hand at learning Rick Stein recipes, including fish and shellfish dishes. These sessions include three chef demonstrations and hands-on cooking for two dishes.

Pictured: Get to grips with seafood in Padstow. (Photo credit: davidgriffenphotography.co.uk).

Other types of cooking including Indian cuisine and Spanish tapas are available to learn to cook at the school, too.

reservations@rickstein.com
www.rickstein.com/school

5. Create canapes in County Cork

Darina Allen's Ballymaloe Cookery School in County Cork, Ireland, boasts everything from half-day cookery sessions to full term courses. Canapes, Finger Food and Tasty Bites, Vegetarian Cooking, Homemade Butchery, and Homemade Butter, Yogurts and Chesses are examples of the courses available.

Pictured: Learn about mini-food trends at Ballymaloe Cookery School.

Canapes, Finger Food and Tasty Bites, for example, is an intensive half-day demonstration that shows participants how to prepare canapes, and teaches about trends in mini-foods. Little cups of soup and oyster shooters are on the teaching menu, and groups can expect a canape-orientated lunch, too.

info@cookingisfun.ie
www.ballymaloe.com

(Lead image photo credit: davidgriffenphotography.co.uk).