Leiths School of Food and Wine in west London, founded 1975 by Prue Leith, runs day, evening and short courses on professional cooking technique, the gold-standard British cookery school.
Tip: Day-long Saturday courses are the most popular; book six weeks ahead. The diploma programme runs over ten months for full professional training.
Address: 16-20 Wendell Road, London W12 9RT
Bread Ahead Bakery School at Borough Market in London, founded 2013 by Matthew Jones, runs day classes on sourdough, doughnuts and pastry at the bakery's working ovens.
Tip: Sourdough day class is the most-booked. Doughnut class focuses on the bakery's signature vanilla cream filling and runs Saturday mornings.
Divertimenti's cookery school above the kitchen shop on Marylebone High Street in London, running since 1999, hosts visiting chefs and a Friday evening pasta-making class.
Tip: The visiting chef classes are the rare-event slots; book four weeks ahead. Sicilian and Sri Lankan are popular themed nights.
Borough Kitchen Cook School, run by the kitchenware shop chain since 2014, hosts knife-skills, Italian-pasta and Asian cookery classes at Hampstead and Chiswick locations.
Tip: Knife-skills three-hour class is the popular starter. Saturday brunch classes (pancakes, eggs) suit beginners.
