Five cookery schools for corporate away-days and press gatherings

As a corporate away-day option, or somewhere different to entertain a group of journalists hungry for a story, cooking classes are hard to beat. With almost everyone starting on the same footing, it’s one of the ultimate exercises in teambuilding and working towards a common, or edible, goal.

By Ali Catterall

Daylesford Cookery School, Cotswolds

One of the UK’s most stylish farm-to-table cookery schools, this organic farm offers lessons using seasonal, hyperlocal ingredients, sprouting just seconds from the kitchen. Tutors Matt, James and Steve promise to change the way you cook and to use and engage with produce while also learning about it and understanding how it journeys from field to fork. Perfect for clients who want to brush up their sustainability credentials.

Find out more about Daylesford cookery school.

James Martin’s Cookery School at Chewton Glen, Hampshire

Set within the five-star Relais & Châteaux hotel’s purpose-built kitchen on its gorgeous 130-acre New Forest estate, this offers immersive, hands-on classes, allowing guests to get properly stuck in. Groups are guided through a wide range of dishes and techniques, from modern British cooking to global street food. Expect everything from Thai to Persian and Greek, topped off with a shared dinner at the end. Note: James only makes sporadic appearances, but otherwise, you’re in the capable hands of resident chef tutor Gerard and the guest chefs. You also get a recipe pack and commemorative kitchen apron to take home.

Find out more about Jame Martin's cookery school at Chewton Glen.

Edinburgh Food and Drink Academy, Edinburgh

Expert tutors guide guests through over 50 courses, tastings and experiences, from mastering macarons to curry in a Hurry, in its fully equipped kitchens. Options also include wine or whisky tastings. Pleasingly, these are hands‑on classes for every ability and skill set, from aspiring chefs to those who find boiling an egg a bit mindboggling.

Find out more about Edinburgh food and drink academy.

Enrica Rocca Cookery School, Notting Hill, London

A white woman and white man stand in front of a bowl of pasta sauce on a hub in a large kitchen. Other people can be seen cooking in the background. — Image credit: Ryan Hunter

Since 2002, the Rocca family, sisters Charlotte and Claire and their mother Enrica, have been running this west London-based Italian cookery school in what was once their family home. And appropriately, this one’s all about traditional home cooking. Guests gather around the island to prepare simple, seasonal dishes including handmade pasta, and Roman classics such as supplì and amatriciana. They might even teach you how to slice garlic as keenly as Paul Sorvino in Goodfellas.

Find out more about Enrica Rocca cookery school.

Rick Stein’s Cookery School, Cornwall

“I really think everyone cooks better at my cookery school," says Stein, and here’s your chance to prove it. These relaxed, multi-award-winning classes, including Best Cookery School 2016, Food Magazine’s Readers Awards, combine seafood masterclasses with stunning coastal views over the Camel Estuary. Ideal for teams who want a proper getaway. Evening workshops include cooking crab linguine. Which, unlike crab sticks, as Alan Partridge reminds us, will at least contain real crab.

Find out more about Rick Stein's cookery school.