One of the best things about the British summer is making the most of all the delicious seasonal ingredients. If you're in need of some kitchen inspiration, a cookery course could be the perfect way to spend a day - or even a week. Whether you're a novice cook or an experienced entertainer, we've found one to suit you
June 10 Good Cooking, Good Looking Cook It @ Frogmary Green Farm, South Petherton, Somerset 01460 242775 www.cookitatfrogmary.co.uk Healthy summer cookery is the focus of this fun, friendly one-day course (£140), which takes place on a working farm in the heart of Somerset. You'll learn how to use locally grown, seasonal ingredients to create dishes such roasted cod with quinoa and beetroot, and Moroccan chicken with green bean salad, carrot and coriander fritters
June 14 and 27 BBQs The Abinger Cookery School, near Dorking, Surrey 01306 730470 www.abingercookeryschool.com Singed sausages will be a thing of the past once you've attended this one-day course at The Abinger Cookery School (£135). It covers everything from the basics of cooking meat over an open flame to the secrets of barbecuing fish and shellfish, smoking and slow-cooking. If you'd like to stay overnight, you can book one of the school's four farmhouse-style bedrooms, which cost from £50 a night.
June 14 Summer Puddings Leiths School of Food and Wine (above), London W12 020-8749 6400 www.leiths.com Those with a sweet tooth will adore this Saturday course (£145), during which you'll learn the secrets of making a range of divine summer desserts, from lemon and raspberry cheesecake sundae and fruit tartlets to Pimm's sorbet. And of course, everything you make can be taken home with you.
Skills Courses The Padstow Seafood School (above), Padstow, Cornwall 01841 532700 www.rickstein.com If you're down in Cornwall over the summer and fancy doing something a bit different, a half-day skills course (£95) at seafood maestro Rick Stein's Padstow Seafood School might be just the thing. This July, you can choose from Far Eastern steaming and lobster and crab, both of which take place on the 9th. Or if you're interested in a full-day course, Simply Fish (July 10, £198) will show you how to make the most of the freshest seafood.
August 18-22 Dudwell School (above), near Bath 07860 123827 www.dudwellschool.com Instead of going abroad for a week this summer, why not spend the time in the Mendip Hills brushing up on your kitchen skills? Dudwell School, the brainchild of Leiths founding principal Caroline Waldegrave, is the place to go if you're keen to broaden your repertoire. Students can expect to leave having mastered everything from bruschetta and foccacia to risottos, soufflés, profiteroles and ice creams. A week's course costs £850, and shorter courses can also be arranged for groups of friends. Accommodation is available.
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