Posted on October 04, 2023
With the return of the Great British Bake Off, people all over the country are more inspired than ever to pull on their aprons, pop into the kitchen and try their hand at a spot of baking. So if you're enticed by the on-screen mouth-watering bakes, have considered mastering the art of baking but don’t know where to start, we’ve compiled some of the best baking classes in The Cotswolds to check out.
The Cotswolds Baking Workshop
Located in Shipston-on-Stour, The Cotswolds Baking Workshop offers a range of courses to aid you in your baking journey. From classes on bagels and brownies to festive macaroons, the Cotswolds Baking Workshop teaches styles of bakes from Britain, America and across the world. Either join the small face-to-face classes with the company founder, Susie Whitfield in her home kitchen or if you're based elsewhere in the UK, join an online course. In 2017 Susie Whitfield won Gordon Ramsay’s Culinary Genius USA Award, so you’ll be learning from one of the very best in town.
Hobbs House Bakery Cookery School
Based in Chipping Sodbury, Hobbs House Bakery Cookery School is a family bakery with five generations ready to impart their wisdom unto you. With both children and adult classes available, the whole family can learn the basics of bread making all the way up to making croissants and Danish pastries. Learning from the extremely talented Herbert brothers, you can spend either an evening or a whole day perfecting your baking skills.
Edible Art Patisserie
Edible Art Patisserie create the most wonderful looking sweet treats. With multiple locations including Cheltenham and Bath, you can learn from amazing talent on how to create your own sweet treats at home. There are a huge variery of courses available, from one-day courses on their famous handmade, filled chocolate bonbons and macarons, to courses spread over multiple weeks to master patisserie including chocolate work, macarons, petit gateaux, choux pastry, lifelike fruits, mirror glazing and tarts.
Daylesford Farm Cookery School
At Daylesford Farm Cookery School you can take classes to master pretty much anything you can imagine on a menu but we’re going to focus on their baking options. Located near Kingham, there are a multitude of courses available for the whole family. One highlight is their ‘Art of Afternoon Tea’ course, where you create your own afternoon tea display including tarts, cakes, biscuits and savoury treats. They have plenty of courses available on cakes, bakes and bread making though, so definitely explore their calendar.
Alice Through The Year
At Alice Through The Year, professionally trained chef Alice Robertson runs different seasonal workshops. Depending on the time of year you book, will reflect on the type of treats you’ll be baking. During Christmas you can make mince pies and around Easter, learn to make delicious hot cross buns. Alice also offers one-to-one courses where you can specialise in any bakes you particularly want to master.
Severn Bites
Severn Bites, located in Cambridge specialise in bread making. Using locally sourced ingredients, Danielle Ellis who mastered her baking skills in France can take you through the basics of bread-making from simple sourdough courses to seasonal treats, we'd recommend booking onto their Christmas breads course.
Thyme
Located in Southrop, Thyme is famous for its cookery school. Cooking under the guidance of an expert Thyme chef, guests learn the ‘field to plate’ techniques Thyme are known for. Choose from two different styles of courses, the ‘Master A Skill’ two-hour course or ‘Cook And Dine’, an extensive four hour course. With many options available, one of the 'Master A Skill' classes every aspiring star baker should consider, is the ‘Speedy Baking’ course where you can learn anything from Traditional Soda Bread to indulgent sweet bakes.
If you want to try to some bakes at home before a course or are already confident in your skills, why not try some of these recipes from local chefs and producers in The Cotswolds. Whether you’re looking for a serious baking time out or evolve a hobby, you can’t go wrong with any of the options above. Delicious bakes are guaranteed but not a Hollywood handshake!