The 10 best cookery schools

1. La Cucina Caldesi, London

From £75, caldesi.com

Whether you want to perfect your pizza, pasta or polenta, look no further than this Italian cookery school run by the people behind London's Caldesi restaurants.

2. Llanerch Vineyard, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales

From £25, llanerch-vineyard.co.uk

Set up by the chef Angela Gray in 2007, this school has a huge network of local food producers.

3. Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Oxfordshire

From £335, manoir.com

Raymond Blanc's school is the only one in the world that offers the chance to learn in the kitchens of a two-Michelin-starred restaurant.

4. Padstow Seafood School, Cornwall

From £195, rickstein.com

Preparing fish in the bold style that has made Rick Stein famous in a stunning kitchen overlooking the Camel Estuary is as good as it gets.

5. Leiths School of Food and Wine, London

From £95, leiths.com

Here's one for wannabe chefs. It has seen oodles of students start up their own businesses or work in Michelin-starred restaurants.

6. Swinton Park, Yorkshire

From £95, swintonpark.com

Set in a 17th-century, 30-bedroomed, child-friendly castle hotel with great facilities, this will leave you itching to throw a dinner party to show off your new skills.

7. Bettys Cookery School, Yorkshire

From £175, bettyscookeryschool.co.uk

This fabulous cookery school reflects the tea rooms' expertise in breadmaking and baking.

8. Food Safari, Suffolk

From £75, foodsafari.co.uk

Want to get your hands really dirty? Food Safari offers field-to-fork experiences – gourmet food events that give you a chance to fish, forage, butcher and more.

9. Novelli Academy de Cuisine, Hertfordshire

From £195, jeanchristophenovelli.com

These classes focus on highly transferable cooking skills. There's even a helpline for graduates.

10. Brook Hall Cookery School, Buckinghamshire

From £185, brookhall.net

Fresh crab and saffron tart, andpumpkin ravioli with sage butter are just a few reasons to get your pinny on and learn how to cook.