Where to book and cook in the UK

Feeling the need to improve your culinary CV? Try these places...

The Seafood School in Padstow (01841 532700; www.rickstein.com), Rick Stein's cookery school, has a predictably fishy theme. Four-day holidays (£1,350pp) visit the subject in depth, while the two-day varieties (£595pp) specialise, for instance, in fish and shellfish (booking for 6 and 7 January) and French and Italian fish cookery (6 and 7 February). Prices include tuition, accommodation and food, including wine.

Nairn's Cook School (01877 385603; www.nairncookschool.com) on the Lochend estate near Stirling is run by fellow TV chef Nick Nairn. Sessions cost £110pp per day for up to five days, and a special two-day course in modern Scottish fare in February, dates to be decided, costs £220pp. Accommodation at Lochend starts at £90 per room for two nights.

The Village Bakery (01768 881515; www. villagebakery.com) in the Lake District specialises in bread - teaching covers everything from ciabatta to challah, with a special gluten-free course on offer for the more Islington-minded. Prices range from £275 for a two-day session to £495 for five days and include most meals - book now for Festive Baking, 12 and 13 October. Accommodation can be arranged at a nearby B&B for £25 a night.

The Ashburton Centre (01364 652784; www.ashburtoncentre.co.uk) in Devon runs courses in vegetarian cookery every month, including stocks, bread and pastries. A three-night break from 7-10 November costs £305pp, including 21 hours of tuition and full-board accommodation. There are also courses in farmhouse and Mediterranean cookery.