October 2023

Our signature Chef Skills Masterclass runs every month, designed to give anyone with an interest in cookery the chance to learn invaluable skills to elevate their cooking to new heights.

Whether you’re a complete beginner or more experienced cook, this comprehensive introduction to the essential skills and techniques of classic cookery will ensure you leave you confident enough to execute almost any recipe, as well as being able to create your own dishes and develop a signature style.

Using seasonal, organic produce from our Farm and Market Garden, this half-day course will discuss the importance of good ingredients and classic techniques. Covering as many principles as possible in the 3-dishes that we will create throughout the day. This course provides all of the skills and techniques you need to create consistently delicious, elegant dishes at home. Within each session you will enjoy a combination of demonstrations and hands-on cookery, sitting down together to enjoy each dish you make, accompanied by a glass or two of wine from our sister estate in Provence.

We love sharing our knowledge and passion with masterclasses such as this half-day course all about pasta. Our tutors will cover three different pasta dough techniques, the shaping process, regionality and of course delicious, simple sauces to accompany them.

Over the course of the morning, you will enjoy a series of demonstrations as well as hands-on cookery sessions. This course will provide plenty of tips, inspiration and confidence for you to take home to your own kitchens.

Our tutors will also explain the importance of the flours, how to knead the dough and how to finish and plate them beautifully to restaurant standard. Towards the end of the morning everyone will enjoy lunch together, trying some of your delicious creations, accompanied by a glass of wine from our sister estate, in Provence.

* Please note this course is not suitable for those following a gluten-free diet.

We cater for all sorts of dietary requirements at Daylesford and are delighted to see more interest in sustainable, plant-based foods: particularly the seasonal organic vegetables, fruit, salad leaves and herbs we are so passionate about growing in our Market Garden.

This course will focus on creating a variety of nutritionally balanced dishes using ingredients harvested from our organic farm and further afield, including alternative sources of protein and essential nutrients.

Whether you avoid animal products altogether, need help with ideas for cooking for vegan friends and family, or are keen to vary your diet with an “eat less meat, but better quality” approach, our Plant Based Kitchen course will equip you with skills, knowledge and inspiration to make a repertoire of delicious, nourishing plant-based dishes at home.

Join us to learn some of the secrets behind our delicious loaves from sourdoughs to seeded loaves, rolls, multi-grains and enriched doughs.

Using traditional, artisan methods and purely organic ingredients we will cover texture, kneading, proving and of course the all important baking, so that you can leave us confident to be able to recreate delicious homemade loaves. We pay special attention to the importance of good quality ingredients and age old traditions which set artisan bread apart from preservative-laden commercial breads.

Any questions relating to your own baking will of course be answered, and we’ll give you some sourdough starter to take home with you, aiming to inspire the start of your home-baking journey. On arrival, we will introduce you to your day over freshly made tea, coffee and a selection of pastries from our bakery before you enjoy a series of demonstrations and guided hands-on cookery sessions to create your own loaves. Throughout the day you will be seated around our central kitchen island to sample each bread accompanied by a glass or two of wine.

* Please not this course is not suitable for those following a gluten-free diet

Foraging is a traditional, age-old skill that we are passionate about at the Cookery School, offering the opportunity to harvest and eat the most delicious, seasonal ingredients from nature’s larder for free.

Ever popular, our canapé classes at The Cookery School are always a sell out. Whether to kick off a dinner party or as the main event to accompany drinks, canapés are the first morsel your guests will try and a great chance to make an impression.

Throughout this fun morning, we will arm you with skills and ideas to create delicious, effortless bites that you can easily recreate at home for your guests, as well as lots of recipe suggestions, time saving tips and presentation ideas. Our seasonal, organic produce from the Farm and Market Garden will be used to maximum effect to prepare delicious nibbles that would be perfect for any occasion.

At the end of the morning, after creating your own platters of canapés, we will finish by pouring you a glass or two of Prosecco and sampling everyone’s creations.

Eating well has a profound effect on how we feel and how our brains and bodies function. This course explores the relationship between good nutrition and our wellbeing, examining which foods can help us to function at our best.

We will look at the roles of fat, protein, vegetables, grains and sugar in our diets and how best to create delicious meals and recipes which will help you feel balanced and well.

Designed in collaboration with our resident nutritionist Rhaya Jordan, this course will include plenty of expert advice on how to include the vital nutrients in your eating and cooking at home. Throughout the day you will enjoy recipe demonstrations and guided hands-on cookery sessions to create delicious, nourishing dishes, using the freshest ingredients in season from our organic farm and Market Garden. As you arrive, we will introduce you to your day over freshly made tea and coffee before you enjoy a series of demonstrations and guided hands-on cookery sessions, to create your own dishes.

The passion and respect we have for our animals is paramount in developing our award-winning organic meat. Our Nose-To-Tail: Butchery Masterclass will allow you to follow and understand this journey, as well as gain practical tips and techniques from our expert chefs and butchers.

Beginning with a demonstration from our farm butchers, we will then get you hands on, butchering and preparing your own joints of meat and preparing them for the pot. Including beef, lamb and chicken, this course offers a comprehensive introduction to the essential techniques required to master butchery at home, as well as teaching you to choose the best cuts from your own butcher.

Over the course of the day we’ll cook a number of recipes highlighting a range of techniques from braising to roasting, leaving you confident cooking from nose-to-tail.

Join us for an unforgettable evening in The Cookery School at our Chef's Table Supper. Sit back and relax whilst our chefs create a delicious, seasonal tasting menu right in front of you, giving you the chance to taste our organic ingredients at their very best, having been crafted into elegant, imaginative dishes.

After introducing your menu over a welcome drink with nibbles, our chefs will explain more about what we do here at Daylesford and why our organic ingredients taste as good as they do. With numbers limited to 12, during dinner you will have the best seat in the house, offering you the opportunity to learn some of the methods and techniques that have gone into preparing the evening meal. Each dish will be accompanied by fine wines from our cellar, chosen to perfectly complement your menu.

If you’re short on time, but don’t want to compromise on delicious evening meals, this is the perfect course for you. Using organic, seasonal produce from our Farm and Market Garden we will create wonderful dishes that you will look forward to preparing, no matter how busy you are.

Focusing on accessible, simple recipes, which can be easily adapted to use ingredients you might have to hand, this course will give you a repertoire that is simple, nutritious and satisfying so that you leave us inspired to create your own dishes at home. Over the course of the day we will cover meat and fish dishes as well as recipes for sauces, accompaniments and vegetarian alternatives or replacements for anyone with special dietary requirements.

As you arrive, we will introduce you to your day over freshly made tea and coffee, before you enjoy a series of demonstrations and guided hands-on cookery sessions, to create your own dishes. Throughout the day you will have the chance to sit down to eat everything that you cook, accompanied by a glass or two of wine from our sister estate in Provence, Château Léoube.

Food and cookery is a wonderful way to bring families together in the kitchen, but this time you won’t have any washing up to worry about! Throughout the course there will be a selection of delicious, inspiring recipes for you to enjoy creating together with us, as well as back at home.

You will enjoy a mixture of demonstrations and hands-on cookery to create your own delicious dishes, which everyone will sit down to enjoy together. Accompanied by a glass or two of wine for the grown ups and delicious, organic juices for the children. There will of course be chance to explore our 28-acre organic Market Garden and see first hand where our seasonal, organic produce is grown.

Suitable for families with children aged between 5 - 16 years.

Created in conjunction with the Bamford Wellness Spa, our B Balanced days are designed to relax, restore and revive with 90 minutes of yoga, a cookery session and a relaxing massage treatment. Begin the day by enriching both your body and mind with a 90 minute yoga class in the spa's beautiful loft studio. You will then be guided back to The Cookery School where we will welcome you with a reviving juice and herbal teas.

After an introduction from our tutors, everyone will have the chance to cook a nourishing, healthy lunch, getting hands on preparing a number of dishes designed to reflect the holistic, wholesome approach to food we have at Daylesford.

Focusing on our wonderful organic ingredients, with recipes designed to make you feel your best, we’ll create a series of delicious and nutritious dishes which will be enjoyed together for lunch.

After your cookery session we’ll escort you back to the Bamford Wellness Spa for a 45-minute back, neck and shoulder massage giving you the chance to completely unwind before your day with us comes to an end.

B Balanced Timings 

9:15am | Arrival at The Cookery School for a cup of tea or coffee

9:30am | Yoga in the Bamford Wellness Loft Studio

11:00am - 2:00pm | Cookery School course

2:15pm - 4:15pm | 45-minute massage in the Bamford Wellness Spa

Sustainable Seafood is one of our most popular skills based course, allowing our guests to gain a real insight into an area of cookery which can sometimes be a little tricky to master. Even though fish and shellfish are a firm favourite for many on restaurant menus, the preparation and cooking of these delicious, delicate ingredients can be a little intimidating.

In this course we focus on how to select, prepare and cook an array of fish and shellfish, covering filleting, steaming, pan frying, sauces, accompaniments and lots more. We’ve designed the day so that guests have the chance to learn the essential principles of fish cookery, leaving the school confident enough to cook all sorts of varieties at home.

With tips and advice about how to source the freshest possible fish, how to store it at home and some delicious flavour combinations, this is a comprehensive introduction to one of our favourite subjects in the kitchen. As you arrive, we will introduce you to your day over freshly made tea and coffee, before you enjoy a series of demonstrations and guided hands-on cookery sessions, to create your own dishes. Throughout the day you will have the chance to sit down to eat everything that you cook, accompanied by a glass or two of wine from our sister estate in Provence, Château Léoube.

We are lucky to have a bountiful larder on our doorstep and throughout the course of the day you will learn how to prepare venison and game birds caught on our Cotswolds and Staffordshire farms.

Our expert cookery tutors will lead the class, demonstrating how to pluck, dress and prepare your game before cooking it, guiding you through each step of the process as you do it yourself.

You’ll also discover delicious seasonal recipes that show game off at its best and will practice cooking these, mastering the techniques to bring out real flavour and leaving with confidence in your cooking. All dishes will be enjoyed with fellow Cookery School students along with a glass or two of wine from our sister estate, Château Léoube. As you arrive, we will introduce you to your day over freshly made coffee and tea, before you enjoy a series of demonstrations and guided hands-on cookery sessions, to create your own dishes.

Ever popular, our Seasonal Dinner Party course will give you the confidence to cook delicious seasonal recipes for any occasion, that will impress your guests on all fronts with presentation, taste and timing.

Our recipes focus on ingredients and preparation techniques that allow you to spend time with your guests rather than locked away in the kitchen. Using seasonal, organic produce from our Farm and Market Garden we will provide you with a repertoire of dishes for starters, main courses and puddings, each elegant and simple to prepare.

We cover fish and meat cookery, vegetarian options, how to look after guests with special diets and will even talk a little about how to select the best wines to accompany your recipes back at home. As you arrive, we will introduce you to your day over freshly made coffee and tea, before you enjoy a series of demonstrations and guided hands-on cookery sessions, to create your own dishes. Throughout the day you will have the chance to try everything you make, accompanied by a glass or two of wine from our sister estate in Provence, Château Léoube.

Join us for an unforgettable evening in The Cookery School at our Chef's Table Supper. Sit back and relax whilst our chefs create a delicious, seasonal tasting menu right in front of you, giving you the chance to taste our organic ingredients at their very best, having been crafted into elegant, imaginative dishes.

After introducing your menu over a welcome drink with nibbles, our chefs will explain more about what we do here at Daylesford and why our organic ingredients taste as good as they do. With numbers limited to 12, during dinner you will have the best seat in the house, offering you the opportunity to learn some of the methods and techniques that have gone into preparing the evening meal. Each dish will be accompanied by fine wines from our cellar, chosen to perfectly complement your menu.

Everybody loves a lazy Sunday brunch and this fun half-day course at the Cookery School lets you enjoy tasting delicious dishes, while learning some great ideas and getting hands-on with new recipes to repeat on many relaxed mornings to come.

Join the Cookery School and Garden Room teams for this full-day course combining two of our favourite activities – floristry and cookery.

As you arrive to the Cookery School, we will introduce you to your day over freshly made coffee and tea, before you head off with our Head Floristry Tutor to learn how to create a beautiful, seasonal hand-tied posie using natural materials and flowers – yours to take home at the end of the day.

Mid-way through the morning, we’ll escort you back to the Cookery School for a demonstration and hands-on cookery session, creating delicious dishes using organic, seasonal ingredients from our Farm and Market Garden. Before you leave your dishes will be served for lunch, accompanied by a glass or two of wine from our sister estate, Château Léoube. With lots of tips and techniques from both our tutors and florists this is a great introduction to seasonal cookery and flower arranging, giving you plenty of ideas and inspiration to take home.

Spices have long been celebrated for their health benefits, in Ayurvedic, Chinese and Western cuisines and holistic practices. This half day course in will explore the recipes and thinking behind the use of spices to aid healing and good digestion as well as their anti-inflammatory properties and beneficial effects on blood sugar and longevity.

Over the course of the morning, you will enjoy a series of demonstrations from our Cookery School tutors as well as hands-on cookery sessions to create your own delicious dishes, using a wonderful array of delicious spices and health giving ingredients. With plenty of tips on how to incorporate spices into every day cooking from breakfast through to supper, this course will provide plenty of inspiration for you to take home to your own kitchens.

If you’re short on time, but don’t want to compromise on delicious evening meals, this is the perfect course for you. Using organic, seasonal produce from our Farm and Market Garden we will create wonderful dishes that you will look forward to preparing, no matter how busy you are.

Focusing on accessible, simple recipes, which can be easily adapted to use ingredients you might have to hand, this course will give you a repertoire that is simple, nutritious and satisfying so that you leave us inspired to create your own dishes at home. Over the course of the day we will cover meat and fish dishes as well as recipes for sauces, accompaniments and vegetarian alternatives or replacements for anyone with special dietary requirements.

As you arrive, we will introduce you to your day over freshly made tea and coffee, before you enjoy a series of demonstrations and guided hands-on cookery sessions, to create your own dishes. Throughout the day you will have the chance to sit down to eat everything that you cook, accompanied by a glass or two of wine from our sister estate in Provence, Château Léoube.

Learn the secrets to the best ever roast whilst you sit back, relax and enjoy a 3-course Sunday lunch prepared by our tutors.

Our tutors will share their top tips to help you create a truly excellent roast at home as they demonstrate key recipes. We will be celebrating classic trimmings such as Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes and gravy as well as some innovative twists on traditional favourites.

After introducing your menu over a welcome drink with nibbles, our chefs will explain more about what we do here at Daylesford and why our organic ingredients taste as good as they do. Then you will enjoy a Sunday lunch feast of three delicious courses, prepared by our tutors using the best quality joints of organic meat from our butchers counter accompanied by wines from our cellar.

Take inspiration from around the world as you learn how to combine flavours from different cultures and continents with this new course in the Cookery School calendar.

Guided by our tutors, you will explore the origins of fusion cooking, such as how historic trade routes led to ingredients being introduced and used in new ways. You will discover how an open-minded approach to making food can enhance your appreciation for unfamiliar ingredients, boost your confidence in the kitchen and elevate your cooking skills.