The founder of this ever reliable and widely respected central London school was a teacher in a former life – and it shows in the straightforward, hands-on approach and solid teaching principles. The focus is on developing key skills and techniques for to level up your home cooking rather than anything cheffy or trendy. Using common utensils and everyday organic ingredients, you’ll gain an understanding of the principles need to make a huge array of dishes. With around 30 different classes and courses on the calendar, you can learn to craft croissants, fillet fish, perfect the pie and much more – tasting at the end, naturally.

A stone’s throw from Oxford Circus, the school is divided into two energy-efficient kitchens, which have bagged the maximum three stars from the Sustainable Restaurant Association, making it officially the most sustainable cookery school in London, and the tutor team are – unsurprisingly – a repository of knowledge on how to cook and source seasonably and sustainably in your own kitchen. In addition to single classes ranging from dim sum to Jewish cuisine, there’s an accredited six-week Cook’s Certificate course, perfect for those looking to launch career in food – or those who really want to add wow factor to their home cooking.

French Breakfast Pastries: £125

Bread Making: £125

Knife Skills: £140

Ultimate Vegetarian: £195

A Flavour of the Middle East: £195

The Ultimate Meat & Poultry: £210

The Ultimate Fish & Shellfish: £210

Sourdough Masterclass with Dan Lepard: £250

Absolute Beginners courses: £860

Intermediate courses: £860