Ashburton Cookery School & Chefs Academy

Sitting between the moor and the sea on the edge of Dartmoor, this is a teaching kitchen with genuine range: over 50 cookery courses for everyone from nervous beginners to confident home cooks, plus a Chefs Academy that takes people all the way to a professional qualification in Culinary Arts or Patisserie. The chefs who teach here are professionals, the ingredients are local, and the ambition is straightforward - to make you cook better.

Formats run from three-hour evening classes, fast-paced and finishing with a meal for two to take home, through half-day skills mornings, full days that end in lunch with wine made from your own course menu, weekend deep dives into a single cuisine, and week-long courses. Accommodation is available at Ashburton Court B&B, and the Academy's intensive chef training costs considerably less than the London equivalent. Check the special offers page before booking.