If you’ve ever marvelled at the perfect pleats in a dumpling, or goggled at some beautifully crafted sushi and gone, “I wish I could do that”, then the good news is that you can. You just need someone who’s good at it to show you how. And while there are cookery schools who specialise in it, one way to immerse yourself is to get the staff at some of London’s best restaurants and bars to do the teaching. Here’s our pick of the best out there right now.
Sushi making at Nobu
Mayfair - 19 Old Park Ln, London W1K 1LB
For the bougiest kind of sushi making class you'll need to head to Nobu on Park Lane, which offers a monthly tutelage on how to make top level sushi. The half-day class starts with a welcome glass of Champagne, followed by a demo from one of the restaurant's sushi chefs. Then it's your turn to get stuck in with a half-hour masterclass. The whole thing concludes with a four-course omakase tasting menu.
How much? £250
Butchery class at Macellaio RC
Soho - 39-45 Shaftesbury Ave, London W1D 6LA
If you'd like to learn how to select and prepare the best cut of steak, then Italian steakhouse Macellaio can show you the way. They host a monthly masterclass at their Shaftesbury Avenue restaurant (on the fourth Wednesday of every month). The three-hour class is led by the executive chef and head butcher and starts with the history behind the restaurant's meat, a lesson on the importance of timing and how to select, prepare and cook the best cut. Even better, they include a bit of wine pairing and tasting too. The event ends with a three-course meal.
How much? £120
Dumpling making with Xi Home Dumplings
Shoreditch - 10 Blossom Street, London E1 6PL
Xi Home Dumplings offer weekly dumplings masterclass on Sundays which include a hands-on opportunity to make your own. Their chefs take you through all the relevant steps from the filling to folding and shaping. You'll even be immersed in the cultural history of Chinese dumplings. At the end of the class, you'll have a tray of your own dumplings to enjoy, and they'll give you a recipe card and a leaving present of either an apron or dumpling making tool.
How much? £49.46
Oysters masterclass at Wright Bros
Battersea - The Power Station, 26 Circus West Village, London SW11 8EZ
The first Saturday of every month is when Wright Bros hold their oyster masterclasses at their Battersea Power station restaurant. Held in their private Coal Room, the two-hour class starts with some background, myths and health benefits. Then you move on to tasting oysters from around the British Isles, trying both dressed and cooked. The class includes a welcome glass of Champagne, 10 oysters with a paired glass of wine and a half shell martini. You don't go home empty-handed either, as you'll get a tote bag with an oyster knife, apron, handbook and a bottle of their Half Shell Gin to take with you.
How much? £125
BBQ class at Ginger Pig
Marylebone - 8-10 Moxon St, London W1U 4EW
If you're desperate to improve your BBQ skills, then the folks at London butcher The Ginger Pig are on hand to help. They hold a weekly BBQ cuts class at their shop in Marylebone, where you'll learn how to throw a BBQ that everyone's talking about. Their butchers will show you how to trim and butterfly onglet into steaks, bone out and butterfly half a leg of lamb and also go into detail about marinades. You'll also be shown how to make your own burgers, all of which you'll take home with you. To round up the evening, they serve up a rib of beef with potato gratin and some wine for the class attendees.
How much? £225
Pasta making by Darling’s Eatery
Hackney - 455 Wick Ln, Bow, London E3 2TB
Darling's owner Egle Loit knows a thing or two about changing careers, having moved from writing about food to cooking it. She now aims to pass on that knowledge with her weekend pasta making classes. Held on Sundays, you'll find out how to make pasta dough, shape it into traditional pasta forms and then enjoy it cooked along with a sauce, focaccia, olives, a fresh salad, and a tiramisu.
How much? £67
Sourdough baking with the Dusty Knuckle
Dalston - Abbot St, London E8 3DP
Dusty Knuckle’s potato sourdough is, in our opinion, the best loaf in London, so it stands to reason that their East London bakery would be a good place to learn how to make bread. It's an all-day affair which sees you making four loaves of bread from scratch - including their house sour, a 100% rye and a focaccia. There's a lunch thrown in with beer from the bakery's neighbours, 40FT Brewery, and you'll go home with dough and a starter to put in your fridge.
How much? £165.94
Wine appreciation WSET classes at Andrew Edmunds
Soho - 46 Lexington St, London W1F 0LP
You can go to the actual WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) school in Bermondsey to learn all about wine and gain a professionally recognised qualification. But there's a much more convivial way to do it, courtesy of Soho restaurant Andrew Edmunds. In addition to holding regular monthly wine tastings, they also do WSET Level 1 and 2 courses. The first is a one-day affair. Included in the day's lesson is a guide to the main styles of wine, the principles of food and wine tasting, and they'll serve up a lunch too.
How much? £250 for the one-day course, £550 for Level 2 across eight consecutive Tuesdays.
Martini masterclass at Egerton House Hotel
Knightsbridge - 7-19 Egerton Terrace, London SW3 2BX
The freezer-cold martini served up at the Egerton House Hotel in Knightsbridge has long been one of our favourites in town. So if you want to learn how to make a good martini, this is going to be one of the best places in London to come. Offered daily between 3 and 5.30pm, the hotel’s Bar Manager, Sahbi kicks off the class by talking through the history and origins of the martini. He'll then share his cocktail-making tips with you before you get to enjoy one of the martinis along with some seasonal canapés by the hotel's head chef, David.
How much? £50 per person
And just for kids...
If you’re stuck for ways to keep your kids occupied during the school holidays, there are a load of options out there for pint-sized foodies. Sticks’n’sushi offer kids sushi making classes, there’s a mini masters baking academy run by Bread Ahead and if your children love pasta, how about booking them onto a one-day workshop at Eataly?
Subscribe to hear the latest from Hot Dinners
