THE ULTIMATE BAKING COURSE (INTENSIVE)
Learn to bake with our four-day intensive baking course! Even though you’ll enter a beginner, you will leave with all the confidence and competence to create a wide range of beautiful baked goods. This course takes you through the fundamental baking principles and techniques, for example cakes, pastry, breads, macarons, meringues and cake decorating. Furthermore, you’ll pick up plenty of tips and tricks to assist you in future baking adventures. The course will be a mix of hands-on and interactive demonstrations, ensuring you cover as much as possible over the four days.
Firstly, at the start of each session in this baking workshop, you will be welcomed with breakfast. After this, you’ll roll up your sleeves to start baking. In the afternoon, you will sit down to enjoy lunch with organic wine before diving straight back in. Best of all , after each class, you will take home what you have made, so be sure to bring along a container to every lesson.
We are happy for students to pay for this course in up to three instalments, with the final payment made at least one week before the course starts. If you want to do this, please call us to book your place.
Should you be interested in shorter sessions, try our three-hour French breakfast pastries, pastry or cakes classes.
During this intensive baking course, you will learn:
Day 1:
Shortcrust and choux pastry
During this session, you will learn to make and use shortcrust, sweet shortcrust (pate sucree) and choux pastry. At the end of the session, you will eat what you have made and then take home a quiche or apple pie (of your choice).
You will learn to make the following:
- Shortcrust pastry
- Sweet shortcrust pastry (pate sucree)
- Choux pastry
- Cornish pasties
- Quiche
- Chicken and mushroom pie
- Fruit tart
- Apple pie
- Profiteroles & eclairs
Puff pastry
During this session, you will learn to make and use puff pastry. At the end of the lesson, you will take home the pastry you made to use at your leisure.
You will learn to make the following:
- Provençal seasonal tart
- Sausage rolls using organic British chicken sausage
- Parmesan cheese straws
- Palmiers
Day 2:
Quick bread and yeast breads
During this session, you be baking quick breads and yeasted breads. Lunch will be the delicious pizza that you have made during the session. You will then take home the dough that you have made in the class to bake at home.
You will learn to make the following:
- Cinnamon buns
- Cornbread
- Granary cob
- Wholemeal loaf
- Flatbread
- Focaccia
- Pizza
- A traditional plaited chollah
Baking French breakfast pastries
During this session you will use delicious organic butter to learn traditional techniques for two classic dough recipes – croissants and brioche. Even though these two techniques can take years to perfect, they are both very versatile doughs that can be extended to several recipes. You will then take home the croissant dough that you make in class to use at home at your leisure.
You will learn to make the following:
- Croissants
- Pain au chocolat
- Pain aux raisins
- Brioche
Day 3:
Baking scones, pancakes, waffles and muffins
Learn how to whip up wonderful breakfasts or teas using our foolproof recipes. In addition, you will learn a few flavoured butter recipes to enhance these dishes.
During the course of day three you will be baking the following:
- Plain muffins
- Plain scones
- Cheese and herb scones
- Banana muffins
- Apple spice muffins
- Plain pancake (crepe)
- Griddle cake (American pancake)
- Waffles
Baking meringues and macarons
Understand your egg whites and make delicate meringues and macarons. We will devote this session to teaching you how to make perfect meringues and macarons and a variety of fillings for them. You will then take home the macarons you have made.
You will learn how to make the following:
- Mini piped meringues
- Meringues to be used in a Mont Blanc
- Chocolate macarons with a ganache filling
- Other macarons of choice with a butter cream filling
Day 4:
Baking cakes
During this session, you will explore different methods of cake making. More specifically, we will be looking at butter cakes, oil-based cakes and quick cakes and then preparing and adding the toppings to your freshly baked cakes. In the end, you will enjoy a cake feast with coffee and then take home a cake you have made.
You will learn to make the following:
- Victoria sponge cake
- Lemon cake
- Devil’s food cake
- Olive oil & sauternes cake
- Honey & spice cupcakes
- Carrot cake
- Basic sponge
- Gluten-free orange cake
- Chocolate ganache and a variety of icings
Cake decorating
During this session, you will learn how to make perfect butter icing and learn how to pipe to perfection. You will then take home a box of beautifully decorated cupcakes.
You will learn how to do the following:
- Make a perfect butter icing
- Ice and decorate cupcakes professionally
- Use a piping bag and pipe different shapes onto cupcakes
- Use fondant, colour it, cover and smooth a cake and decorate it.
- Slice cakes evenly across
We try to accommodate dietary requirements as best we can and do our best to provide alternatives where possible. However, some classes are simply not designed to accommodate special dietary requirements, for example, we can not make entire baking classes gluten free or make croissants without butter.
If you have any questions about what we can provide, please call us before making your booking on 0207 631 4590. Please put a note in the “dietary requirements” box at the checkout if you have any requirements or allergies at all, even if you do not think it it is relevent!
We do not have individual hobs for every person but rather a group of hobs at one end of the kitchen. In most classes you will be working in small groups to create the recipes. As a whole class you will make everything listed on the website but the only way we can cover the huge variety of dishes listed is by dividing the class into smaller groups. When there are key skills that need to be learned by the whole class, the teacher will pause the group and gather everyone together to explain/show it so by the end of the class everyone understands how each dish was made.
We are happy for anyone of any age to attend. If they are very young, an adult needs to work with them, in which case we would only charge for one space. We aren’t a creche service though so no dump-and-runs while you go shopping! Teenagers may like to join our Summer Cooking Camp where they will be with other kids the same age.
Sustainability has always been part of our ethos which is why we made the decision not to print recipes for students to take home with them, except when printed recipes are specifically requested. Instead, we email the recipes to students shortly after the class.
You may transfer to an alternative class if you give us notice not less than 21 days before the date of the class. In this case, we will rebook you on to your selected class or issue a voucher valid for one year from date of issue. Transfers or issuing of a voucher will be subject to an administration fee of £15. Confirmed bookings are not eligible for refunds or cancellations under any circumstances. If you cannot attend a class you may send someone else in your place, just let us know the name of the attendee in advance of the class, where possible.
At the end of most classes you will sit down around the Cookery School table and enjoy the food that you have made. Any food that is leftover from this is kept for staff lunches so nothing goes to waste
The exception to this is that you are welcome to take home the chicken that you de-bone in the meat & poultry class provided you bring a chiller bag with you and we provide you with a freezer block. Additionally, many of the items in our baking classes and courses are low risk and safe to take home so you will need a carrier bag of some sort.
We have very little waste as we order based on the number of people in the class. We generally do not allow people to take food home because we have found that many people come into central London, do a class at Cookery School and then go off to the theatre, cinema, clubbing or shopping. During that time the food that left Cookery School in good condition, deteriorates and can cause illness.
Absolutely! If you have been cooking a bit already at home then you are welcome to skip the Beginners course.
Our six week professional cooking course, Cook’s Certificate, is the only accredited course we run. You will receive a Cook’s Level 3 Training certificate from OCN London at the end of this course.
If you would like a certificate of attendance from any other class or course, we are happy to provide one. Just make a note of this in the ‘notes’ section at the checkout.
You do not need to bring anything with you to most classes. However, if you are taking the Ultimate Meat & Poultry Class you should bring a chiller bag for your de-boned chicken and for any baking class or course, please bring a carrier bag to take home some of the items you make.
Please make sure you are wearing closed toe shoes.
Not at all! The majority of our students come alone. We pride ourselves on having friendly staff and our kitchen is very un-intimidating and relaxed so you don’t need to feel scared of attending alone.
Induction hobs use electromagnetic technology which may interfere with cardiac pacemakers or electrical implants, such as insulin pumps. We use induction hobs in our kitchen so recommend that if you use a cardiac pacemaker or electrical implant you remain a safe distance from the hobs.
Upcoming Courses
- At Cookery School London
near Oxford Circus
Course Snapshot
- Expert teaching and advice, using standard home kitchen equipment
- Leave with the knowledge and understanding to make the delicious recipes at home
- Hands on experience
- You will use sustainably sourced, high quality, organic ingredients
- You will never wash up – we take care of that for you always!