Best baking classes and experiences in London, Melton Mowbray, and beyond
With the return of The Great British Bake Off, we’re treating you and your stomachs to the best baking experiences across the UK to book today.
The Great British Bake Off is back with a bang on the silver screen from Tuesday 26th September, with the beloved Alison Hammond taking over from Matt Lucas and joining Paul Hollywood, Prue Leith, and Noel Fielding as they search for Britain’s next best baker.
If you’re anything like the RadioTimes.com Going Out team, you’ll have to have a sweet treat nearby when tuning into the new season of The Great British Bake Off. Well, what if you took it that one step further and booked a baking class? So not only can you eat some delicious goodies, you’ll learn how to make them, too.
The classes below promise to teach you skills which you can try-out at home, too, and we’ve selected a range of workshops for all skillsets; there’s the Great British Afternoon Tea and DIY Icing Experience which will see you decorating biscuits to the day-long Baking Masterclass at Cake Boy hosted by Éric Lanlard (who has baked for Madonna, we’ll have you know!), as well as the annual The Cake & Bake Show at West London’s Olympia London showroom.
Like with all of the Going Out team’s guides, such as the best Christmas light trails and best Halloween events, we’ve been sure to include experiences at a range of prices and in various locations, too. Before your stomach starts rumbling too much, let’s take a look at the best baking classes across the UK.
For baking classes and other top experiences in the capital city, take a look at the best London experience gifts.
Best baking classes and experiences at a glance:
- The Cake & Bake Show, from £7.50
- The Big London Bake, from £32
- Beginners Cupcake Decorating with Cookie Girl,
£60£42 (save £18 or 30%) - Bread Baking: Knead to Know Class at The Jamie Oliver’s Cookery School, £89
- Indulgent Chocolate Desserts Cooking Class at the Gordon Ramsay Academy, £100
- Afternoon Tea Baking Class at The Dough House, £102.50
- Perfect Macaroons for Two at Ann's Smart School of Cookery,
£258£125 (save £133 or 52%) - Pork Pie Making Workshop with Ploughman's Lunch for Two at Brockleby's Bakery, £130
- Great British Afternoon Tea and DIY Icing Experience for Two with Biscuiteers, £130
- Gluten Free Baking at Cookery School in London, £165
- French Breakfast Pastries Class at Cookery School at Little Portland Street, £180
- One Day Baking Masterclass at Cake Boy,
£250£187.50 (save £62.50 or 25%)
Best baking experiences to try in 2023
The Cake & Bake Show
Whether you’re a baker extraordinaire or someone who appreciates the workmanship of a glorious cake, head on down to The Cake & Bake Show at Olympia London — its original home of West London — for cooking masterclasses, live demonstrations from celebrity guests, sugar and decorating stages, and the Christmas Kitchen Stage.
There is, of course, plenty of opportunity for shopping, tasting samples, and checking-out all of the cake displays. Plus, if you’ve been to The Cake & Bake Show before, you’ll know there’s a Cake Competition, and this year, the theme is ‘Inspired by Disney’; the competition is open to everyone, and there’s a cash prize of £1,000.
The Cake & Bake Show will take place from the 22nd to the 26th November, and you can buy tickets now.
Buy The Cake & Bake Show tickets from £7.50 at See Tickets
Bread Baking: Knead to Know Class at The Jamie Oliver’s Cookery School
If there’s one thing the RadioTimes.com Going Out team love — our Digital Writer Olivia in particular — it’s a great pun, so it’s no surprise that this Knead to Know class in Islington caught our eye.
This three-hour class is led by a professional chef, hand-selected by Jamie Oliver himself, and you’ll learn the basics of bread making, including how to use different flours, yeast, and various kneading techniques.
During the class, you’ll make focaccia, crusty white rolls — and you’ll enjoy a delicious BLT sandwich with them — plus an Italian-style stuffed wholewheat bread. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, don’t let the mention of a BLT sandwich deter you! All vegetarian and vegan participants can be catered for.
Pork Pie Making Workshop with Ploughman's Lunch for Two at Brockleby's Bakery
Is there anything better than the humble pork pie? A picky tea staple and a British staple, you’ll get the opportunity to make your very own pork pie from scratch at this next class; from the pastry making to the pork mincing and the ever-important jellying, you’ll finish the class with two pies — one to eat, and one to take home to cook at a later date.
Interestingly, the Pork Pie Making Workshop at Brockleby’s Bakery is one of only six producers who can make the geographically-protected Melton Mowbray Pork Pie. A Melton Mowbray Pork Pie differs from other pork pies as its sides are bow-shaped due to the free standing baking method.
For more activities to do this autumn, why not try a spooky one? We have the best London walking tours, best Edinburgh ghost tours, and best York ghost tours.
Afternoon Tea Baking Class at The Dough House
Afternoon tea makes the world go round: is there anything better than catching up with friends and family over finger sandwiches and a delicious pot of tea? What if you took the afternoon tea experience one step further and made your own? This afternoon tea baking class in Stratford-Upon-Avon will see you baking a variety of scones, including traditional, seasonal, and didn't-think-it-would-work-but-it-surprisingly-does flavours, as well as some mini chocolate fudge cakes and Victoria sponges.
Buy Afternoon Tea Baking Class at The Dough House for £102.50 at Red Letter Days
Beginners Cupcake Decorating with Cookie Girl
This next experience has a massive 30 per cent off, so if The Great British Bake Off has got you in the baking mood, there’s no better time to book this experience than right now.
Led by Xanthe Milton, the author of the best-selling recipe book Eat Me and YouTube celebrity, this class in Shepherd's Bush teaches you four icing techniques: the classic swirl, the rose swirl, the iced gem, and the two tier. You’ll then get the opportunity to put your new-found skills to the test on freshly-baked cupcakes, with plenty of decorations and icings at your disposal.
More spooky experience include the best UK dungeons, best UK zombie experiences, SAW: Escape Experience tickets, Fright Night tickets, and Scarefest tickets.
Great British Afternoon Tea and DIY Icing Experience for Two with Biscuiteers
For an afternoon tea experience with a twist, look no further than this Great British Afternoon Tea and DIY Icing Experience. To start with, you and a fellow cake-loving friend will enjoy finger sandwiches, pâtisserie bits, freshly-baked scones and hand-iced biscuits, along with a bespoke blend of Tregothnan tea.
Then, you’ll unleash your creative side by decorating three biscuits; there’s plenty of edible decorations and icing colours to choose from.
The Big London Bake
The Big London Bake is essentially The Great British Bake Off of Tooting. This award-winning experience challenges you to unleash your competitive side against your friends; you’ll be armed with ingredients, a recipe, and a top baker at your side to create a winning bake. With just 90-minutes to whisk, roll, and drizzle your way to success, do you have what it takes to be the best baker?
Buy The Big London Bake tickets from £32 at Design My Night
The Big London Bake would make a great hen party or stag do idea.
Perfect Macaroons for Two at Ann's Smart School of Cookery
This macaroon making experience currently has over half price off, and if that isn’t incentive enough to try your hand at creating macaroons, we don’t know what is!
Founded by Masterchef contestant Ann Hood, Ann’s Smart School of Cookery caters for people of all skill levels. In this particular class, you’ll learn how to create French macaroons, and you’ll be sure to leave the day with the knowledge to recreate the macaroons at home.
French Breakfast Pastries Class at Cookery School at Little Portland Street
What’s your treat of choice when tuning into The Great British Bake Off? This RadioTimes.com writer likes a custard cream or Jaffa Cakes — and yes, they eat it by licking the chocolate off first, eating the orange jelly, then the base — and our Digital Writer Joanna is partial to chocolate banana bread, warm, of course, and with a mug of coffee.
If pastries are more your bag, you’ve come to the right place. The French Breakfast Pastries Class is led by an expert cookery teacher who will teach you how to make and shape croissant dough and brioche, before guiding you to create buttery croissants, pain au chocolat, pain aux raisins and brioche. The cooking doesn’t just stay inside the course, however, as you’ll be able to take home your own croissant dough to make at home.
Gluten Free Baking at Cookery School in London
This baking class is filled with tried-and-trusted gluten free recipes; you'll learn how to make a sponge cake filled with lemon curd and cream, a hazelnut and carrot cake with a chocolate ganache topping, and pineapple upside down cake, plus more delicious desserts. With these recipes, flour is replaced with ground hazelnuts, coconut flour, and other smart substitutes.
Buy Gluten Free Baking at Cookery School in London for £165 at Red Letter Days
Indulgent Chocolate Desserts Cooking Class at the Gordon Ramsay Academy
We’re starting to realise that writing this article mid-afternoon on a Monday was a bad idea — a sweet treat is not a ‘want’, but a ‘need’ right now. This Surrey-based workshop is a three-hour lesson on the art of chocolate desserts; you’ll have the chance to watch live demonstrations, and will be helped along by professional chefs to create your own desserts to take home and enjoy with your friends and family (if you’re feeling generous…).
A chocolate desserts masterclass would be a great experience for you and your other half, and for more of the best date ideas in London, take a look at our guide. Plus, sign-up to our Going Out newsletter for top weekend inspiration.
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One Day Baking Masterclass at Cake Boy
This day-long baking masterclass is ideal for passionate bakers who want to hone in on their skills. French pâtissier and celebrity chef Éric Lanlard has baked cakes for the likes of Madonna, and he’ll be teaching you how to bake to perfection with either a cooking with chocolate, French bakery, or cake decorating courses.
This exciting experience includes a welcome breakfast and a delicious lunch with wine included. Plus, at the end of the day you’ll receive a Cake Boy apron and recipe file to take home with you.
For a limited time only, this Battersea-based experience has 25 per cent off.
If you're a fan of TV, such as The Great British Bake Off, be sure to take a look at the best film and TV studio tours.
