Whether you’re looking for a break amid the peaceful locks of Scotland, the rugged coast of Northern Ireland, the picture-postcard villages of England, or the rolling hills of Wales, staycations are clearly here to, well, stay. But, for many of us, a short break needs to deliver not just a change of scene, but also the opportunity to be pampered and coddled at a swanky spa, indulge in our favourite hobbies, such as golfing or clay-pigeon shooting in glorious grounds, or learn new skills from esteemed experts, such as a renowned chef heading up a hotel’s cutting-edge kitchen. So, if you’re after a gourmet culinary break, during which you can not only eat great fodder but learn how to prepare and make it too, then a trip to a hotel with a cookery school should be right up your street. Fortunately, the UK is abundant in hotels that boast destination restaurants, which are more than happy to open up their kitchens and recipe books to guests, and share their skills and tricks of the trade. From grand hotels with Michelin chefs to cosy country kitchens with skilled and friendly tutors, take your pick from our round-up of the UK’s best hotels with cooking classes – many of which offer day courses, too. The best UK hotels with cookery schools are: Best for a small and cosy course: Northcote Best for a friendly vibe: Lainston House Best for Michelin-star restaurant: Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons Best for seafood-lovers: Rick Stein Best for a relaxing course: Llanerch Vineyard Best for a castle-based course: Swinton Park Best for Aga fans: Eckington Manor Best for a small and cosy course: Northcote Location: Langho, Lancashire This is arguably the most talked-about foodie hotel in the North West, with the restaurant having retained its Michelin star for 20 years. In the cookery school, you can learn how to master everything from bread and seafood to spicing and Mexican fare with a range of different courses run by Rick Ogden and Ben Hinchliffe, along with guest chefs. Up to six dishes will be demonstrated, and you’ll get the chance to cook at least four yourself, as well as enjoying a two-course lunch as part of the experience. Best for a friendly vibe: Lainston House Location: Winchester, Hampshire This magnificent 17th-century William and Mary country house hotel is home to Season, a state-of-the-art cookery school, located in the characterful old well house. It runs half- and full-day courses, covering everything from stocks and sauces to French classics and much more. There’s a relaxed, friendly vibe and an emphasis on provenance, where possible using local produce, much of which is grown in the on-site kitchen garden. There are 50 individually designed guestrooms in the hotel, plus a three-AA Rosette restaurant, The Avenue. Best for Michelin-star restaurant: Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons Location: Great Milton, Oxfordshire The Raymond Blanc Cookery School, set in the glorious grounds of his 13th-century manor house hotel and restaurant, caters for beginners right through to experienced cooks, and is one of the only cookery schools in the world that enables you to learn in the kitchens of a two-Michelin-starred restaurant. The head tutor, Mark Peregrine, is one of the best in the business (he helped Blanc get his first Michelin star) and the kitchen itself is as high-end as you can imagine. If you can afford it, unwind in one of the luxurious bedrooms of the hotel afterwards and feast on the hotel’s renowned cuisine. Best for seafood fans: Rick Stein Location: Padstow, Cornwall Preparing fish in Rick Stein’s bold yet simple style in this stunning kitchen overlooking the Camel Estuary is as good as it gets when it comes to seafood cookery – this is serious cooking in a relaxed environment. You can stay in one of the 16 coastal-inspired rooms of Stein’s flagship seafood restaurant a short walk away, or opt for one of his other hotels. Either way, you can dine in one of his many eateries in this charming seaside harbour town, which is increasingly known as Pad-stein. Book now Best for a relaxing course: Llanerch Vineyard Location: Vale of Glamorgan, Wales This stylish hotel is located on a working vineyard just 12 miles from Cardiff, with 10 chic rooms and suites spread across the main farmhouse and an adjacent annexe, as well as separate cottages. The hotel is also home to a fabulous bistro, formal dining restaurant and the Angela Gray Cookery School. Angela runs classes lasting from a few hours upwards, in which she promotes cooking as relaxing and even meditative, yet packs in the prepping and cooking of plenty of dishes. Choose from themes ranging from pastry to Italian fare, all of which will see you taking some of your culinary delights home with you at the end of the day. Best for a castle-based course: Swinton Park Location: Masham, North Yorkshire Set in a 17th-century, 30-bedroom castle hotel within 20,000 acres of grounds in the Yorkshire Dales, the cookery school is run by chef tutor, Luke Palmer. It’s housed in a converted Georgian stable wing and offers an impressively wide range of courses, all of which include an element of hands-on, practical cookery, using locally sourced food where possible. Best for Aga fans: Eckington Manor Location: Eckington, Cotswolds This cookery school blends beautifully into the rural background, based as it is in the Dutch barn of a 26-acre working farm and hotel. Courses are designed to be challenging but fun, and range from modern British classics to Aga cooking, and from restaurant dishes at home to bread making. Read more of our UK hotel reviews: The best UK hotels with swimming pools The best family-friendly UK hotels The best Cornwall hotels Read more about UK travel: The best London hotels for afternoon tea England’s best foodie hotels and pubs Best spa hotels in the Cotswolds Read More Best luxury UK hotels 2023: Where to stay for great food, family adventures and spa retreats The ultimate foodie guide to Copenhagen 10 of the best hotels for golfers in the UK and Ireland 2023: Where to practise your swing in style 9 best adventure holidays in the UK that adrenaline seekers will love Best October half-term holiday destinations in the UK for a 2023 staycation 7 best activity holidays in Wales for couples and families

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 6, 2023--

Here are eight stars who met a tragic end after they vanished mysteriously

Logan Paul labeled Dillon Danis a 'liar' in response to his assertions that Paul had invited him to the 'Impaulsive' podcast

Peyton and Eli Manning are back with Season 3 of 'ManningCast' and this time, the show will have a third guest

We’ve heard a lot of s*** being talked about in the news recently – mostly about the long-haul flight which was forced to turn around after experiencing a "biohazard issue" from a passenger who "had diarrhoea all the way through." It sounds like a nightmare of epic proportions, and it’s reminded us of an incredibly disgusting - but nonetheless memorable - story about wrestling legend Andre the Giant which, despite ourselves, we couldn’t help but return to. It was previously revealed that Andre, who stood a staggering 7.35ft tall, once did the “world’s biggest poo” on a flight which left guests repulsed. The late wrestling star was taking a trip from Tokyo to the US on a Boeing 747 when the alleged incident happened. The Frenchman headed to his seat after rushing through the airport, meaning he urgently needed the toilet after the flight took off. Safe to say, the results were appalling for all on board. Fellow wrestler Brutus Beefcake spoke about the flight and told Wrestling Shoot Interviews: “I’ve never heard anything like it. The sounds that are coming out of there. “The smell that started coming forward, the back of the plane had a lot of people. There were people falling out of their seats and into the aisles. “Gagging, puking, crying, screaming, and we were all falling on the floor laughing ourselves sick. I couldn’t breathe. He must have half filled-up a garbage bag full of s***.” How could it be so bad? Well, according to Brutus, Andre used to “eat 20 pounds of food per city, and so would s*** 20 pounds”. Andre the Giant, real name André René Roussimoff, was one of the most celebrated wrestlers of all time. Known as the “eighth wonder of the world”, he died at the age of 46 in 1993. It comes after a Delta flight on 2 September between Atlanta and Barcelona headed back around an hour into the journey. In a post reshared to X/Twitter, LiveATC.com captured audio of the pilot explaining the situation. "This is a biohazard issue," the pilot said. "We’ve had a passenger who’s had diarrhoea all the way through the aeroplane, so they want us to come back to Atlanta." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

Joe Rogan said, 'Whatever the percentage is, you get 2,000, and one of them's dead, that's the real percentage, it's not 100%, that's crazy'

Gwen Stefani became famous not only because of her signature breathy voice and punk rock vibes but also for her daring and edgy fashion choices

Slipz spoke out after Adin Ross accused IShowSpeed of not answering his calls or texts

Tristan Tate's fans claimed that this was what war looked like

Jeanine Pirro also claimed that the efficacy of the vaccine cannot be proven at all, calling it 'a bunch of hogwash'

A truly significant moment in pop culture happened this week, when EastEnders treated us to an unexpected Charli XCX reference. Monday’s episode (4 September) of the soap saw Lily Slater (Lillia Turner) give birth to her first child with Ricky Mitchell (Frankie Day). Fans were treated to a sweet moment as the family met the baby for the first time – but the name of the couple’s daughter took everyone by surprise. When in hospital, Ricky spoke to Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) and revealed they had named their baby Charli. Stacey handed the baby to Ricky, before asking again what the baby’s name was. “Her name’s Charli,” Ricky says, with Stacey responding: “Oh, after Uncle Charlie?” Ricky then clarifies: “No, after Charli XCX.” The moment quickly went viral and now the singer herself after it took over social media. Charli, who has a large following in the LGBT+ community, wrote on Twitter: “Shout out my gays in the writers room!” One fan replied to the comment by writing: “This is the most British crossover ever.” “this is so so iconic!!!!!!” another said. Another user commented: “Charli acknowledging this is so goddamn iconic.” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings