Christmas Gifts - Cookery Schools and Culinary Tours

What a special gift to give - learning to cook. From novice cooks to serious foodies there's always something new to learn. Not sure which course - these schools offer gift vouchers for their courses.

• Ballymaloe Cookery School, Ireland
  Ireland's foremost celebrity chef Darina Allen and her husband Tim run the school with enthusiasm and skill. The residential cottages are on the Allens' organic farm.
• Bettys Cookery School,Yorkshire
  Whether you’re a complete cooking novice hoping to learn the basics, or an aspiring chef looking for new ideas, there’ll be a demonstration or course at Bettys Cookery School to suit you. The purpose built school is in Harrogate, next door to the Craft Bakery, where all the breads, cakes and chocolates are made for the six famous Bettys Café Tea Rooms.
• Claire MacDonald, Isle of Skye
  Best-selling cookery writer Claire Macdonald is famed for her practical, realistic recipes. She is also admired for a remarkable willingness to share the secrets of her kitchen, and celebrated for her truly wonderful sense of fun. All of this comes together splendidly in the three-day residential cookery courses Claire hosts within her home at Kinloch on the Isle of Skye.
• Celia Brooks Brown Gastrotours of London
  Celia is a renowned food writer here in the UK and she knows the London food scene better than anyone. Throughout the year she runs exclusive tours of some of London's most vibrant foodie destinations. The tours run from approximately 10am to 2pm, and are specially designed each day to be bursting at the seams with exclusive food and wine tastings and encounters with passionate foodies and producers. What an unusual and exciting gift for any food lover.
• Bertinet Cookery School, Bath
  Owned and run by French chef and baker, Richard Bertinet, The Bertinet Kitchen offers a range of relaxed and fun courses for food lovers of all abilities. There are demonstrations or hands on classes where you can learn to make simple and delicious creations.
• The Kitchen, London
  This is a new and novel approach to learning to cook. After 20 years as a classical chef, Thierry decided it was time to combine years of running Michelin Star kitchens with his passion for food and creating fantastic everyday meals. The Kitchen is the fun and easy way to bring restaurant quality food straight into your own kitchen, and to experience first hand how to create great tasting food from the finest ingredients. A cross between a cookery school, high-end takeaway, bakery and wine shop.
• Gilli Cliff Cookery - Crayke Kitchen, York
  Crayke Kitchen is based in the food lover’s paradise of Crayke, just twelve miles north of York. The cookery school takes place in Gilli’s charming cottage boasting an enviable kitchen with magnificent views of the countryside. Crayke Kitchen is a wonderful place to hone your cookery skills –and the good news is that it doesn’t cost a fortune, a one day class costs just £30 and a delicious three course lunch with wine is included.