COOKERY SCHOOLS O

ver the last two decades people have become increasingly interested in aquiring new skills and learning to cook feeds into this perfectly. Country house hotels such as Eckington Manor and Chewton Glen have capitalised on this idea by opening their own cookery schools and a stay at the hotel with a class included is now a popular gift, which ties in with a UK-wide trend of gifting experiences over physical objects. Travelling abroad to stay at a cookery school is also now commonplace. The Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking School, a farm-to-fork operation in Sicily, launched in 1989 with a handful of courses. Now its calender is packed with classes every day from March to November.