A Culinary Journey: The Best Cookery Schools & Food Courses in East Devon

East Devon is rapidly becoming a premier destination for food lovers. With its rich agricultural heritage, stunning coastline, and a thriving local food community, cookery schools are popping up all over the region. Whether you are a beginner looking to learn basic kitchen skills or an aspiring chef wanting to master artisanal techniques, you don’t have to go far from The Old Bakehouse to find an impressive variety of culinary courses—from beach barbecuing to sourdough bread making.

River Cottage HQ: Sustainable Cooking & Farm-to-Table Experiences

Founded by celebrity chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, the flagship River Cottage Cookery School operates from a stunning converted farmhouse. The site features organic vegetable gardens, a small orchard, and a smallholding that supplies fresh, seasonal ingredients for every class. Course highlights include:

  • River Cottage Experience: Spend a day baking, farm-touring, and enjoying a seasonal three-course feast. Courses like River Cottage Essentialsintroduce basic cooking skills and the philosophy of sustainable eating. (£155+ per person).

  • Artisan Bread-Making: Learn to master sourdough, focaccia, and traditional breads from scratch. Understand fermentation, proofing, and the secrets to successful home baking.

  • Fish & Seafood Cookery: Specialized courses on selecting, preparing, and cooking fresh, sustainable fish sourced from local Devon fishmongers. Learn to fillet, poach, grill, and prepare shellfish like a pro.

  • Foraging & Wild Game: Explore nose-to-tail butchery and cooking techniques for wild venison and seasonal game, minimizing waste while maximizing flavor.

  • Family & Children’s Cooking Classes:Highly popular, age-appropriate sessions designed to teach youngsters the basics of cooking with fresh, local produce.

Visit: River Cottage, Trinity Hill Road, Axminster, EX13 8TB | rivercottage.net

River Cottage

High Grange: Countryside Skills & Fire Cooking

Located near Axminster, High Grange combines traditional cookery with advanced countryside skills and wine appreciation.

  • Wine & Food Pairing: Learn about flavor profiles and how cooking techniques influence wine choices. These day-long courses include a four-course lunch paired with international wines.

  • Fire Supper Experiences: Enjoy an exclusive, informal supper around a beautiful oak dining table, showcasing the chef’s best seasonal dishes.

  • Classic Kamado Fire School: A dedicated one-day course to master ceramic grills. Learn heat control, smoking, and roasting techniques to get the most out of your Kamado-style barbecue.

Visit: High Grange, Burrow Knap Way, Axminster, EX13 7ES | highgrangedevon.com

Mina’s Cookery School: Authentic Indian Cuisine in Kilmington

Operating on a personalized, intimate scale, Mina’s Cookery School offers a relaxed environment for learning specialized cuisines and baking. An experienced cook, Mina is well-known in East Devon for her business Khushi Kitchen creating and selling fresh and frozen curries. Her courses include:

  • Authentic Indian Cooking: Explore the potential of seasonal produce through Gujarati and Punjabi cooking. Courses cover everything from vegetarian Thali to perfect samosa preparation.

  • Baking & Pastry Arts: A grounding in the science of baking, including gluten development, dough shaping, and mastering pastry.

  • Family Cooking Classes: Tailored workshops designed to get parents and children cooking together.

Visit: The Old Barn, Kilmington, EX13 7RJ | minascookeryschool.com

Glebe House: Boutique Culinary Workshops in Southleigh

Glebe House offers an intimate, boutique cookery experience in Southleigh. With small class sizes (8–12 students), it’s the perfect setting for hands-on, workshop-style learning.

  1. Spring Foraging & Cooking: Explore the culinary possibilities of spring, from nettles and wild garlic to seaweed and rhubarb.

  2. Breadmaking & Sourdough: A deep dive into the fundamentals of bread making, including the famous daily "porridge sourdough." Students leave with a fresh loaf and the skills to replicate it at home, followed by a three-course dinner.

  3. Mackerel Fishing & Beach Dining: A unique Devon experience. Fish for fresh mackerel at sea, followed by a four-course dinner cooked and served directly on the beach.

  4. Summer & Autumn Preserving: Learn to capture the season’s bounty through professional preserving techniques, concluded with a garden room feast.

  5. Introduction to Salami Making: A masterclass in home-cured meats. Learn to break down a shoulder of pork and process it into authentic, homemade salami.

Visit: Glebe House, Southleigh, Colyton, Devon, EX24 6SD | glebehousedevon.co.uk

Glebe House

Steve Warren