If you're looking to expand your culinary repertoire, here are 10 of the best courses around, from learning to cook with fire in North Yorkshire, to mastering vegetarian cuisine in Cheshire.

Leith's School of Food and Wine, London

Founded in 1975 by Prue Leith, the leading cookery school has taught the likes of the Duchess of Cambridge, Gizzi Erskine, Lorraine Pascale, Xanthe Clay and Diana Henry. Short courses range from evening, weekend and one-day classes and cover basic, intermediate and key cooking skills, such as "knife skills, how to follow a recipe, when to weigh ingredients, baking, meat and fish cooking."

Prices vary, with single-session classes starting at £95

River Cottage Cheese Making, Dorset/Devon borders

A one-day course to teach cheese lovers how to take their passion to the next level. Learn from Westcombe Dairy's award-winning cheesemaker Tom Calver how to make a hard cheese, a camembert-style cheese and a ricotta.

The course also promises cheese chefs "won't need much equipment or space" when they make their fromages at home.

One-day course, £240

Betty's Cookery School, Harrogate

The famous tea rooms offers courses in everything from Italian breads and cooking fish to learning how to cook its famous pastries.

Courses get booked up fast and range from the basics of how to bake a cake to creating intricate pastries for more advanced chefs. And yes, you get to take home what you make.

Prices vary

The Vegetarian Society Cookery School, Altrincham, Cheshire

Master the art of vegetarian cooking with a two-day workshop at this completely veggie cook school. It promises a mix of lessons in mastering essentials like sauces and salads, as well as adapting non-veggie recipes, using seasonal foods and specific cuisines.

Two-day course from £275

Ashburton Cookery School, Devon

Head to the home of clotted cream and this award-winning cookery school for a masterclass in tasty but tricky-to-make pastries. There are lessons in short crust, sweet and choux pastry and classics such as chocolate eclairs, danish pastries and macaroons.

One-day course, £165

Foodat52 Cookery School, London

Preparing and cooking fish can be daunting enough to put some people off altogether but a one-day course at Foodat52 promises to make students a "fish expert".

It covers the many variety of seafood, how to handle and cut various fish varieties and cooking and flavour-pairing, with student creating dishes such as sea bream goujons with hand-made tartare sauce and stuffed Goan mackerel recheado.

One-day course, £160

Gluten-Free Baking and Living, London, Harrogate and the Wirral

Gluten-free? Take a look at our round-up of the country's best gluten-free eateries and then to learn how to bake your own bread, pastries and Christmas foods without gluten at GFB's countrywide course venues.

One-day courses from £95

Nick Nairn Cook School, Aberdeen/Stirlingshire

Learn how to cook traditional Scottish fayre like the perfect Aberdeen Angus steak, black pudding mash and fish and chips in the beautiful surroundings of Aberdeen or Stirlingshire at celebrity chef Nick Nairn's sleek cook schools.

Prices vary

The School of Artisan Food, Nottinghamshire

Enjoy a craft beer? Homemade charcuterie? Handmade chocolate? Head to Nottingham's unique artisan food hub, a non-profit school dedicated to the fine arts of brewing, baking, pickling, cheese-making, chocolate-making and butchery.

Prices vary

Cooking with Fire Day Course, Helperby, North Yorkshire

Get back to basics in the North Yorkshire countryside by learning how to build, light, control and maintain a cooking fire. Don't expect burnt barbecue-style bangers though, the course promises lessons in different techniques to create "new and interesting" outdoor meals.

One-day course, £70