River Cottage Cookery School

River Cottage Cookery School brings the celebrated food philosophy of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall to life through hands-on baking courses, set within the scenic grounds of a working farm near Axminster in Devon. This renowned cookery school combines traditional techniques with seasonal, organic ingredients in a rural setting that inspires creativity and connection to the land.

The school offers comprehensive baking programmes across Bread Making, Sourdough, Pastry, and Seasonal Baking categories. Classes span from foundational techniques to specialised skills, covering everything from everyday loaves to celebratory treats. Each course emphasises both technical mastery and practical application, ensuring students leave with confidence to recreate recipes at home.

The Sourdough Day provides thorough grounding in wild yeast fermentation, teaching starter creation and maintenance alongside modern folding techniques and traditional kneading methods. Students master baker's percentages, work with high-hydration doughs, and create country loaves, seeded rye, and wood-fired pizza. The Bread Day explores diverse techniques through farmhouse loaves, pillowy focaccia, cinnamon doughnuts, and rich chocolate brioche, with lunch featuring student-made pizzas cooked in the wood-fired oven.

Pastry enthusiasts can tackle hot water crust, rough puff, shortcrust, and suet pastries through the Perfect Pastry course, creating pork pies, savoury puddings, pasties, and quiches. Seasonal offerings like the Easter Baking Day combine enriched dough skills with chocolate tempering, choux pastry techniques, and traditional treats including hot cross buns and Easter biscuits.

All courses from £195 include luxury ingredients, expert tuition, and meals prepared by River Cottage chefs. The school suits dedicated bakers seeking comprehensive technique development within an inspiring farm environment that celebrates seasonal, sustainable cooking principles.

Reviews

Location

Park Farm, Trinity Hill Rd, Axminster EX13 8TB, Devon

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