Cookery School at Little Portland Street — Local services in London

I recently purchased two passes for a 3 hour vegan cooking class as birthday gifts for my mother and brother from Singapore and they were really looking forward to attending as it was their first ever cooking class experience. Unfortunately I was quickly informed of their disappointment. The website clearly states each student would walk away from the class having learnt how to prepare 7 dishes BUT the class was supposedly very quickly split into groups with each group being asked to learn individual dishes. This was heavily misadvertised. The tutor also spent 1 of the 3 hrs discussing the impact of covid for which my family needed no life lesson. I emailed the academy with regard to my disappointment a couple of days after and am yet to receive a response. Utterly stunned, particularly as I have attended many other cooking classes myself at a fraction of the price and learnt so much more than what they walked away with. In addition to this, THE TUTOR AND HER STAFF ATE the meals prepared by the students at the end of the session. I’m gobsmacked and appalled to have heard this. Disgraceful.

Extended review based upon their response considering I cannot directly address their lies (convenient);

I checked my personal email everyday since I emailed your academy and was yet to find a response. Why on earth would any student choose to attend a second class based on such poor standards of practice at a first class?! It would be an utter waste of time. I read almost all of your prior reviews and there are MANY acknowledging the lack of education in cooking mastery actually offered. I have also read many suggesting that you are an academy that fails to rightfully address complaints appropriately and so it is no surprise a negative Google review is what caught your attention as naturally it would be more likely to discourage potential future customers from attending your classes.

I would advise everyone NOT TO...

I recently completed the Ultimate Baking Course at Cookery School (8 evening sessions, 6:30–9:30PM), and it was truly one of the most rewarding baking course experiences I've ever had.

Across the course, we covered a wide range of bakes, from Victoria sponges, lemon drizzle cakes, to croissants, macarons, scones, biscuits, pies, breads, and savoury pastries. Each session was hands-on, structured, and filled with expert tips.

Our instructor, Maddy, was absolutely brilliant - Maddy was incredibly knowledgeable, patient, and clearly passionate about baking. Even as someone who’s baked quite a bit, I picked up so many new techniques and insights. Even an experienced baker can learn a lot from these wonderful instructors!

The atmosphere was so friendly and welcoming. It’s a great way to meet like-minded people, and baking in the evenings became such a therapeutic, joyful ritual. During savoury baking sessions, we’d all sit down at the end to enjoy what we’d made together - a lovely touch. The team also provided little snacks and hot drinks at the start of each class to keep us fuelled while we baked.

I can’t recommend this course enough - whether you’re a beginner or a more experienced baker, it’s a fantastic and...

I booked for the afternoon tea class as a part of my holiday in the UK a class I was so looking forward to attend. Well let’s start with the good stuff the chef and the staff were friendly and it was a nice opportunity to meet new ppl. However, I was so dissapointed with it. For £150 I was expecting a more organised and a professional class. We were provided with the recipes via email ( thanks for that) but once we arrived there was no cooking stations at all for any of the students. The chef divided the recipes among the attendees so we didn’t get the opportunity to see what others were actually doing. I could have googled for recipes. The overall presentation of the afternoon tea was way below average. The only concern of the team was to finish on time. To be honest the chef was nice and gave us a few tips here and there but the class was chaiotic. So not worth the money I have payed at all. The only thing I was grateful for was meeting new ppl that’s about it. For £150 I would expect a station and be able to actually practice everything or at least one or two recipes from start to finish. I have attended classes with other culinary schools but never again at the...