A BRAND new cookery school is gearing up to open this March.

The Kitchen at Chewton Glen is a new purpose-built cookery school and dining complex. Classes will run Tuesday to Sunday from 9.30am until 4pm, with prices starting from £185, including refreshments, lunch, all equipment and ingredients.

Working in association with celebrity chef and Chewton Glen alumnus James Martin, the cookery school will be headed-up by Chef Tutor, Rob Cottam.

James and Rob have formulated a rolling roster of bespoke and stimulating courses and demonstrations that will inspire, inform, educate and most importantly provide a culinary experience that is packed full of fun and enjoyment.

Classes will be hosted by Rob and visiting guest and celebrity chefs, including Tom Kerridge, Atul Kochhar, Richard Corrigan, Dan Doherty, and, of course, James Martin himself.

The purpose-built space will set the stage for enjoying and learning about food and cooking. The design is open-plan; bi-folding doors and glass panelling flood the cookery school and casual restaurant with light. Each of the 12 professionally equipped cooking stations have views over the dedicated kitchen garden, which has been established by Chewton Glen’s estate manager, Darren Venables.

The cookery school will offer a relaxed and convivial learning environment, where guests will experience expert tuition on a cosmopolitan range of food and wine courses in small classes, all in the spectacular surroundings of Chewton Glen.

Course days will start with coffee and home-baked pastries and a sneak peek at what’s growing in the garden. Each student will have their own work station.

Class themes will include; Found and Foraged; Morocco to the Middle East; Baking Greats; Nutritious and Delicious; Food for the Family; and a Junior Chef programme.

In addition to the cookery school, The Kitchen will also feature a 40-seater informal restaurant, with an open-plan kitchen with a pizza oven, chef’s table for private dining and celebrations, an informal lounge, an outside seating area, and private parking. It will be open daily for lunch and dinner, and will also be home to the Chewton Glen bakery that will produce a range of artisan breads and pastries for hotel guests and visitors to The Kitchen.

Typical dishes in the restaurant will include wood-fired pizzas, gourmet burgers, superfood salads, and lobster and chips.

Details of how to book The Kitchen, including the preliminary schedule of courses, and information on gift vouchers, can be found at chewtonglen.com/thekitchen, or call 01425 275 341.