A COOKERY school at the prestigious Chewton Glen hotel will open later this year.

Plans were approved last week for the £2.6million cookery school at the five-star hotel, with celebrity chef James Martin, attending Christchurch council's planning committee in support of the venture.

The Saturday Kitchen host will hold classes at the school, where he did a short stint as a pastry chef when he was 20.

He will also oversee the schedule, bringing with him a little black book of the country's best chefs who will help him orchestrate a rolling roster of courses and demonstrations.

A spokesperson for the hotel said: "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 reassuringly small classes, all the in the spectacular surroundings of Chewton Glen."

Chewton Glen's managing director, Andrew Stembridge, said: “2016 is a very significant year for the hotel as we celebrate our 50th anniversary as a luxury country house hotel, which is highly respected throughout the world.

"Chewton Glen is a significant business in the area and the cookery school will create 20 new jobs. The additional turnover will also further benefit the 150 local businesses that already enjoy working with Chewton Glen.

“We are delighted that James Martin has agreed to partner with us in this exciting project, which will bring a new kudos to the gastronomic profile of Highcliffe and Christchurch.

"With planning permission secured, work will commence very shortly on the cookery school, which we hope to open in the autumn of 2016."

Concerns were raised at planning about the prospect of building on Green Belt land, but officers felt the positive economic benefits of the school were enough to justify consent.

As well as a dining area and tasting floor, the professional kitchen space will include a charcuterie bar, bakery and patisserie, along with a vegetable garden and sculpture garden.