The UK’s Best Vegan Cooking Classes For 2024

Nowadays, we all know vegan food can be delicious – it’s just about knowing the tips and tricks for making plants shine. We have plenty of recipe ideas here, but if you’re after some expert guidance, there are an abundance of vegan cooking classes on offer in the UK. Whether you’ve recently gone vegan, are a chef looking to broaden your professional skills, or simply fancy expanding your plant-based cooking repertoire, there’s something for everyone – from evening workshops to in-depth diplomas. Learn to make tasty tofu, fish-free sushi, vegan cakes and much more, plus brush up on your general culinary skills, at these forward-thinking UK cookery schools.

Best Vegan Cooking Classes in the UK

• The Grand, York
• Demuths, Bath
• Leiths, London
• Our Lizzy, Malvern
• Plant Academy, London
• Natural Cookery School, Gloucestershire
• Made In Hackney, London
• The Veg Society, Manchester

The Grand, York

Housed in an impressive Edwardian building in the former headquarters of the North Eastern Railway, The Grand is one of York’s top hotels. Alongside its dreamy spa and high-end restaurant, the hotel is home to a cookery school, which offers courses for novices and aspiring chefs alike. The programme includes a number of vegan-focused classes, where you can learn to make everything from laksa to ravioli – all without the use of animal products. Students will get hands-on training on how to make vegetables the focal point of the dish, plus more general skills such as presentation and using knives. Afterwards, treat yourself to a stay in one of the hotel’s luxurious rooms.

Station Rise, York YO1 6GD, thegrandyork.co.uk

Demuths, Bath

Rachel Demuth built up a cult following of plant-based diners at her eponymous restaurant in Bath, which she ran for 26 years. In 2001, she decided to branch out and spread her love for veggies in another way: by teaching cookery classes. She started off running these in her own kitchen before launching a purpose-built space site in the centre of the city, which specialises in vegan cooking classes. Courses range from short evening sessions to a full-blown diploma, which has become well-known within the vegan community. The former are either a couple of hours, a half day or a full day long, covering themes like Indian street food, brunch, pasta making or Middle Eastern cuisine, while the diploma is a more thorough course, taught over six weeks.

6 Terrace Walk, Bath BA1 1LN, demuths.co.uk

Leiths, London

One of the UK’s most prestigious cookery schools, Leiths was founded in 1975 by the legendary Prue Leith. Its year-long diploma programme is renowned in the industry, with many graduates going on to become top chefs, recipe developers and food stylists – but there are many other courses on offer too, many of which are beginner-friendly. The school has also upped its vegan offering in recent years, with a number of different plant-based classes on offer such as The Essential Vegan, where you’ll spend a day learning how to adjust classic recipes that usually contain animal products. There’s also the Plant-Based Essential Cooking Certificate, a more intensive course designed to teach the fundamentals of professional cooking, with a sole focus on vegan food.

16-20 Wendell Rd, London W12 9RT, leiths.com

Our Lizzy, Malvern

Lizzy Hughes spent years teaching primary school children in Birmingham, going on to do a diploma in veggie cuisine. She later decided to combine both her passions – teaching and plant-based food – and launched Our Lizzy: a vegan cookery school in Malvern, Worcestershire. Workshops tend to run from 10am – 3.45pm, and cover everything from vegan baking to cooking with tofu and Greek mezze. Classes are small and intimate, open to up to six guests, and the venue also serves as a B&B. 

59 Howsell Rd, Malvern WR14 1TH, ourlizzy.com

Plant Academy, London

Founded by vegan foodie Lauren Lovatt following a successful Kickstarter campaign, Plant Academy in East London is a culinary school offering online and in-person plant-based training. There are three core courses available: Plant One, Plant Two and Plant Three, all aimed at different levels of expertise, covering topics like fermentation, medicinal mushrooms and plant-based desserts. You can also tune into live workshops – coming up is a session on teas, tinctures and tonics – and there are a series of videos available to watch on-demand, which explore subjects like batch cooking and vegan cheese.

Studio 4, 1 Darnley Rd, London E9 6QH, plantacademy.co.uk

Natural Cookery School, Gloucestershire

Chef Erin Baker made a name for herself at her organic café Woodruffs before deciding to launch her very own vegan cookery school. She runs a range of classes from her state-of-the-art kitchen in Nailsworth, which involve working in small groups to create tasty plant-based recipes – whether that’s one pot winter wonders, desserts or Mexican street food. If you’re looking for something more thorough, the five-day Natural Kitchen cooking course offers a week of hands-on cooking focused around seasonal and organic meals.

Days Mill, Old Market, Nailsworth, Stroud GL6 0DU, naturalcookeryschool.com

Photography by Marcus Duran

Made in Hackney, London

Vegan community cookery school Made in Hackney was born in 2012 with the aim of bringing about positive change through the power of plants. It aims to address pressing issues of climate change, health inequality and food access in a number of ways – from providing emergency plant-based meals to those in need to offering education surrounding vegan cooking. The school offers an array of classes at its Hackney HQ – though these can be brought to other locations, whether that’s an office, a school or a community centre – and workshops cover everything from plant-based nutrition to gourmet vegan cooking and raw desserts. You can also take part in online classes: coming up there’s a lesson on cooking with jackfruit, a fermenting class and a session on plant-based cooking for hormone health.

Liberty Hall, 128 Clapton Common, London E5 9AA, madeinhackney.org

The Veg Society, Manchester

With its roots in the reforming spirit of the early 19th century, The Vegetarian Society has been around for many years – and even its cookery school dates back to the 1980s, meaning plenty of years of experience. Based in Altrincham in Manchester, the school offers a variety of classes for all abilities, from a vegan sushi workshop to a session on how to make seitan and an introduction to tofu. Plenty of its veggie classes can be made suitable for vegans too.

Parkdale, Dunham Rd, Altrincham WA14 4QG, vegsoc.org

Featured image: Getty Images