It is no surprise that the Duchess of Cambridge should chose Leiths, the creme de la creme of cookery schools. Founded in 1975 by restaurateur and writer Prue Leith, the school has an outstanding international reputation with students from all over the world. Leiths also has good industry links and many students go on to work in Michelin-starred restaurants.  2. Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons  Church Road, Great Milton, Oxford, OX44 7PD (01844 278881)  Cost: From £185 for a half-day session to £1,775 for five days.  Raymond Blanc's cookery school, set in the magnificnet grounds of his 13th century manor house hotel and restaurant, comes a close second. It caters for both the beginner and the more experienced cook and is the only cookery school in the world that offers the chance to learn in the kitchens of a two-Michelin-starred restaurant.  Riverside, Padstow, PL28 8BY (01841 532700)  Cost: From £95 for a half-day course to £1,690 for a four-day residential course  Rick Stein's school is the place to be for seafood lovers. Located on Cornwall's picturesque coastline, cooking takes place in a stunning kitchen overlooking the Camel Estuary.  Shanagarry, Co. Cork, Ireland (00353 21 4646 785)  Cost: From £95 for a day to £4,775 for a 12-week Certificate Course (including accommodation)  Ireland's leading celebrity chef Darina Allen and her husband Tim run Ballymaloe, set in its own 100-acre organic farm. Students here get the bonus of using first-class ingredients and the chance to try their hand at milking cows and churning butter.  15 Bloomsbury Square, London, WC1A 2LS (020 7400 3900)  Cost: From £175 for a workshop to £28,465 for their prestigious nine-month Grand Diplôme.  Building on a century of excellence, Le Cordon Bleu is known for its world class tuition. Working under Le Cordon Bleu Master Chefs, students are taught cooking expertise as well as other aspects of hospitality, gastronomy and management.  6. Cordon Vert Cookery School  Parkdale, Dunham Road, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA14 4QG (0161 925 2014)  Cost: From £195 for an evening class to £1678.70 for their Professional Diploma  Cordon Vert, situated in a Victorian mansion in Cheshire, has been recognised as the world's premier vegetarian cooking school. It’s been going since 1982 and courses range from ‘vegan party food’ to ‘vegetarian sushi’. For young veggies, the ‘vegan venture’ workshop is free for 16-25 year olds.  12 St Andrews Terrace, Bath, BA1 2QR (01225 445531)  Cost: Beginners classes from £165  French dough maestro Richard Bertinet's school offers a range of courses but is mostly known for its baking expertise. Bertinet, who was named BBC Food Champion of the Year in 2010, takes many of the classes himself, due to popular demand.  Masham, Ripon, North Yorks, HG4 4JH (01765 680900)  Cost: From £35 for a morning course to £600 for an advanced five-day course  Set in a 17th-century, 30-bedroom castle hotel, Swinton Park offers not just cooking courses but also "experiences" which give guests the chance to enjoy a demonstration and fine dining whilst looking onto the castle turrets and parkland.  Hensol, Vale of Glamorgan, CF72 8GG (01443 222716)  Cost: From £25 for a demonstration to £165 for a masterclass  Food writer (and former chef to Andrew Lloyd Webber) Angela Gray’s cookery school is situated in a working vineyard in the stunning Welsh countryside. Angela teaches the majority of her classes, which are open to all ages and levels of expertise.  Park Farm, Trinity Hill Rd, Axminster, Devon, EX13 8TB (01297 630300)  Cost: From around £185 for a day course to £870 for four days  Finally, this hugely popular school offers a range of hands-on courses for all cooking levels. Fans of the original show will get to see the famous River Cottage farmhouse and do everything from seashore foraging to breadmaking.
After the news that the Duchess of Cambridge secretly attended a two-week   course at Leiths cookery school in London, we reveal the best schools for   budding chefs