Lavish food and drink breaks

Learn from London's top chefs

A day masterclass course in a top London restaurant gives you a unique opportunity to work with, and learn from, head chefs in their own kitchens as well as dine in their restaurants. Visit Tasting Places (www.tastingplaces.com) for a listing of capital master classes which you can participate in.

Country cooking schools

Alternatively, escape to the country for a masterclass lesson at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons (www.manoir.com) or Swinton Park (www.swintonpark.com). Or, maybe take a short stay at an English vineyard like Three Choirs (www.three-choirs-vineyards.co.uk) in Gloucestershire where you can taste some of their award-winning wines and enjoy modern British cooking.

Regional delights

If you're heading to Wales, and have a passion for cheese, then a stay at a holiday cottage on a family-run cheese farm (www.welsh-cheese.co.uk/default/) in the picturesque county of Pembrokeshire would be something well worth trying. In Scotland, you could take the Speyside Malt Whisky Trail (www.maltwhiskytrail.com), home to more than half of Scotland’s best distilleries and some of Scotland’s finest highland countryside, coastline and towns.

For more information, visit our food & drink section.