Bake the British Isles: Cooking Club

I have been running baking classes for over five years now, and it is a privilege to share the recipes on Outschool with chefs from all over the world.  I live in the UK, and have picked some classic British recipes to share with you in this friendly, relaxed class.

We start by saying hello, and then I give a short introduction to the bake, perhaps explaining which region it is from, or the tradition behind the recipe.  Then we all get cooking! I bake along too, and show your chef exactly what to do at each stage so they are sure what to do.  Don't worry if your chef isn't sure of something; I am happy to repeat instructions, and look at mixes in bowls to check everything is going as it should be.

After we have cleared up, and while our food is cooking (and smelling delicious!), we have a quiz based on a theme linked to the weekly recipe.  This is good fun, and a great way to find out more about our beautiful British Isles.

If your learner has any additional needs please let me know in advance; I will do my best to adapt the class so they can join in. 

Also, if your child has allergies to nuts/milk/butter, substitutes can often be easily made - just ask if you aren't sure.

The schedule is as follows:


2025 dates

Week of 3rd March - Welsh Bara Brith (this literally means speckled bread, and is a fruity tea loaf – to celebrate St David’s Day)
Week of 10th March - Spotted Dick (a true childhood pudding   Originally it was steamed for several hours, but you can also cook it in the oven.  Real comfort food!)
Week of 17th March – Irish Apple Amber (a cooked apple puree topped with meringue inside a pastry case – to celebrate St Patrick’s Day, the patron saint of Ireland)
Week of 24th March - Welsh Rarebit (grilled cheese with a difference)
Week of 31st March- Sticky Toffee Pudding (a pudding made with dates and served with a gorgeous toffee sauce)
Week of 7th April – Hot Cross Buns (a yeasty bun traditionally eaten in the UK on Good Friday)
Week of 14th April – Mini Simnel Cakes (simnel cakes are a traditional cake eaten at Easter)
Week of 21st April – English Scones (these can be sweet or savoury, and are found in every tea shop in England; to celebrate St George, the patron saint of England)
Week of 28th April - English Teacakes (a yeasty bun that is served in every British tea shop)
Week of 5th May - Victoria Sponge Butterfly Buns (using the classic sponge recipe, butterfly buns add icing and two simple butterfly wings)
Week of 12th May-  Raspberry Buns (a jammy treat)
Week of 19th May - Jam Sponge (a delicious, comforting pudding created with a good dollop of jam beneath a sponge batter; when it is baked you tip it upside down so the jam oozes over the top of the sponge)
Week of 26th May -British Madeira cake (a classic teatime cake, flavoured with lemon)
Week of 2nd June - Pineapple Upside Down Cake (although this is called a cake, it is served as a pudding   It has a pineapple in a sweet, sticky sauce baked beneath a sponge batter, and turned upside when served   Gorgeous!)
Week of 9th June - Lemon Surprise Pudding (a layer of sponge and a zingy lemon layer too)
Week of 16th June -  Tiessanau Mel (Welsh honey cakes; these are light and delicious.
Week of 23rd June - Jumbles (a biscuit recipe dating from Medieval times)
Week of 30th June - Chocolate Brownies (a chewy, chocolatey bar)
Week of 7th July - Treacle Tart (a sweet, sticky filling in a pastry case)
Week of 14th July - Summer Pudding (an uncooked pudding filled with summer fruits; we will also have time to create Bread Pudding to use up the spare bread we have)Week of 
Week of 21st July - Jamaica Cake (a dark, moisty, gingery loaf cake)
Week of 28th July -   Eton Mess (a mix of meringue, strawberries and cream - a real summery treat)
Week of 4th August -  Lemon Drizzle Cake (a sponge cake drenched with a very lemony topping - great for picnics, teatimes, and any other occasion!)
Week of 11th August - Maids of Honour (baked mini cheesecake in a pastry case, invented in the court of Henry 8th)
Week of 18th August - Chocolate Concrete (another school dinner favourite; a variation on a chocolate shortbread served with pink custard)
Week of 25th August – Ecclefechan Tarts (a sweet pastry filled with a sticky dried fruit filling)
Week of 1st September -  Fruit Charlotte (traditionally made with apples - but you can use pears, blackberries, rhubarb, or a mixture of fruits - mixed with sweet crumbs and wrapped up in a dish lined with buttery slices of bread   It is named after Queen Charlotte, wife of George 3rd)
Week of 8th September - Irish Boxty Bread (a traditional bread made with potatoes as well as flour; delicious with butter or butter and jam)
Week of 15th September - Apple Batter (apples baked in a simple batter in the oven)
Week of 21st September – Newmarket Cake (a cake made with coffee, chocolate and nuts that is named after the famous horse races)
Week of 28th September – Shrewsbury Biscuits (a lemony biscuit from the Shropshire town)
Week of 5th October-  Bread and Butter Pudding (a comforting dish made with bread, sugar, fruit and spices soaked in a custard)
Week of 12th October - Welsh Cakes (these cakes are baked in a frying pan, not in the oven)
Week of 19th October - Fruit Crumble (apple, pear, rhubarb, blackberries or any fruit you like beneath a floury, buttery topping – a real British classic)
Week of 27th October - Halloween Soul Cakes (a cakey biscuit dating from Medieval times and traditionally eaten at Halloween)
Week of 3rd November - Oatmeal Parkin (a sticky cake traditionally eaten on 5th November on Bonfire Night in the UK, when we remember Guy Fawkes who tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament)
Week of 10th November -  Irish Soda Bread (a traditional and delicious bread made without yeast)
Week of 17th November -  Dundee Cake (a fruit cake from Scotland, in honour of St Andrew’s Day on the 20th November)
Week of 24th November - Rock Buns  (no rocks needed; these are a fruity, spicy rough-formed cake)
Week of 1st December - Christmas Pudding (also known as Figgy Pudding, this is a pudding rich with fruit and spices, that is traditionally eaten on Christmas Day)
Week of 8th December - Mincemeat (this doesn’t contain any meat, but is a rich, fruity filling for the popular mince pies that can be used in the recipe next week)
Week of 15th December - Mince pies (a pastry filled with mincemeat that is really popular at this festive time of year.  If you don’t have mincemeat, it is possible to use jam instead)
Week of 22nd December – no class
Week of 29th December – no class
Week of 4th January - Pope Lady Cakes (traditionally eaten at New Year, this is a very old yeasted gingerbread recipe)

2026 dates

Week of 11th January - Scottish Shortbread (buttery and melt-in-the-mouth; a gorgeous biscuit)
Week of 18th January - Bakewell Tart (a simple custard inside a pastry filling from my home county of Derbyshire
Week of 25th January - English Flapjacks (this oaty treat is sweet and sticky)
Week of 1st February – Grantham Gingerbreads (a sweet, crisp, hollow biscuit)
Week of 8th February - Sausage Rolls (a filling inside a flaky pastry - vegetarian options available)