British Baking Retreat 2021
London and Cambridge, England
September 17–September 24, 2021
This September, we are heading across the pond so you can learn classic British recipes firsthand from Edd Kimber, winner of the first season of The Great British Bake Off, and other British baking experts. This week-long trip will begin and end in London, with travel to Cambridge for two days of baking at Cambridge Cookery. We promise it will be a lovely, jubbly time.
Please note all 16 spots of this baking retreat must be filled by August 1 for the retreat to take place. Don’t wait! Register today.
Friday, September 17
Arrive in London and get settled into the Milestone Hotel, a five-star luxury hotel known for its British style and charm. The hotel is located in the Kensington neighborhood, opposite Kensington Palace and Gardens and close to the Royal Albert Hall. We’ll have an early evening wine reception at the hotel so you can meet our editor-in-chief, Brian Hart Hoffman, and your fellow bakers. Dinner will be on your own with our list of top restaurants to try while you’re in London.
Saturday, September 18
Day 1 at Leiths School of Food and Wine: Edd Kimber, cookbook author and the winner of the first season of The Great British Bake Off, will start the day of hands-on baking with his traditional English scones and then share some of his favorite recipes for modern takes on British pudding (what the British generally call dessert!). Lunch, tea, and coffee will be provided, and class will run from 10 a.m. until approximately 2:30 p.m. Transportation in a private coach will be provided to and from the cookery school.
Sunday, September 19
Day 2 at Leiths School of Food and Wine: The chef instructors at Leiths will lead a day of baking classic British recipes, from Chelsea buns to Yorkshire pudding. Lunch, tea, and coffee will be provided, and class will run from 10 a.m. until approximately 2:30 p.m. Transportation in a private coach will be provided to and from the cookery school.
Monday, September 20
Edd Kimber will guide us on an exclusive tour through the famed Borough Market, London’s oldest food market, where we will visit Bread Ahead Bakery, taste cheese at Neal’s Yard Dairy, and have plenty of time for shopping. Then we’ll head back to the Milestone Hotel for afternoon tea. Transportation in a private coach will be provided to and from Borough Market.
Tuesday, September 21
Enjoy morning free time before we head to Cambridge in a private coach and check into Hotel du Vin Cambridge. This small, luxury hotel is located in the city center so you’ll be staying in a prime location to wander through the surrounding cobblestone streets. In the evening, we’ll have a group dinner at Bistro du Vin, which is located at the hotel.
Wednesday, September 22
We’ll head to Cambridge Cookery for a hands-on afternoon tea baking class that will feature Victoria sponge, Battenberg cake, English tin bread to make finger sandwiches, scones and handmade butter, and shortbread. Transportation in a private coach will be provided to and from the cookery school. Dinner will be on your own with our list of top restaurants to try while you’re in Cambridge.
Thursday, September 23
For our second day of baking at Cambridge Cookery, we’ll tackle global bread baking which will feature recipes such as English muffins, Italian focaccia, French brioche, Danish rye, German Brötchen, and Swedish cinnamon buns. Transportation in a private coach will be provided to and from the cookery school.
In the late afternoon, the entire group will head back to London via private coach, where we will check back into the Milestone Hotel and gather for an evening wine reception to toast an amazing week of baking together.
Friday, September 24
Departures at the time of your choosing. No retreat programming is scheduled.
The full price of the trip (100%) is due at booking. Your reservation will be confirmed upon receipt of payment. We accept payment by American Express, Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, and Amazon Pay. Trip prices are in US dollars.
Accommodations in London
Located in the Kensington neighborhood of London, opposite Kensington Palace and Gardens and close to the Royal Albert Hall, the Milestone Hotel is a five-star historic hotel steeped in British style and charm. Each room features fine fabrics, fresh flowers, antique furnishings, and rare artworks.
We have a limited number of rooms available for the evenings of Thursday, September 16, and Friday, September 24, if you’d like to extend your stay in London. To include one of these rooms in your package, place “hotel add-on for Thursday, September 16” and/or “hotel add-on for Friday, September 24” in your cart for checkout. This does include breakfast.
We will do our best to arrange for double-occupancy rooms with two beds, but due to the uniqueness of the hotels where we will be staying, we cannot guarantee separate beds. If there are not two beds, guests will be provided with two sets of linens on one bed.
Accommodations in Cambridge
Hotel du Vin Cambridge is a small, luxury hotel is located in the city center of Cambridge so you’ll be staying in a prime location to wander through the surrounding cobblestone streets.
We will do our best to arrange for double-occupancy rooms with two beds, but due to the uniqueness of the hotels where we will be staying, we cannot guarantee separate beds. If there are not two beds, guests will be provided with two sets of linens on one bed.
The price of the trip includes all hotel accommodations, all baking classes, some meals, and a private coach transfer to/from retreat activities.
Single-occupancy, double-occupancy, and participant plus non-baking guest rates are available.
Your credit card will be charged by Hoffman Media, the parent company of Bake from Scratch.
Since the trip is nonrefundable, we suggest buying trip insurance through a company like Travelex. You can also check with your credit card company to see if they provide travel insurance.
If you don’t purchase travel insurance, you agree to indemnify us against any charges that might otherwise be covered by your insurance. You further agree that we are not responsible for any costs of cancellation or costs related to COVID-19. Due to COVID-19, there may be limitations relating to activities. Certain services and amenities may be reduced or unavailable as a result of changing circumstances. Please know that we are working closely with our partners to plan and execute a safe baking retreat for our guests, but there is an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 when traveling. By booking this baking retreat, you acknowledge and assume these risks associated with travel.
If a mandatory quarantine for visitors is in effect for travel to the United Kingdom during the retreat, the retreat will be cancelled, and your money will be refunded in full. If quarantine is required of you due to not meeting entry standards such as a COVID-19 vaccination, you are responsible for adhering to the United Kingdom’s quarantine regulations and will not be offered a refund. You are responsible for following all travel protocols to enter the United Kingdom. This may include proof of vaccination, a health visa, and negative COVID-19 test. (We will help you navigate this process, don’t worry.)
We reserve the right to cancel this retreat if fewer than 16 participants have signed up by August 1, 2021. We will send an email confirmation to all participants when this number has been met. If Bake from Scratch initiates the cancellation, we will refund all payments. Please note that we will be monitoring travel advisories related to the COVID-19 pandemic closely.
Have a question about this baking retreat? Contact us.