Fancy learning a new skill? The most commonly booked evening classes are dance, languages, art, yoga, and oddly enough, accounts, but why not choose something highly unusual you can boast about at dinner parties? With the courses we’ve listed below, you’re guaranteed to be the only person round the table whose taken part in them. From natural soap-making to coffee cupping lessons, we’ve got everything covered, from the wacky to the invaluable…
Acclaimed pizzeria Franco Manca offer pizza-making lessons for those who want to make a killer Neapolitan-style pizza – Tom Parker-Bowles even declared it the best in the UK. This mini-chain of restaurants has made a name for itself thanks to a concise menu of slow-rising pizzas prepared traditionally in a wood-fired brick oven. Ingredients are carefully sourced, like tomatoes from Italy and cheese made by the owners. Classes cost £20, last two hours and take place at the Chiswick branch.
Many will argue that you can’t learn how to be funny, but the London Comedy Course challenges this notion by teaching stand up. Performance skills are emphasised, as students are provided with written material which they must then transform into a five minute set. Assistance is also offered in terms of booking gigs. There are taster sessions, and courses start from only £75 for a two-day workshop, with longer beginner’s courses starting from £160.
There is far more to tea than milk and two sugars, and to learn all there is to know about blending as well as the history of tea you can take part in the one day workshops offered by the UK Tea Council. The manufacture of different varieties of tea and the journey they make from the plantation to your cup are also covered. Workshops take place at The Chesterfield Hotel in Mayfair and cost £195.
\n\nIf you’re looking for a workout that’s a bit more exhilarating than running on the treadmill, why not try the Street Dance courses at Battersea Arts Centre. A love of hip hop is preferable, but no dancing experience is needed for the beginner’s class, while there is a more advanced level on offer too. Part of the courses, which last either six or twelve weeks, is to learn a routine to a current song, which you can even choose the track yourself if you have something specific in mind. A six-week course is £60.
In coffee-making, the process of “cupping” is vital; it’s the tasting stage, where it is decided which flavours to emphasise and which qualities need to be eliminted. Ozone Coffee Roasters’ cupping classes teach students how to identify subtle flavours like butterscotch, chocolate and caramel. Classes last 90 minutes and include a tour of the roastery, the price is £25.
Natural soap making may seem like an oddball choice, but think of the benefits: you’ll be learning how to make your very own moisturising bar without any undesirable chemicals. These workshops take place at the Crown & Anchor pub in Chiswick, last 90 minutes and cost £42.50. The same company, I Made It Myself, also do classes in fascinator making, beauty product making and biscuit icing.
Instructions for playing roulette, blackjack and poker are covered at Learn to Play, evenings hosted by the Grosvenor Gloucester Casino in South Kensington. The one-off two-hour lessons cover useful tips, probabilities and of course the basic methods of playing, so no experience is necessary. Best of all, it’s free. \n\nBecome more self-sufficient by learning how to butcher your own animals at the Ginger Pig in Marylebone. Various types of meat are covered, from lamb to sausages, albeit on separate days (their website specifies that Fridays and Sundays are for beef, lamb and pork only). Each class ends with a meal, usually a roast, along with wine, and you get to take home the cut of beef you’ve been practising on. Lessons last three and a half hours and cost £135.
Cabaret is in vogue, and at the Roundhouse you can now learn the art of cabaret performance. The course leader is Olivier winner Marisa Carnesky, who has performed at camp night Duckie as well as starring in Carnesky’s Ghost Train. The course is ten weeks long, but you have to be under the age of 25 to attend unfortunately. In a similar vein there is a burlesque school, the London Academy of Burlesque, who even do bespoke classes and parties.
Circus Space also teaches performing, but focuses specifically on acrobatics, trapeze, rope activities and helpfully, sessions to promote your flexibility. There are separate lessons for children as well as taster days, in case you can’t decide which circus skill you’d like to take up.
So, hopefully you’ve got enough ideas to keep those new year’s resolutions to acquire a new skill in place, or at least substitute the ones you had to abandon at the start of the year. If the any of the places listed above stop offering these courses in the future it’s worth doing a search on the internet, as it’s quite likely there’ll be somewhere else providing them. After all, there are more than 4000 evening classes in London for you to choose from.
