British Baking Retreat

BRITISH BAKING RETREAT 2021

London and Cambridge, England
September 17–September 24, 2021

$7,500 single occupancy
$6,500 double occupancy
$8,500 baking participant plus non-baking guest
$500 hotel add-on for Thursday, September 16 (limited availability)
$500 hotel add-on for Saturday, September 24 (limited availability)

Great news, bakers! The UK is reopening to fully vaccinated Americans!

This September, you can join our editor-in-chief, Brian Hart Hoffman, on a dream baking trip, where you’ll learn classic British recipes from British baking experts and modern puddings from Edd Kimber, winner of the first season of The Great British Bake Off. This week-long trip will begin and end in London, with travel to Cambridge for two days of baking at Cambridge Cookery. We promise, this trip will be full of baking, afternoon tea, learning, laughter, and new friends!

Please note all 16 spots of this baking retreat must be filled by August 1 for the retreat to take place.

What’s Included
  • Hotel accommodations in London and Cambridge
  • Breakfast daily at hotels in London and Cambridge
  • Private coach transfers to/from all retreat activities and to/from Cambridge
  • All baking classes at Leiths School of Food and Wine, Cambridge Cookery, and guided tour of Borough Market
  • Welcome wine reception in London, afternoon tea at the Milestone Hotel, dinner in Cambridge, closing wine reception at the Milestone Hotel, lunch at Leiths School of Food and Wine and Cambridge Cookery
What’s Not Included
  • Airfare/travel to London
  • Airport transfers
  • Some meals
What’s Included
  • Hotel accommodations in London and Cambridge
  • Breakfast daily at hotels in London and Cambridge
  • Private coach transfers to/from all retreat activities and to/from Cambridge
  • All baking classes at Leiths School of Food and Wine, Cambridge Cookery, and guided tour of Borough Market
  • Welcome wine reception in London, afternoon tea at the Milestone Hotel, dinner in Cambridge, closing wine reception at the Milestone Hotel, lunch at Leiths School of Food and Wine and Cambridge Cookery
What’s Not Included
  • Airfare/travel to London
  • Airport transfers
  • Some meals
What’s Included
  • Hotel accommodations in London and Cambridge
  • Breakfast daily at hotels in London and Cambridge
  • Private coach transfers to/from Cambridge
  • Welcome wine reception in London, afternoon tea at the Milestone Hotel, dinner in Cambridge, closing wine reception at the Milestone Hotel
What’s Not Included
  • Airfare/travel to London
  • Airport transfers
  • Baking classes and tour of Borough Market
  • Some meals

Have a question about this baking retreat? Contact us.


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.

Photo courtesy Leiths School of Food and Wine
Photo by Yuki Sugiura
Photo by Yuki Sugiura

 


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.

Whom You’ll Meet
Brian Hart Hoffman, editor-in-chief of Bake from Scratch magazine
Edd Kimber, cookbook author and winner of season one of The Great British Bake Off

Booking
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.

Travel to and from London
Guests are responsible for getting themselves to London and to the Milestone Hotel on Friday, September 17, when the retreat commences. Guests will be responsible for getting themselves from the Milestone Hotel to the airport or their next destination on Friday, September 24. Heathrow Airport is much closer to the city center than Gatwick Airport, but please check transportation costs to the Milestone Hotel for more information.

Costs
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.

Cancellation
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.

Photo by The Milestone Hotel
Photo by The Milestone Hotel
Photo by Yuki Sugiura

 


Can I extend my stay at the Milestone Hotel?
We have a limited number of rooms available for the evenings of Thursday, September 16, and Friday, September 24, if you plan to extend your time 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.

Is breakfast included?
This retreat package includes daily breakfast at the London and Lancashire hotels.

Are children able to attend this retreat?
All participants must be 18 years old or older to attend this baking retreat.

What should I plan to wear at the cookery schools?
Comfortable clothing and closed-toe shoes. Long hair should be pulled back. Aprons will be provided.

Are the baking classes hands-on?
Yes, all baking classes will be hands-on in professional cookery school kitchens.

If I book a double-occupancy package, will the hotel room have two beds?
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.

Is transportation around London and Cambridge included?
Transportation in a private coach will be provided to all scheduled retreat activities. Pickup and drop-off will be from the Milestone Hotel in London and from the Hotel du Vin Cambridge in Cambridge. Guests will be responsible for their own arrival and departure transportation to and from the Milestone Hotel in London. Guests will also be responsible for any transportation deviations they choose to make during the retreat.

I want to bring my travel companion, but they don’t want to participate in the baking classes. What can they do?
We offer a baking participant plus non-baking guest package for this very reason! This package allows you to bake and participate in all retreat activities while your travel companion explores London and Cambridge on their own. As a part of this package, hotel accommodations, daily breakfast, transportation with group to Cambridge, welcome reception, afternoon tea, evening wine reception, and dinner in Cambridge are included for your non-baking guest companion.

Is this retreat better suited for professionals or home bakers?
Our retreats are geared for passionate home bakers, but professionals are always welcome.

What will the weather be like in London in September?
On average, highs in September will be in the 60s (Fahrenheit), with cooler nights. It’s always a good idea to have a rain jacket handy.

What will we be baking?
We are working with our partners on an incredible British baking curriculum, but you can expect to bake everything from classic British scones to Victoria sponge, Battenberg cake, Chelsea buns, English muffins, sandwich tin bread for tea sandwiches, and more.

Will we have any free time in London?
You will have some afternoon free time in London to explore on your own, and we will equip you with our list of favorite bakeries and shopping neighborhoods.

Will I feel safe baking in person with a group of people?
We will follow all local guidelines for social distancing that are in place at the time of the retreat. Our retreat groups are naturally small due to the hands-on nature of the classes.

Do I need to be vaccinated to join this baking retreat?
We strongly suggest all participants be fully vaccinated. The UK will likely have specific entry requirements for tourists that participants will be responsible for adhering to. We will monitor all travel requirements to/from the UK and will update the group as information is released and updated.

Photo courtesy Leiths School of Food and Wine