From luxury sea salt caramels and gluten-free pancakes to nettle gnocchi, the BB team rounds up four of the best cookery classes to brush up your culinary (and wine) skills this autumn

For chocolate lovers
Go back to chocolate school at William Curley’s Belgravia Boutique and learn every stage of the process, from the cacao pod to the chocolate bar, with a chance to make your own sea salt caramels following an artisanal recipe. Alternatively, enroll on a truffle-making class, which will guide you through the process, from bean to bar to packaging. Perfect for the incorrigibly sweet-toothed.

For gastronomes
From family suppers and easy breads to sweet and savoury autumnal tarts and pasta sauces, Kitchen Table Cookery (which runs out of The Talbot Inn in Mells, Somerset) has a fantastic line-up of courses for autumn. There’s even a hands-on day of gluten and dairy-free cooking, making everything from bread made from sweet potato to gluten-free brownies and pancakes. A great way to both expand your supper party repertoire and celebrate seasonal ingredients at the same time.

For wild things
If you like the idea of cooking from the country larder, join celebrity chefs Giancarlo and Katie Caldesi on their Go Wild in the Country luxury culinary weekend course in the Cotswolds, from 10-12 October. Dishes include everything from nettle gnocchi and rich game pie to fresh pappardelle pasta with pheasant ragu, and hedgerow jam and sourdough bread.

For wine enthusiasts
Berry Bros. & Rudd was awarded the Wine Educator of the Year award at the 2012 International Wine Challenge, so there's no better place to sign up for wine school. Courses take place in the Pickering Cellar, situated below the historic St James's Street shop, and range from one-day wine classes - if you want to condense all your learning into a day - to evening classes, tasting events and examination courses.