Written by Beth Allcock for The Wharf

If the festive season has left you craving healthy home-cooked food rather than canapes and dinners out, perhaps it’s time to sharpen up your skills in the kitchen.

We’ve scoured London for five of the best places to hone your techniques this winter.

Billingsgate Seafood Training School

1. Saturday’s Catch

Saturday, January 23, Billingsgate Seafood School , Poplar, £100

Fish fans get to indulge their passions with this five-hour course hosted by CJ Jackson and her team.

The session, one of the school’s most popular, combines hands-on fishmongering and knife skills with the chance to use the fresh produce on offer at Billingsgate Market in a variety of tasty dishes.

Gaucho steak cooking course at The O2 meats and kitchen shots

2. Grill like A Gaucho

Saturday, January 16, Gaucho The O2 , North Greenwich, £150

Join the chain’s beef guru Fernando Laroude as he leads this meaty cookery class.

With a focus on the Argentine asado – a phrase used for a social gathering at a barbecue – guests will learn preparation, grilling and cooking techniques for luscious cuts of meat.

5 bakehouse in east London

3. Bread Making Class

Thursday, March 3, The E5 Bakehouse , London Fields, Hackney, £120

Go carb crazy at this day-long dough fest. After an introductory session, it’s time to get hands-on and weigh the ingredients out for four varieties of loaf.

All use wild sourdough and tips on how to sustain the yeast as well as knead correctly will be given.

Fair Cake

4. Buttercream Flowers Cupcakes,

Saturday, January 30, Fair Cake , Greenwich, £195

One for those with a sweet tooth – learn to create beautiful edible bouquets using buttercream rather than fondant paste with instructor Shikhita Singh.

Even those with butter-fingers will enjoy mastering the delicate designs which will be piped on top of buttercream cupcakes.

Bourne & Hollingsworth Buildings

5. Sausage Making

From February 2016, Bourne And Hollingsworth Kitchen , £tbc

The restaurant’s soon-to-open Cookery School, led by head chef Adam Gray, will host a variety of classes for foodies including this one which will teach participants to create a range of meat-based bangers.