If I am a mature age student, when is the best time to come on a course? We tend to have a broader mix of ages in the first three courses of the year. From June to December is mainly gap or people at or/not finished University.

Do I need to bring anything with me? Comfortable clothes, covered soft rubber soled shoes (but not black soles). We will supply everything else.

What facilities are available? A tennis court, croquet lawn, badminton and boules. There are many lovely walks, so bring your Wellington boots. We also have two television rooms (one having SKY TV), a games room which includes a pool table.

How old do I have to be to attend the course? Over 17 years old. There is no maximum age.

What is the ratio of men to women? This varies considerably. On a course of 24 students, the number of males has varied from 4-13 (16-54%).

When are the full fees due? We will invoice you 8 weeks before the course and require the full fees 6 weeks before the start of the course.

Do you take complete beginners? Absolutely. Many of our students have very little knowledge about cooking. Those with more experience however can gain a huge amount from the course.

How many people are there in a class and how many teachers are there? We have two kitchens with 12 students in each, and five staff. This gives a healthy ratio less than 1:5

Do you offer the Basic Food Hygiene certificate? Only on our 4 week course, which the majority of students tend to do.

If I want to do a ski season, which is the best course to do? The 4 week course is ideal for this. We will also help you find a job.

Do we get to eat what we have cooked? Yes. As the course is fully residential, you will sit down together as a group and eat everything you have cooked for both lunch and dinner. Breakfast is on a help yourself basis before teaching starts at 9.00am.

Do you have overseas students? The majority of our students are British, however we get a good splattering of students from all over the world, including America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Northern Europeans.

Can you help me find a job after I have completed the course? The Grange has an excellent reputation with all recruiting agencies. If you receive a good reference from the course, we will be very happy to guide you towards general recruitment agencies, ski agencies or yachting agencies.

Do most students share a room? Yes. However if you are a mature age student and would prefer to have a single room, please let us know early. We are limited to how many single rooms we can offer.

Can we stay on the weekends? Yes you may, but generally students tend to go home, stay with friends, visit lost relatives etc. If you need to stay, there is a nominal charge of £30 for accommodation and you will need to supply your own food, and you could be the only one on the property.

What time do we finish on Fridays and what time will we finish on the last day of the course? Generally we finish at about 3.30 p.m. each Friday. On the last day, we have a buffet lunch, where each student gets to invite two people. The guests have generally all gone by about 3.00 p.m.