Cook Stars brings children's cookery classes to McLarens on the Corner in Morningside

Young chefs in the south of the city have a new place to learn. Cook Stars launched its Edinburgh classes at McLarens on the Corner in Morningside at the end of August, offering a year-round programme of cooking and baking workshops for children aged from two to 17.

The very first workshop set the tone: children made their own chocolate and vanilla swirl marble cake from scratch and took it home. The programme aims to teach practical kitchen skills and encourage a balanced approach to food, with seasonal workshops planned for Halloween, Christmas and Easter.

The classes are led locally by Dawn Robertson. She says the aim is to give children across Edinburgh the chance to build confidence in the kitchen, learn practical life skills and discover that cooking can be fun, as well as trying new ingredients. One of the best things about the classes, she says, is that children take their new skills home and become more interested in helping with family meals, and when they help prepare their own food they are often much more willing to try new things.

Weekly classes for toddlers and younger children run until 8 December. Seasonal one-off workshops take up to 12 children, and every child takes home their dish along with a printed recipe card so they can cook it again. Each session includes ingredients, equipment, aprons, packaging, a craft and a snack.

Cook Stars runs classes for different age groups, from Minis for two to five-year-olds to Juniors for five to 11 and an Academy for 11 to 17-year-olds. The Edinburgh programme is set to expand to other venues in the west of the city, including Christ Church in Morningside and St Ninian's Church in Corstorphine.

Dawn has already welcomed pupils from Forest Junior School in Merchiston to the kitchen at McLarens on the Corner.

For parents looking for something hands-on for half-term and the festive season, a cookery class that ends with a cake to take home is likely to be a hit.

Classes can be booked through the Cook Stars website, under its Edinburgh West listings.