Free five-week cooking courses start 16 September across the borough
7 August 2026 · By Boroughly editorial — AI-assisted, human-reviewed.
A Richmond-based charity is offering free cooking courses at three locations across the borough this autumn, with the first sessions starting on 16 September 2026.
Cooking Up runs five-week programmes at Ham, Hampton Hill and Whitton. Each week, participants take part in a 90-minute hands-on session, cook a full meal and take it home with them — which makes the course genuinely useful rather than just instructional. All recipes use hob cooking only, and ingredients are kept to a maximum of £1.50 per person per session. Friendly volunteers guide participants throughout.
While the locations listed are not in Barnes itself, all three are easily reachable and the courses are open to borough residents. For anyone who cannot make the September intake, a further round of courses is planned for November.
Cooking Up's model is designed to build practical kitchen confidence and make home cooking more accessible for people on tight budgets — a combination that tends to have lasting benefits well beyond the five weeks.
Full details and how to sign up are on the Richmond Council website.