The Kitchen

The Kitchen is a cookware and gourmet food shop in Belle Meade, on Highway 100. It sells knives, bakeware, small appliances and a large tinned fish selection, and it runs cooking classes in the store.

Sourdough is the main event. The sourdough basics classes mix hands-on work with demonstration, and the aim is simple: give you the skills to bake fresh bread at home. You leave with a printed recipe, a sample baking schedule, a bowl scraper and your own sourdough starter, plus instruction on how to keep it alive. The store also mentions classes on knife skills and pasta, with recipes from around the world, where you prepare and eat full meals together.

It's a good pick for beginners who want one practical skill they can keep using. The store holds a 4.6 Google rating from 46 reviews. Note that class bookings are final sale, so check your date before you buy.