Having crowned it the best children’s business in our 2021 Muddy Awards with much aplomb, it’s safe to say we love Mrs Bun the Baker. (And the sweet & savoury treats our children produce on its account…) Sugar-dusted and charm-stuffed, this cookery school for kids and adults is run, in these post-Covid days, almost entirely online, but has plenty of in-person pop-ups, too. Did someone say… ideal Christmas gift experience?

Top chef is entrepreneurial mum and baking whizz Mrs Bun, who has over 20 years’ teaching experience stacked on her kitchen shelf. She’s been helping to build kitchen confidence in young and old Buns since 2014, with a simple method: hands-on fun, and delicious rewards. From healthy family meals to cosy sweet treats, the kitchens at Mrs Bun the Baker (or at home via online classes) never fail to churn out fantastic food, with obligatory extra helpings of fun, as well as giving youngsters cooking skills and confidence (yes, they will learn to handle a knife or two! Eek).

There’s a range of engaging classes on offer, so the class schedule is well-worth a peruse, but highlights include BUN Saturday Kitchen — a 10am bake to start the weekend right — and Toddler Classes for tots as young as two. The cherry on the cake might just be the Mrs Bun the Baker birthday parties: Mrs Bun creates bespoke baking and cooking parties to fit your requirements just for you, meaning no-stress and plenty of happy bakers.

But wait, there’s more! Don’t miss Mrs Bun’s brand new recipe book, Make, Bake, Celebrate!, all about baking and cooking to mark special occasions in the calendar. You don’t become such a beloved foodie fixture without picking up a great recipe or two! We know we’ll be flipping through it all year long.