The Bertinet Kitchen cookery school in Bath has won the Tourism Experience of the Year award in the South West Tourism Excellence Awards 2008/09.

The Bertinet Kitchen offers a number of training courses, including a 5-day programme covering an introduction to breadmaking, Italian breads and slow doughs and sourdoughs. The school was opened in 2005 by French author, chef and baker Richard Bertinet, who hails from north-west France and trained as a baker in Brittany and at the Grand Moulin de Paris.

According to the judges, all the winners demonstrated outstanding levels of customer service, while also being committed to sustainability, recycling and the environment. “I am absolutely thrilled that the cookery school has received this award,” said Bertinet.

The 40 award-winners were whittled down from more than 200 entries and, at the awards night, which takes place at Cadbury House Hotel & Spa in Somerset on 24 November, 15 of them will become gold winners and 25 will take silver. All gold winners will be entered into the Enjoy England Awards for Excellence, with the prospect of winning nationally in 2009.