My boyfriend and I booked the session on a whim, hoping for something fun and a little different, and it ended up being such a memorable experience that I’m already thinking about gifting it to friends and family for Christmas.
Our chef for the session was Jacob, and from the moment we arrived he set the tone for the whole class: warm, relaxed, and genuinely enthusiastic about the food he teaches.
Sushi can feel a bit intimidating if you’ve never made it before – there’s the precision, the technique, the fear of rolling something that looks more like a collapsed burrito than a delicate maki.
But Jacob had this brilliant way of explaining each step so clearly that it all felt completely achievable.
He mixed in humour, little tips he’s picked up over the years, and lots of encouragement, which made the class feel both professional and fun.
We started with the basics – rice preparation, sauces and how to handle it properly without ending up covered in it.
From there, we moved on to knife skills, slicing fish, and preparing vegetables, which was surprisingly therapeutic.
Jacob demonstrated each technique first, then walked around guiding us individually.
He had a great eye for when to step in and when to let us find our own rhythm.
By the time we started rolling our first maki, I actually felt confident rather than terrified I’d ruin it.
The atmosphere in the classroom was lovely too.
It was a Saturday morning, so everyone was in that happy weekend mood and the setup inside John Lewis made it feel modern and welcoming rather than clinical or classroom-like.
There was music playing softly in the background, people chatting across their workstations, and this shared sense of “I can’t believe we’re actually pulling this off.”
When my boyfriend nailed his first inside-out roll, you’d have thought he’d just won a small culinary award.
By the end of the session, we had made a selection of sushi – maki rolls and inside-out rolls and seeing it all laid out on our boards was genuinely satisfying.
Even better, we got to eat everything we made (which tasted far better than I expected for a first attempt), and take home anything we couldn’t finish.
Jacob even sent us away with tips and variations to try at home, which made the experience feel really practical rather than just a one-off novelty.
What surprised me most, though, was how special the whole thing felt.
It wasn’t just a class; it was a shared experience, something we genuinely did together.
For a Christmas present, it would be perfect – thoughtful, fun, a little bit different and something the recipient will actually remember.
I’d recommend it to anyone looking for an experience that blends learning, great food and a really enjoyable atmosphere.
