If you can stand the heat...

Kitchen-based team-building programmes are becoming increasingly popular for companies seeking to develop their employees' skills in a relaxed and fun environment. And with Copenhagen now among the most exciting gourmet cities in Northern Europe, there are plenty of venues to choose from.

There are few more demanding working environments than a professional kitchen, and few greater tests of effective teamwork than working together to prepare a meal for a group of people - no wonder professional kitchens are modelled on a military-style ‘brigade' system. The term is still used today and we are all familiar with the stereotype of the angry, stressed chef. But several companies in the Copenhagen area have adapted this approach, taking the most useful lessons in kitchen teamwork and applying them to an enjoyable, relaxed way to develop teams within a corporate structure - having fun cooking and eating together in the process.

Copenhagen is one of Northern Europe's most exciting gourmet cities with more Michelin starred restaurants than any other Scandinavian capital, and a reputation as a world leader in the production and consumption of organic produce. It is widely regarded as the capital of the new Modern Nordic cuisine so there are dozens of world class chefs ready and waiting to show you how to ensure your soufflés always rise and dinner is on the table on time.

Claus Meyer is one of the most high profile figures on the Danish food scene, thanks to his internationally acclaimed TV shows; delicatessens; food product ranges; the two-michelin-starred restaurant Noma; and, now, a top class cooking school offering tailored corporate gourmet and wine-appreciation packages. Meyers Madhus (Meyer's Food House) offers gastronomic team-building programmes that aim to enhance your employees' abilities to cooperate and work with each other to deadlines. Or, it can simply provide a convivial atmosphere to meet with up to 80 of your clients in-house. Courses can be offered in English, or even with Mr Meyer himself giving the introduction.

Simply Cooking, in central Copenhagen, was founded in 2000 by a former chef of one of Copenhagen's finest restaurants, Kong Hans. Today director Martin Haugaard and his team offer effective team-building and cooking courses, as well as private cooking classes, using the finest locally sourced ingredients.

Also in Copenhagen is restaurant Kokkeriet, in the historic Nyboder part of town. The restaurant has long been loved by locals for the exceptional quality and invention of its French-inspired cooking. Now you can learn some of the secrets behind its menu in its intimate cooking school that starts with a quick tour of the wines of the world and is followed by a hands-on cooking lesson.

If you are looking for an alternative to the European-based cuisines that most cooking schools tend to focus on, the well regarded Japanese restaurant, Ebisu, based in Sir Terence Conran's gourmet complex, The Custom House, now offers a range of cooking classes for both companies and private clients. Chef Jens Rahbek is not just an expert in preparing sushi (which you will find is remarkably simple to make at home), he is also happy to give instruction in various other types of Japanese cuisine, including tempura and yakitori.

Meanwhile, Fuglebjerggaard is an organic farm 35km north of Copenhagen made famous by TV chef Camilla Plum, whose husband Per Kølster, is a renowned micro brewer. Per takes groups on tours of the farm and brewery, where they learn the various stages involved in turning hops into beer and, of course, get to taste some of his produce.

Hellerup-based VIP A/S offer evening cooking classes for 10-30 participants in a professional standard kitchen. The three-hour sessions are designed to help inspire you in your own kitchen to make the most of your ingredients and take your cooking to a new level.

Also further outside of town, in the suburb of Gentofte, is the elegant country manor hotel and conference centre, Shæffergården, which dates from 1755. In the hotel kitchen of its new Villa Helene wing the centre's chefs lead cooking classes for private or corporate groups of up to 18 people. Together you can create a three course menu to a professional standard, which you then enjoy together at the end of the session.

Taking advantage of the unspoiled natural beauty of the countryside beyond the city, is Piil & Co's cooking school in the heart of the former royal hunting park, Dyrehaven (a ten minute train ride north along the coast). Here you can learn to cook the game and seafood that inhabit the park and Øresund Sea close by, during a range of intimate kitchen team-building and corporate cooking classes.

Meanwhile at Fredensborg Kro, an historic inn in the royal town of Fredensborg a half hour north of Copenhagen, Chef Anne Grethe Berg Madsen offers an intimate cooking school experience for the inn's conference guests. You'll learn genuine professional tricks of the trade, like how to handle a live lobster, and flambé fruit without risking your home insurance no claims.

Sometimes it can seem like corporate team-building events are all about struggle and competition (building a raft, climbing a cliff and so on), with little obvious reward. But with this new breed of kitchen team-building programmes you know at the very least you are going to get a great meal at the end of your endeavours. And not only that, but your team are sure to learn a thing or two from the masters of delegation and deadline pressure.