
The Student: Ellie Spicer
After an unexpected diagnosis last year, M&S fashion writer Ellie Spicer decided to pursue her love of food. Now, she’s working in M&S’s food content team. Find out about her story from fashion to food below.
Join us for our Open Evening at Leiths on Thursday 5th February 2026, 6:30–8:30pm, and discover how the Culinary Diploma can launch your career in food.
At Leiths Education, we teach students of all ages to cook quality ingredients from scratch. From schoolchildren learning practical cookery skills through Leiths-made curriculums at our Partner Schools to our flagship Culinary Diploma and Online Cookery School, both of which continue to cultivate industry-leading careers; to our Professional Development courses in the hospitality, culinary and food teaching sectors we’ve used fifty years of experience to provide cookery skills for the many not the few.
The Leiths stamp of approval is shorthand for lifelong employability and we continue to support our students long after they graduate. Our in-house recruitment experts at Leiths List Connect work with our graduates to link them with their dream employers. With our tried-and-tested recipe for success, learning with Leiths will last you a lifetime.
Leiths Education: providing exceptional culinary skills for life.
‘Everyone looks up to Leiths to produce the best graduates.’ – Yotam Ottolenghi





Learn the basics of brilliant cooking in just 10 weeks with Leiths’ evening course – perfect for food lovers and future kitchen pros alike!
Eat, learn and boost your skills, all around your busy 9-to-5.
Courses for Primary and Secondary schools designed to ignite a passion for food in students aged 5 to 18.
Our highly-esteemed flagship Leiths Culinary Diploma is the launchpad for you to achieve your culinary dreams.
Career growth and support in everything from food teaching, marine cookery assessments, to WSET qualifications.
Leiths List connects you with top UK food businesses for work, experience, placements, and advice.
Flexible professional cookery training with cutting-edge technology, from any kitchen or device.
In 1975, Prue Leith DBE first opened the doors to our school. Fifty years on, we’ve stayed true to Prue’s belief that classical cookery skills combined with good quality ingredients make for both delicious food and exceptional chefs. Since opening, many Leiths graduates have gone on to be leaders in the industry, from bestselling cookbook authors to Michelin-level chefs to social media superstars.
Fast-track your future in food with 18 weeks of world-class culinary training in central London. Study your way, get assessed work placements with the biggest names in the industry and start your journey into food in the best way with top-quality culinary training from our team of expert chef tutors.
Career growth and support in everything from food teaching, marine cookery assessments, to WSET qualifications.
Leiths is the launchpad for every kind of culinary career – not just a route into restaurants.
The Leiths stamp of approval is industry shorthand for lifelong employability. You'll get professional opportunities you might not otherwise because employers love Leiths.
Leiths teachers are both knowledgeable and nurturing. We champion constructive, positive feedback to help our students improve.
We’ve got fifty years of experience in cookery education. You can trust us to get you where you want to go.
Courses for Primary and Secondary schools designed to ignite a passion for food in students aged 5 to 18.
Engage children as young as 5 years old with cookery as they start with no-heat recipes and progress to cooking safely with heat, enjoying flavours from around the world.
Our Secondary courses range from entry-level cookery through a progressive pathway to professional-level accreditation – the perfect stepping stone to amazing possibilities within the food industry.

After an unexpected diagnosis last year, M&S fashion writer Ellie Spicer decided to pursue her love of food. Now, she’s working in M&S’s food content team. Find out about her story from fashion to food below.

We’ve got the ultimate Christmas combo for you, Lou’s mince pies with Marjorie’s wine pairing. Delicious!

Meet Marjorie, our Head of Wine at Leiths Culinary School. We find out more about her career to date, her favourite herb and her most loved kitchen utensil.
Stay updated on Leiths Education, student and alumni news, plus the latest from our Culinary Diploma and Partner Schools.
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It’s a school dedicated to teaching students how to cook to a high level, usually to prepare them for careers in the food industry. Our headquarters in West London offers our Culinary Diploma which is one of the top qualifications of its kind. Find out how to launch the culinary career you’ve always dreamt of by visiting our culinary diploma page.
We used to be known as Leiths School of Food and Wine. Under our new name, Leiths Education, we still offer our flagship Culinary Diploma which is based in West London but have made a couple of changes to what we offer. As Leiths Education, we have developed our Partnership School Programme curriculum which offers tried-and-tested Leiths teaching methods to schools of all shapes and sizes. We also offer professional development and online cookery courses, and all our graduates have access to Leiths List Connect, our in-house recruitment team.
Yes, we’re a cookery school. In fact, with fifty years of experience we are the cookery education specialists and have a range of courses to suit your ability level and budget.
Founded in 1975 by the legendary chef Prue Leith DBE and Caroline Waldegrave. Prue’s aim was to teach students how to cook delicious food from scratch, using simple high-quality ingredients. It’s a mantra we’ve stuck to. Find out more about us and our history.
From TV presenter Matt Tebbutt, who you’ll recognise from Saturday Kitchen Live, to hugely successful cookbook authors like Olia Hercules and Skye McAlpine, Leiths is the launchpad for your dream culinary career. Leiths alumni work in restaurants, on yachts, in test kitchens. They go viral on social media; they test and style recipe books; they edit magazines. We have graduates working at BBC Good Food, The River Cafe, BOSH!, Mob Kitchen and The Guardian.
Our light and airy cookery school (and HQ) is on Wendell Road in West London. Click to find out more about getting to Leiths.
Anyone! At Leiths, you’ll be surrounded by people with the same passion for food as you. Come and meet us.
Looking to hire a chef in the UK or abroad? We’ll help you find the perfect candidate. Our chefs are of the finest quality and come highly recommended.
Join one of the world’s most respected cookery schools online, with uniquely experiential video courses taught by expert teachers.
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