The Student: Lucy Kirkpatrick

Lucy Kirkpatrick is ringing on her walk home from Leiths after a ‘delicious’ demonstration on ice creams and sorbets. A History of Art graduate and a student in this year’s Diploma cohort, Lucy first came to Leiths through the evening Essentials Course after becoming ‘quickly disillusioned’ with working in the art world.

‘I felt as though I was working on behalf of people doing “the cool thing” but not actually doing “the thing” myself because I can’t paint or sculpt.

‘So, I was like “Okay, what do I really enjoy that I could be creative with?” And I turned to cooking.

‘I did the evening course last year. I loved it straight away and got a taste for Leiths.’

During this time, she discovered more about the full-time Culinary Diploma.

‘Diploma students would come to help out and work as a KPs in the evenings. I remember speaking to a woman in the changing room and she was like “I’m on the Diploma. It’s really intense but it’s amazing.”

‘The thought of being in the kitchen every day sounded really great.

‘Immediately after the Essentials Course, I wanted to try to do the Diploma but needed to be financially prepared and absolutely sure I wanted to do it.

‘The Essentials Course gave me a lot of confidence, even though it wasn’t that long. I remember the teachers being like “Any of you can go and turn up in a kitchen and work, it’s just about what your attitude is like and what you bring to it.”

‘So, I threw myself into loads of cooking. I went and worked on boats in Greece and Croatia.

‘Cooking in a galley is never, ever going to be the same as cooking in a commercial style of kitchen. I had three tiny ring burners and an oven with no temperature setting apart from raging hot or lukewarm. You’re provisioning, you’ve got fridges that you have to dive in to. It was so different. But I was still cooking and presenting dishes to people which was very pleasing.’

After her stint on boats, Lucy worked as a chef at Daylesford and then returned to boat cheffing in the Caribbean. She got back to the UK at the end of the season, just in time to start the Intermediate Term of the Diploma.

‘I honestly feel so lucky going into what’s essentially school again but with such an appreciation of being there. ‘I’m surrounded by people who feel the same. I feel like everybody’s so present and wants to be there a lot. You’re surrounded by good energy.’