Caitlin Walsh knew early on that she wanted to be a chef. She chose not to go to university after A Levels in order to enrol at Leiths, where she was awarded Student of the Year in 2018. Now a chef de partie in pastry at Harrods, Caitlin was this year crowned Royal Academy of Culinary Arts’ Young Pastry Chef of the Year. Read more

When Louisa Matthews was planning her gap year she took the opportunity to enrol at Leiths and gain valuable hospitality experience. As she prepares to take up her deferred university place, she tells us what her culinary education and experience has done for her. Read more

​Tom Calver of Westcombe Dairy in Somerset did his professional diploma at Leiths before returning to his family’s farm and devoting himself to cheesemaking. His award-winning cheeses can now be found in fine food stores and Michelin star restaurants. Tom is a leading spokesperson for British artisan cheese and regenerative agriculture practices. Read more

​Italian-born Sam Newman completed his Diploma in Food and Wine at Leiths in 2013 before setting up Hackney Gelato with Enrico Pavoncelli in 2015. Hackney Gelato’s award-winning gelati and sorbetti now sell everywhere from independent delis to Ocado, Harrods, and Michelin star restaurants. Read more

​Every Leiths Online course is led and mentored by a qualified Leiths teacher. Online alumna Jenny Langley-Hoole, who is preparing to open a catering company in France, has completed both the Chef Skills and Plant-Based Cooking course on Leiths Online. Here she shares her experience of studying online with our mentors. Read more

Former IT project professional Aji Akokomi opened his innovative West African restaurant Akoko in Fitzrovia in central London in October 2020. In its first year, Akoko made it into the National Restaurant Awards Top 100. Here, the first-time restaurateur explains how Akoko came into being and why he chose to study at Leiths before taking the plunge. Read more

Leiths Diploma Graduates Lilli Taviner and Ellie Seaton both landed jobs on the pastry team at The River Café in London shortly after graduating in 2021. Here they tell us all about working in the legendary restaurant. Read more

We last caught up with Leiths Diploma Graduate Tom Tsappis when he and his sommelier girlfriend (now wife) Matilda Ruffle were running their successful supper club Elia in south London. Since then Londoner Tom and Matilda, who grew up in Scotland, have upped sticks to the Cairngorms National Park where they opened their five-bedroom property Killiecrankie House in November 2021. The Irn Bru pâte de fruits and Stornaway black pudding madeleines are two reasons to start planning a trip. Tom tells us more. Read more

Hilary Armstrong catches up with Dominque Woolf, Leiths Essentials alumni, on winning the show, working with Jamie Oliver and her new cookbook. Read more

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