Join us for our Open Evening at Leiths on Thursday 12th March 2026, 6:30–8:30pm, and discover how the Culinary Diploma can launch your career in food.
Join us for our Open Evening at Leiths on Thursday 12th March 2026, 6:30–8:30pm, and discover how the Culinary Diploma can launch your career in food.
A food copywriter is similar to a food writer in that both specialise in writing for the culinary world. However, the type of content they produce – and the purpose behind it – can differ significantly. While food writers often focus on personal expression or storytelling, food copywriters craft content with a specific goal in mind: to inform, promote, or sell.
Food copywriters lend their skills to projects such as recipe books, blog posts, product descriptions, menus and advertising campaigns. Rather than writing in their own voice, they adapt to become the voice of a brand, restaurant, or publication. By blending culinary expertise with strong writing skills, they ensure that every piece of content – whether a recipe or a product description – is both authentic and accurate.
Many food copywriters also have hands-on kitchen experience. Understanding how dishes are prepared and cooked allows them to write with authority and reflect the process clearly in their work.
Most food copywriters work on a contracted basis. This typically offers a steady work–life balance, with hours often falling between 9 am and 5 pm, though flexibility may be needed depending on the business or project workload.
Food copywriters need a range of skills to confidently break into this role, some of those skills include:
A food copywriter’s salary can vary depending on the business they work for, their overall workload and other factors. The industry average for copywriters falls between £25,000 and £40,000.
Employment type:
Freelance and employed.
Working hours:
9 am – 5 pm typically.
Potential Salary:
£25, 000 and £40,000
Work/Life Balance
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Private Chef and Food Copywriter – Dip 20
Helena graduated from university with a degree in English Literature with a plan to pursue food writing. She started Leiths the same year and did the Three Term Diploma. During this year she also worked as a recipe tester and personal assistant to Olia Hercules and worked Saturdays in one of Phil Howard’s restaurants, Church Road. After graduating from Leiths, she worked at Andrew Edmunds restaurant before moving to Berkshire and setting up as a private chef.
Helena has had amazing experiences including working on food styling projects for Feast Magazine and BBC Good Food, leading on large events including weddings and hosting a podcast called Food for Friends where she visited chef’s homes – such as Richard Bertinet and Rosie Kellett – and interviewed them about what they’re cooking off camera. Now Helena works as a private chef and writes The Leiths Letter – a full circle moment!
Food Writer & Restaurant Critic
Tara Spink has joined SquareMeal Magazine as editorial intern after completing editorial work experience at the company. Tara will be reviewing restaurants, writing features and news articles, and producing content for SquareMeal’s social channels.
A Food Editor is responsible for overseeing the creation and delivery of food-related content for a publication or website. This includes recipe development, food styling, creating food-related articles, and managing a team.
Responsible for creating top quality content for the brand as well as managing the test kitchen and co-ordinating recipe testing schedule
A Food Content Creator produces engaging content about food, such as recipes, reviews, cooking tips, and visuals. They share their work on social media, blogs, or websites, experiment with flavors, highlight various cuisines, partner with brands or chefs, and keep up with food trends to educate and inspire audiences.
