Join us for our open evening at Leiths on Thursday, 16 July 2026, 6.30–8.30pm, and discover how the Culinary Diploma can launch your career in food.

Diploma Certificate - Course Details

Refining your culinary skills to the highest standard, the Diploma Certificate is the final stage of three qualifications that form the Leiths Culinary Diploma.

Over six weeks of intensive, full-time study, you’ll master advanced techniques that would take years to learn in a professional kitchen. Laminate puff pastry by hand, clarify consommés and prepare lobster dishes from scratch.

Plus, additional professional development modules, integrated work experience and placement opportunities that reflect your future in food.

Why this course?

The Diploma Certificate is the final stage of the three-part culinary training at Leiths. Over six weeks of intensive, full-time study, you’ll refine your skills to an advanced professional standard, working on complex techniques such as laminated puff pastry, clarified consommés, intricate seafood preparation and plated desserts. The course is designed to elevate your precision, creativity and confidence in a professional kitchen environment.

You can tailor your pathway by selecting professional development modules or completing a work placement with one of Leiths’ partner employers. On completion, you graduate with the full Leiths Culinary Diploma alongside an externally accredited Level 4 Diploma in Professional Culinary Arts, ready to step into a wide range of professional food careers.

Course Specification

How it works

Overview

The Leiths Culinary Diploma is a renowned, industry-focused professional course consisting of

Core Certificate (Modules 1–6)
Professional Certificate (Modules 7–12), and
Diploma Modules 13 to 18

Diploma Modules 13 to 18 are delivered as a full time only course. Most of the learning time will be in the Leiths Culinary School kitchens, with time also spent in the demonstration room. Students will study the Diploma Modules between 3 and 4 days per week at Leiths Culinary School. Theory revision, compulsory online courses and coursework are completed at home. Diploma Modules 13 to 18 are delivered over 6 weeks, with a practical assessment taking place after all lessons have finished.

Students completing both the Professional Modules (7–12) and Diploma Modules (13–18) will be enrolled onto the Confederation of Tourism and Hospitality (CTH) Level 4 Diploma in Professional Culinary Arts.

Study Options

Full-time

The full-time Professional Certificate is delivered daytime only with students at the Leiths Culinary School up to 3½ days per week, with additional study at home. This course is delivered over 6 weeks, with a practical assessments taking place towards the end of the course.

More information can be found here.

Modules 13 - 18

The course comprises 6 modules

Complex sauces and garnishes
Complex meat, game and pâtés
Complex doughs
Complex seafood
Canapés and hors d’oeuvres
Patisserie

Skills Included

Skills include:

e.g. Module 12. Complex seafood

Preparation and cooking of crab
Preparation and cooking of scallops
Preparation and cooking of lobster
Advanced fish cooking (various methods)
Mousselines
Bisque, bouillabaisse and consommé
Plating and presentation
Food safety, handling and storage

Example Recipes

Example recipes include:

Crab and scallop ravioli with bisque sauce
Lobster, fennel and avocado salad with brioche and prosciutto crumb
Pan-seared scallops with dashi broth and pickled vegetables
Halibut with cucumber and dill beurre blanc and samphire
John Dory with mussles, celeriac, apple and chives
Hake Kyiv with parsnip puree, café de Paris butter and pickled girolles

Assessment

Assessment is comprised of

Continual assessment – students will be assessed at points throughout the course on specified assessment days. These are cooking sessions where a student will demonstrate their ability to perform a selection of key skills from the modules to a set standard through a number of recipes. Students will be made aware of these recipes prior to the kitchen session.
- Continual assessment will make up 20% of the certificate
Practical assessment – students will be set one practical assessment in the week after the final week of lessons have been completed. Students will be made aware of the practical assessment recipes prior to the assessment.
- Practical assessment will make up 45% of the certificate
Theory assessment – students will sit a short, multiple-choice paper during the final week of the course. This is to assess their knowledge of food theory.
- Theory assessment will make up 10% of the certificate
Marks from the Culinary Skills: Core Certificate and Culinary Skills: Professional certificate will make up a component of the final Diploma certificate. For students who have completed only the Professional certificate, only these marks will be used.
- Marks from previous certificate(s) will make up 20% of the Diploma certificate
Coursework – students will complete coursework, including menu planning and costing
- Coursework will make up 5% of the Diploma certificate

Students must complete all compulsory online courses (e.g. Level 2 Food Safety) and achieve an attendance of ≥80% to be eligible for the Leiths Culinary Diploma.

Work experience, work placement and Leiths List Connect

Students are required to complete a further 3 days’ work experience (in addition to those completed with the Professional Certificate) in order to obtain the Leiths Culinary Diploma. These 3 days:

should be a minimum of 6 hours long per day
should either be completed during the course, or no more than 3 months after the final day of teaching on the certificate
do not need to be continuous
do not need to be at the same place
should be evidenced

Whilst this work experience is not assessed and does not carry any marks, completion of this is a requirement of the course. The Education Services Team will record evidence of work experience for each student.

Culinary Diploma students will continue to have access to Leiths List Connect, both during the course and upon graduation, including

ongoing careers advice and guidance
assistance in arranging work experience, holiday cooking and first job opportunities
invite to Leiths Careers Day

Work Placement (as Module Option)

Students studying for the Leiths Culinary Diploma will be able to complete a Work Placement as part of a Module Option. This is an assessed Module Option, which will carry marks that contribute towards the final grade of the diploma qualification. Students may wish to use their Career Pathway Credit for this Module Option. The Work Placement will include

a minimum of 5 days work (which may be paid or unpaid), with each day a minimum of 6 hours long. Full attendance is a requirement of the placement.
an observation by a Leiths representative
completed competencies (as evidenced by the employer)
a written coursework assignment following conclusion of the placement

The Work Placement will be arranged between the student and Leiths List Connect.

Students who complete the Work Placement as a Module Option will not be required to complete the 3 days’ work experience during the Diploma Modules.

Qualifications

By completing this course, you will gain the following qualifications:

Culinary Skills: Diploma Certificate
Leiths Culinary Diploma

All three certificates (Culinary Skills: Core Certificate, Culinary Skills: Professional Certificate and Culinary Skills: Diploma Certificate) are required to achieve a Leiths Culinary Diploma.

Grading Criteria

The overall qualification is also graded Pass, Merit or Distinction.

Fail 0 – 54%
Pass 55 – 69%
Merit 70 – 84%
Distinction 85+%

Additional Information

Course Fees

Diploma Certificate – £9,950

Course fees include all core teaching, ingredients used during practical sessions and access to the school’s professional facilities and resources. Some uniform and equipment items are also included, depending on your chosen qualification. Full details are provided upon enrolment.

More information can be found here.

Uniform & Equipment

Full details will be provided before your start date, along with guidance on ordering through our approved suppliers.

More information can be found here.

Entry requirements

Students who complete the Professional Certificate course are eligible to study on the Leiths Culinary Diploma course.

Entry requirements for the Professional Certificate can be found on Course Specification – Professional Modules.

Students who wish to only study the Diploma Modules (modules 13-18) may do so at the discretion of the Culinary School Director.

They will not be eligible for the Leiths Culinary Diploma, but can leave with a Culinary Skills: Advanced Certificate.

Students need to be eligible to study in the UK and be at least 18 years old. Students may be required to provide evidence of English language proficiency, equivalent to an IELTS (International English Language Testing System) test report result of >5.

Study Guide

The teaching style here at Leiths is absolutely exceptional. There’s always two teachers in the classroom at any one time, so I’ve never had to wait more than about 30 seconds if I have a question or concern before the tutor is immediately by my side.

The teachers here offer so much, I love the variety of topics that we cover and different cuisines. I grew up in Asia so I love when we cover those cuisines and different skills from all around the world, and also obviously still sticking to traditional values and methods but having a variety, it’s really amazing.