Leiths Culinary Diploma
Leiths Culinary Diploma
18 weeks of world-class culinary training in London
Core Certificate
Learn to cook from scratch with confidence
Professional Certificate
Sharpen your culinary skills, get work experience and start your career
Diploma Certificate
Refine your cookery techniques to the highest level and secure exclusive work placements
Career Pathways
Find out where a Leiths Culinary Diploma can take you
Admissions
Course Fees & Finance Options
Look at tuition fees & payment plans
Admissions Process
Discover more about the application process
Study Options
Choose from full-time, part-time, and accelerated study opions
International Students & Visas
Learn about visas, travel and the support we can offer
Icon Calendar
Course Dates
Courses run throughout the year, with full-time, part-time and accelerated options available
Studying at Leiths Culinary School
Uniform & Equipment
What you’ll need in the kitchen
Student Accommodation
Housing options near our Culinary School in London
Teaching Facilities
Student Stories
Interviews with Diploma students and graduates
Webinar
Katya Katalinic suffered from a stroke aged eighteen and was not expected to survive. Two years later, she started the Leiths Culinary Diploma.
Webinar: pursuing a career in food with the Leiths Culinary Diploma
Monday, 17 August 2026
Join our Culinary School Director, Lou Kissane, on Monday 17 August 2026, 7–8pm for a webinar exploring what the Leiths Culinary Diploma involves, how it can be shaped around your ambitions, and what life at our Culinary School is really like.
Register now →
Learn to cook for life
Chat with us → Enrol Now →
Professional Development
Assessment in Marine Cookery Course
An essential step in getting your Ships’ Cook Certificate
Marine Cookery Skills and Assessment
Two days of marine cookery training followed by the assessment required to get your Ships’ Cook Certificate
Artisan Bread
Learn the techniques of master breadmaking
Food Media
Build your career in food media
Advanced Lamination
Master the intricate skill of laminating dough
Leiths Online
Online Courses
Learn from home, at your own pace
Online Essential Accreditation Days
Two-day assessment to get your accredited Essential qualification
Online Chef Skills Accreditation Days
Two-day assessment to get your accredited Chef Skills qualification
Online Essential Bread & Patisserie Accreditation Days
Two-day assessment to get your accredited Bread & Patisserie qualification
Online Nutrition in Culinary Practice Accreditation Day
Two-day assessment to get your accredited Nutrition in Culinary Practice qualification
Teacher Training
Level 7 Advanced Certificate in Food Education at Leiths Culinary School
Masters-level CPD in partnership with the University of Roehampton
Level 7 Advanced Certificate in Food Education at Queen’s College Taunton
Masters-level CPD in partnership with the University of Roehampton and Queens College Taunton
PGCE in Food & Nutrition
Gain Qualified Teacher Status in food education, with a course jointly delivered with the University of Roehampton
WEBINAR
leiths-small-86
Webinar - food teacher training at Leiths
Wednesday, 19 August 2026
Join our Director of Studies, Ben Blackburn, for a webinar exploring what the Level 7 Advanced Certificate and PGCE involves, what funding is available, and how to apply.
Register Today →
Learn to cook for life
Chat with us →
Discover Culinary Masterclasses
Gain a new culinary skill and build your knowledge of food with this series of day courses. Our Leiths Culinary Masterclass take place at our School in London, the perfect opportunity to taste life at Leiths and leave with new skills.
Book now
Masterclasses
Knife Skills
Learn the essential skillset all chefs start with
Pasta Skills
Make fresh pasta and sauces from scratch
Fish Skills
Work with fresh fish, maximise flavour
Bakery Skills
Become confident in baking bread
Pastry Skills
Start from scratch with pastry
How to find us
Shop
Icon Certificate
Gift Vouchers
Gift vouchers are available in a range of values and can be redeemed against any of our Culinary Masterclasses
Upcoming Event
Katya Katalinic suffered from a stroke aged eighteen and was not expected to survive. Two years later, she started the Leiths Culinary Diploma.
Leiths open evening
Thursday, 1 October 2026
Join us for our Open Evening at Leiths Culinary School on Thursday 1 October 2026, 6.30–8.30pm and discover how to fast-track your future in food with the Leiths Culinary Diploma.
Register now →
Learn to cook for life
Discover Culinary Masterclasses → Chat with us →
Masterclasses
Discover Culinary Masterclasses
Gain a new culinary skill and build your knowledge of food with this series of day courses. Our Leiths Culinary Masterclass take place at our School in London, the perfect opportunity to taste life at Leiths and leave with new skills.
Book now
Masterclasses › Shop › Katya Katalinic suffered from a stroke aged eighteen and was not expected to survive. Two years later, she started the Leiths Culinary Diploma.
Upcoming EventLeiths open eveningThursday, 1 October 2026Register now →
Discover Culinary Masterclasses → Chat with us

Join us for a free webinar for schools on Monday 21 September, 7–8pm, and discover how Leiths Education can bring practical cookery into your curriculum.

 
Register free

Leiths Primary Cookery Programmes - Key Stage 1: No Heat

Peas, basil and tomato bruschetta

KS1: No Heat

Peas, basil and tomato bruschetta

KS1: Heat

Soda bread with fresh butter

KS1: Sweet

Layered fruit yoghurt pots

KS2: No Heat

Noodle salad

KS2: Heat

Sweetcorn muffins

KS2: Sweet

Upside down lime cheesecake

Recipes

Ordering

Teacher Notes

Activity Sheets

Learning Objective:

To know about seasonality

Related Learning Objectives

  • To know about different foods for different occasions and settings
  • To know about food likes and dislikes

Prepare in advance

  • Seasons imagery/poster/tree images
  • Online UK seasonal food guide

How to link recipe to Learning Objective

  • Tomatoes and basil are seasonal in the UK in the summer. Peas are seasonal in the summer too, and frozen peas are a good example of a vegetable which is harvested in the summer and frozen to be enjoyed all year round

Recommended recipe

  • Peas, basil and tomato bruschetta

Skill Focus

  • Cutting ingredients into simple fractions

Competence cornerstone

Tell the children that you have forgotten how many seasons there are. Can anyone help you by holding up the correct number of fingers? Once four is established, discuss and explain the seasons with appropriate imagery as per class needs. Also unveil/draw a poster showing the four seasons with their months. The seasons are defined as spring (March, April, May), summer (June, July, August), autumn (September, October, November) and winter (December, January, February).

Show an image of a bare fruit tree in winter and a tree full of fruit. What is the same? What is different? Use the discussion to establish that different foods grow better in different seasons because the weather is different.

Look up a guide online to seasonal food in the UK to select a range of foods for each UK season (or month) to show the children. Ask children if they know in which season they were born. Group them according to ‘their’ season.

Suggested activity

Tell children that they are going to find their ‘birthday food’. Look at the pupil sheet to show them how images of foods have been grouped according to the season in which they grow. They are going to list and/or draw ‘their’ foods. Show them how with ‘your’ foods.

Icon Fc Resources Required

Resources required:

  • Pupil sheet
  • Coloured pencils or crayons

Discuss & digest

Share examples of children’s work. Ask questions to reinforce key concepts and vocabulary. For example:

  • What are the names of the four seasons?
  • Is the weather the same in all the seasons?
  • Why might people choose to eat seasonal food?
  • Do all countries have the same weather?

Finish with skills vocabulary/actions if you have time.

Cross-curricular links

Art – Create 3-D trees with and without fruit
English – Apostrophes for singular possession e.g. The teacher’s season is autumn
Geography – Identify seasonal and daily weather patterns in the UK and the location of hot and cold areas in the world in relation to the Equator and the North and South Poles
Maths – Investigate temperature for different seasons
Music – Appreciate great composers: listen to Vivaldi’s ‘The Four Seasons’
Science – Observe changes across the four seasons

Icon Fc Key Vocabulary

Key vocabulary

  • season
  • weather
  • spring
  • summer
  • autumn
  • winter
Icon Fc Outdoor Opportunity

Outdoor opportunity

Create four areas on the playground/field, one each for spring, summer, autumn and winter. Call out a month and children to run to the correct season.

Pea and basil bruschetta Equipment
Pea and basil bruschetta equipment
Pea and basil bruschetta Ingredient
Pea and basil bruschetta ingredients
Pea and basil bruschetta Dish Image
Pea and basil bruschetta dish

Leiths Primary Curriculum – Full Access

Give your school completely free access to the full Leiths Primary Curriculum through the Leiths Education Portal, delivering structured, hands-on cookery education across the primary years.

The full course includes:

  • A 32-session scheme of work across KS1 and KS2

  • Chef-led cook-along videos for every recipe

  • Detailed lesson plans, teaching notes and PowerPoints

  • Printable recipes, pupil worksheets and scalable shopping lists

  • Clear progression in cookery skills, food knowledge and safety

  • Cross-curricular links exploring seasonality, provenance and food choice

Everything needed to deliver high-quality cookery education, all in one place.

Learn More