Join us for our Open Evening at Leiths on Thursday 5th February 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 5th February 2026, 6:30–8:30pm, and discover how the Culinary Diploma can launch your career in food.
School: Gordonstoun, Moray, Scotland
Course: Leiths Confident Cookery 30 (LCC30)
Teachers: Jamie Campbell (Catering Manager) and Ross Burgess (Head Chef)
Students: 7 students (Year 1: 2024-25), 6 students (Year 2: 2025-26)
Since becoming the only Leiths Partner School in Scotland, Gordonstoun has witnessed the remarkable personal growth in their Leiths students – and not just in the kitchen.
When Gordonstoun partnered with Leiths last year, neither Head Chef Ross Burgess nor Catering Manager Jamie Campbell had taught before.
A year on, the LCC30 has been such a success it’s oversubscribed, parents continue to seek the pair out to offer glowing feedback and the school is now working on plans to expand its cookery facilities to encourage more students to get in the kitchen, while offering food courses to the local community.
Here’s what we’ve learned from this incredible success story.
‘The support from Leiths has been great,’ says Jamie. ‘The resources really inspire students to raise the bar. We could not have done this without Ben and Katy [Leiths’ Director of Studies and Head of Education Services respectively] being on hand to answer our questions.’
‘Genuinely, it’s been a pleasure.’ Ross tells us.
Over the course of the year, the students progressed from Butternut Squash Soup with Lemongrass and Coconut to Sushi with Chilli and Soy Dipping Sauce and Tofu Ramen with Japanese Egg.
The success of the course proves that schools don’t always need highly experienced teachers to deliver excellent cookery education – it can be as simple as passionate food professionals backed by robust support systems.
Fred joined Gordonstoun for Year 12. He was a student who was quiet and reserved, but when he got into the kitchen his confidence really shone through, according to Jamie.
‘Fred has really excelled on the Leiths course. To the point that he’s now going on to pursue a career in cooking and the hospitality industry.’
His mother later emailed the school too. Fred’s confidence had grown and not just in the kitchen, but everywhere else too.
At school events, parents approach Ross and Jamie.
‘They come over and say “My daughter is on the Leiths course and she’s a different person when she comes home. She’s wanting to cook and be involved.”’ says Ross. ‘To know you’ve had a part to play in that is great.’
Lesson 4: The LCC30 teaches more than cooking
‘Our student Lucia came into her final exam and you could see she was nervous. The dish was Chicken with Mushroom Risotto and then Viennese Biscuits.’ Ross tells us.
‘When she was making her biscuits, you could see her mixture had split. But then she was able to regain her composure and she made a whole new batch under unbelievable time constraints. She got her whole dish up and still got a distinction.’
‘Afterwards I said to her, “What you’ve just done goes beyond cooking. To be able to manage your emotions, regain composure and get back on track – at any age – is incredible.” She was only 17. I was super proud.’
Lucia became Gordonstoun’s Leiths Student of the Year. She tells us:
‘I chose to do the course as I saw it was a great opportunity to learn a range of new skills and techniques as my aspiration is to work in less developed countries as part of a team, improving nutrition and education around food. It’s given me a new level of confidence.’
If you would like to become a Leiths Partner School, find out more here.