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.
Develop the skills to pursue patisserie at Leiths. Choose from six specialist modules that progress from the fundamentals of baking to advanced professional work in lamination, petit fours and afternoon teas.
Up-to-date skills taught by industry experts, each course prepares students to pursue patisserie
Choose individual modules or combine them to broaden your practical skills and recipe portfolio
Advanced modules designed as standalone specialist weeks that can be taken together to form an Advanced Patisserie Certificate
Founded by Dame Prue Leith in 1975, Leiths Culinary School is a leading British cookery institution in central London. Students who choose to study here benefit from the School’s 50 years of experience delivering world-leading culinary skills training.
The School has always remained in step with the food industry, ensuring students receive a comprehensive education in food that is industry-relevant and of the highest calibre. Students develop a deep understanding of cookery, learning not just how but why.
Leiths graduates are consistently favoured by employers for their versatile culinary skills and in-depth understanding of food.
Depending on your goals, the courses may be taken independently or combined. Taken together, the patisserie courses at Leiths offer a structured pathway of specialist training leading to accreditation.
Module 1
Build confidence across essential baking methods and cake finishing.
What you’ll learn: Creaming, whisking, rubbing in and melting methods, folding, piping and decoration
Example recipes: Almond Meringue Biscuits, Cheese and Marmite Scones with Yeasted Butter, Chocolate and Coffee Swiss Roll
Module 2
Master sweet and savoury pastry with classic fillings.
What you’ll learn: Shortcrust and French pastry, blind baking, choux, crème pâtisserie
Example recipes: Courgette and Ricotta Galette, Date and Walnut Tart, Chocolate Choux Buns
Module 3
Learn laminated pastry and enriched dough techniques.
What you’ll learn: Rough puff pastry, enriched buns, doughnuts, crème anglaise, crémeux
Example recipes: Apple Tarte Tatin with Vanilla Crème Anglaise, Spiced Raisin and Pecan Buns, Pistachio Doughnuts
Module 4
Master advanced laminated dough production and shaping.
What you’ll learn: Advanced and cross lamination techniques, yeasted laminated doughs, filling, shaping and baking
Example recipes: Hazelnut Frangipane and Apple Terrine Individual Pithivier, Potato and Tunworth Wellington, Roasted Cherry and Almond Danishes
Module 5
Develop key skills in confectionery and chocolate work.
What you’ll learn: Chocolate tempering, sugar syrups, caramel, gelatine, petits fours finishing
Example recipes: Lemon Sherbet Marshmallows, Chocolate and Pistachio Croquants, Salted Butter Caramels, Peanut Butter and Jelly Macarons
Module 6
Understand how to perfect element patisserie and plated afternoon tea pieces.
What you’ll learn: Mousses, creams, enriched doughs, layered desserts, professional finishing
Example recipes: Chocolate, Halva and Orange Babka, Roasted Apricot, Sparkling Wine and Mascarpone Savarin, Lemon and Lime Meringue Financier
A place dedicated to teaching students how to cook to a high level, usually to prepare them for careers in the food industry. Leiths Culinary School, located in central London, offers our world-leading patisserie courses.
We used to be known as Leiths School of Food and Wine. At Leiths Culinary School, we have made some important changes to what we offer to ensure we remain world leaders in culinary training.
Yes, we’re a cookery school. In fact, with 50 years of experience we are the cookery education specialists and have a range culinary training pathways to suit your ability level and budget.
Founded in 1975 by Prue Leith DBE and Caroline Waldegrave. Prue’s aim was to teach students how to cook delicious food from scratch, using simple high-quality ingredients. It’s a mantra we’ve stuck to. Find out more about us and our history here.
From TV presenter Matt Tebbutt, who you’ll recognise from Saturday Kitchen Live, to hugely successful cookbook authors like Olia Hercules and Skye McAlpine, Leiths Culinary School is the place to start your future in food. Leiths alumni work in restaurants, on yachts and in test kitchens. They go viral on social media; they test and style recipe books; they edit magazines. We have graduates working at BBC Good Food, The River Cafe, BOSH!, Mob Kitchen and The Guardian.
Our light and airy cookery School is on Wendell Road in Shepherd’s Bush. Click to find out more about getting to Leiths.
Anyone! At Leiths, you’ll be surrounded by people with the same passion for food as you. Come and meet us.