Leiths Two Term Diploma in Food and Wine

Respected culinary training, our accredited chef qualification is designed to inspire culinary ambitions and support those who are driven by a love of good food to unlock their full potential.

Whatever the future holds, there is no doubt that my time at Leiths shaped me hugely, and I wouldn’t be where I am without the exceptional training I received there. Though I could never claim to be a precise cook like those I admired and learned from at Leiths, the thing that remains with me is the joy of food and the extensive knowledge of ingredients and technique which Leiths inspired and which I hold dear today.

– Letitia Ann Clark - Chef, Illustrator & Food Writer

Ready to unlock a fulfilling career in food?

The Leiths Two Term Diploma is the industry leading full-time cookery course designed for those with a driving ambition to build a fruitful career in food. Throughout the course, you will undertake comprehensive professional training to empower you with a rounded knowledge of food and wine, a clear sense of emerging industry trends, a broad range of culinary styles, practical menu and service planning, and a series of budgeting techniques. Successful students will also gain a CTH Level 4 Diploma in Professional Culinary Arts, just 2 levels below a full degree, and recognised by the most respected employers in the hospitality industry. The course also offers bespoke career support, introductions within our stellar network, and hands-on work placements to develop invaluable kitchen experience. Our Two Term Diploma will ensure you’re fully prepared to pursue a diverse and exciting range of opportunities in the world of food.

Taught by some of the world’s most skilled and experienced teachers, chefs, and industry leaders, our training is grounded in fundamental culinary techniques and supported by theoretical and practical teaching with demonstrations. You will build a powerful future network amongst your student peers, and expand knowledge around your culinary passion in an environment of like-minded people who are all mutually motivated by a love of good food.

Students enrolling for the Two Term Diploma will begin the course with an induction week, running from the 3rd to the 6th of January, 2023. This time will be dedicated to practical sessions revising a number of key skills, and familiarising yourself with our state-of-the-art professional kitchens. Our teachers will also be on hand to assess your ability level and then provide individually tailored feedback and advice, along with recommended areas for improvement to address and practice before the term commences.

We will also take you through the structure of the course and our forms of assessment, examples of coursework from previous Foundation students, the best ways to approach writing your daily time plans, and how to cover theory aspects of the course.

Who is this course suitable for ?

To take the Two Term Diploma you need to be confident in the key cooking methods, as well as the theory behind them. Your knowledge in these may be as the result of a previous culinary course, industry experience or private coaching. We’ll be happy to provide a list of these skills and a home-study pack and support to help you prepare for the course.

Students may enrol on our Online Essential Certificate in order to prepare for the Two Term Diploma. There is a ‘fast-track’ option for Two Term Diploma students so that the course can be completed before the start of the Intermediate Term.

We will discuss the best way for you to prepare for the course during an informal interview.

Everybody looks up to Leiths to produce the best graduates.

– Yotam Ottolenghi - Chef, Restaurateur & Food writer

Bookings for Leiths Two Term Diploma in Food and Wine

Booking Information

We are now taking bookings for the 2023 Two Term Diploma. If you're interested to find out more about the course, please email registrar@leiths.com or call 0208 749 6400 to book a tour of the school and an informal interview.

Fees

The fee for this course is £23,080 (deposit £2,000).

Please see our full price list here.

Dates

Dates for 2023: 3rd January to 6th January 2023 (Induction Week), 9th January to 24th March 2023 (Intermediate Term), 18th April to 30th June 2023 (Advanced Term).

Foreign Language Students and Visas

If English is your second language you should have proof that you've attained an IELTS (International English Language Testing System) band score of 6.5 which equates to C1 on the CEFR (Council of Europe's Common European Framework). If you have studied at degree level before in the UK this will not be needed.

If you are a Non-EU prospective student requiring a Student Visa or a Standard Visitor Visa please inform us before your interview. Any Visa related questions can be directed to the Registrar at registrar@leiths.com.

Life at Leiths

What can I expect from life at Leiths?

What can I expect from life at Leiths?

Our Virtual School Visit is live on our website to give you a taste of the Diploma experience. Learn more about the school, take a virtual tour of the school and hear from our students and staff and alumni.

You can also follow our social channels and read more in our blog and online magazine Follow our hashtags #madeatleiths for alumni stories and #leithsdiplomalife to scroll through our diploma students journeys.

The Leiths Culture

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Leiths wouldn’t be Leiths without its connected network of passionate, approachable people. Hear from our current students, alumni and staff as they describe the culture at Leiths in their own words and share their personal experiences.

The Leiths Effect

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Filmed at the Leiths 40th anniversary celebration, hear from leading industry professionals and some of our most inspiring alumni, as they discuss what it means to be trained at Leiths.

Industry Opportunities

Career Opportunities Work Experience Alumni

What career opportunities can this course open up?

Leiths has an unrivalled reputation in the food industry and the diploma will equip you with the skills, resources, network, and solutions needed to launch a successful career in food and to achieve your culinary goals.

The course will give you the lifetime skills you need for wide-reaching opportunities in the food industry, including:

professional restaurant chef or private chef
catering business operator; delivery, in-home dining services, events
hospitality business owner - run your own restaurant, cafe, pub, bistro, diner
street food business operator
food writer; write for cookbooks, magazine columns, online publications and more
food journalism; food TV, food magazines, online journalism
food influencer / blogger / digital educator
food stylist
food media, marketing and PR
freelance for other caterers
food delivery/meal box business
supper clubs
recipe development; for cookbooks, restaurants, food producers, food delivery businesses
product development to create a new food business, or for a food producer or supermarket
teach others to cook
create digital content or platforms about cooking and food
private chef work; either at home or whilst travelling the world
food innovation; creating progressive products or services
food sustainability; champion a more sustainable future in food, start a sustainable food business
food presenter/work on set in food television

As part of the course Leiths will also support you with access to bespoke training by top chefs, industry placements, career advice and an exclusive network of hospitality businesses partnering with us to offer Leiths students long term job opportunities. Examples of business we partner with for work experience:

BBC Good Food
Soho House Group
The Delaunay
Spring
Carousel
Chez Bruce
Elystan street
The Stafford Group
Norma
Medlar
The Glasshouse
Saturday Kitchen Live
Taste of London
Delicious magazine
Allplants
Gousto
The Dusty Knuckle Bakery School

Leiths graduates have gone on to become chefs in the country's best restaurants, leaders of the London food scene, celebrated TV chefs, editors and stylists at top food publications or successful food entrepreneurs.

Course Content

The tabs detail the sample techniques and recipes that you will learn during each term.

You will be continually assessed during the practical course sessions. A class teacher will give feedback and support you throughout the course. Once you have passed your theory and practical examination, you will be able to successfully graduate with your qualification.

Coursework

Some study at home (4-5 hours a week) will be part of the course. This will include writing time plans, menu planning and costing exercises. You will also produce a final portfolio to be assessed at the end of the academic year.

Attendance

Attendance is important, with a minimum of 90% course completion part of the requisite graduation criteria.

Intermediate Term Advanced Term Typical Day

9th January to 24th March 2023

The intermediate term allows students to build on their foundation skills and develop a more sophisticated style of cooking suitable for a professional environment. It’s now time to turn up the heat and produce more involved dishes, and take techniques to the next level: so, the foundation bread making skills you have been practicing will now be put to use as you master enriched doughs; you know how to make a bechamel and to perfectly whisk egg whites so souffles are on the menu; and the fish filleting skills you have learned can be incorporated into an elegant plate of Pan fried mackerel, roasted baby beetroot, lovage, radish and pickled shallot salad.

By the end of this term, you will be cooking to a good professional standard, with a level of refinement to your cooking that sets it apart. In class you will be encouraged to be more creative, with sessions where you design your own dish around core ingredients. You will also undertake a student management exercise where you will plan a service and manage other students as they work together to deliver their creative dishes.

Always focussed on student careers, Leiths will host an exclusive careers fair, inviting key restaurateurs, food entrepreneurs, alumni working in food styling and writing, and other guests from all areas of the food industry. Here you will discover more about the careers on offer, and start to forge links for work experience. Throughout your course, Leiths List (our own agency and careers service) is on hand to provide introductions and support.

The in-house demonstration program continues to broaden your depth of technical knowledge. Specialist guest chefs - from master butchers, to Michelin starred chefs, dim sum experts, and raw food specialists - inspire you to develop your presentation and creative skills. Students also use these sessions to make further links in interesting areas of the industry.

Taking wine studies to the next level too, we will dedicate one session per week to tutored tastings, so that you can achieve the Level 2 award in Wine from WSET. Led by Richard Bampfield (MW), our team of wine experts deliver the curriculum via a series of interactive wine classes, broadening your knowledge of tasting and production of wine.

Intermediate Term Skills

Refining of kitchen skills including seasoning, presentation and knife skills
Technical butchery of meat and game
Offal, game and meat cooking
Fish and shellfish preparation and cooking including round fish, squid, octopus and clams
Complex emulsion, reduction, veloute and Espagnole sauces
Souffles, sweet and savoury
Enriched doughs, brioche, introduction to bigas
French, layered, hot water crust and suet pastries
Patisserie including gateaux, bavarois, ice creams, sorbets and Italian meringue
Canapés
Pasta and risotto
Preserving jams, jellies, marmalade and chutney
CTH – commencing Level 4
Wine – WSET level 2
Guest demonstrations include nutrition, dim sum and east Asian cookery, plant based food, healthy eating, Middle Eastern and Italian cooking

Intermediate Term Example Recipes

Pan fried mackerel, roasted baby beetroot, lovage, radish and pickled shallot salad
Braised octopus, paprika sauce and aioli
Salt and spiced slow roast pork belly with chilli and peanut dressing
Pork and apple hand raised pie
Individual lemon meringue tartlets
Doughnuts with fresh raspberry jam
Seville orange souffles
Sacher torte and fraiser cakes
Bay bavarois, roasted pink rhubarb and sable biscuits
Ragu of wild boar with hand rolled pappardelle

18th April to 30th June 2023

During this 11 week intensive term (10 weeks full time tuition and 1 week where you will prepare for and then take a practical exam), Leiths students refine their Intermediate skills to enable them to graduate with the precision required to enter a top level professional kitchen or alternative area of the food industry or food media. At this elevated level, many different techniques often combine in one dish, and processes such as sourdough bread making, curing and preserving, plant based cooking, advanced presentation, and patisserie are woven through the curriculum. Use of the sous vide, thermomix, and other professional equipment allows for further creative development.

As well as honing your skills in the kitchens through frequent all-day cooking sessions and creative cooking challenges, you will also complete a program of work experience (you are required to undertake 3 short placements in a professional environment). Leiths List and our student support team are on hand to help you to connect with your chosen area of the industry, be it restaurants, catering, food styling, media or private cheffing.

This is also the time to polish your skills, with no shortage of time to practice, and your dedicated class tutor will be carefully monitoring your progress as you move towards the final assessments.

As well as the stunning in-house demonstrations, you will be learning from leading industry experts, as they share not only their unique and diverse cooking styles, but also provide invaluable advice on choosing your career path, and open your eyes to possible careers that you hadn’t conceived of before. Connections made with the Leiths Alumni and guest lecturers often lead to career opportunities, and students are encouraged to push themselves to explore a range of career paths. Sessions on how to start a food business and the practicalities of working in a variety of roles are part of this essential final term.

Students are continually assessed throughout the Diploma course, with a teacher tasting your food and giving you feedback each day. At the end of the Diploma you will take a theory paper and a practical exam. In addition, you will complete a portfolio of menus that is the perfect demonstration of your personal style, developed during your time on the course.

Advanced Certificate in Food and Wine

This course can als be taken as an independent 11 week certificate course. Potential students should be extremely proficient and confident cooks with good knowledge of skills at Foundation and Intermediate level, either from formal training or from cooking in a professional kitchen.

The School can assist in arranging coaching prior to the course to enable students, where appropriate, to join us at this level.

Advanced Term Skills

Clearing and consommés
Advanced vegetable garnishes
Refined sauces including Jus and bisque
Puff pastry and laminated yeasted doughs, croissant and Danish pastries
Sourdoughs and slow fermentation breads
Mousselines
Filled pasta
Fish
Terrines and pâté
Curing and smoking
Sous vide and brining
Shellfish including crab, lobster and scallops
Entremets and petit gateaux
Petit fours and macarons
Advanced butchery and meat cooking
Guest demonstrations including chocolate, plant based food, cheese, Michelin starred restaurant chefs, how to start a food business, gin tasting, food and wine matching

Advanced Term Example Recipes

Artichoke and green olive Pithivier, heritage tomato salad
Mushroom consommé with pickled mushrooms
Crispy cod cheeks, soused vegetable salad and citrus mayonnaise
Braised rabbit ravioli
Croissant, pain au chocolat, Danish pastries
Country and wild garlic sourdoughs, ciabatta
Gâteau opera
King oyster mushroom, salt baked celeriac, hazelnut vinaigrette
Beef bavette sous vide, shallot and tamarind puree, straw fries
Ballotine of chicken with chicken and thyme jus
Pan fried cod, bouillabaisse sauce, caramelised fennel
Sweetbreads, pomme purée and Madeira jus
Braised violet artichokes, potato gnocchi and spring vegetables

A typical day normally starts at 9.15am and finishes at 5pm with up to an hour for lunch.

The day is divided between demonstrations and practical cooking sessions. You will also receive lectures and demonstrations from leading figures of the hospitality world and head chefs from acclaimed restaurants, as well as caterers, food scientists and other culinary experts. Some of these experiences will be off site.

Morning

Your weeks alternate so on one week, your day begins with a morning demonstration at 10.00am; arrive at 9.45am to be prepared for the start.

The next week, your day will start with a practical cookery session; arrive by 9.15am to change into your chef’s whites and start organising ingredients.

Lunchtime

During your lunch break a student common room is available. You can also remain in the demonstration room, do some research in the library or sit in the local park. All the food you cook is yours, so if you have a morning cookery session your lunch can be what you've cooked.

Afternoon

If you have a practical session in the afternoon, allow time to change and get into the kitchens early to weigh up the ingredients.

Classes usually end by 5pm but may finish later on occasions. If you are cooking in the afternoon, the food cooked can be taken home to enjoy for dinner.

I still remember the exact moment I made the decision to go to Leiths - I was really ill and overworked, at home, the swine flu epidemic was happening and it all felt pretty momentous. Then the advert for Leiths came on TV. I said, “I wonder if I could do this,” and my best friend said, “I’m surprised you are not already doing this!” Within three months I quit my job and enrolled to do the Leiths intermediate and advanced diploma. Needless to say, it changed my life completely. My third cookbook is about to come out and most importantly - my job brings me so much joy every day.

– Olia Hercules - Author, Chef & Leiths Alumna

Practicalities

Qualifications Bookings & Fees School Facilities Preparing for student life

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

Leiths Two Term Diploma in Food and Wine

CTH Level 4 Diploma in Professional Culinary Arts

Wine and Spirit Education Trust Level 2 Intermediate Certificate in Wines and Spirits

Assessment in Marine Cookery

Level 2 Food Allergen Awareness

Level 2 Award in Food Safety in Catering

Level 2 Health and Safety in the Workplace

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health class

First Aid training

Awards

Students completing the Leiths Diploma course are entered for the 'Best Overall Student Award', sponsored by I&P Olive Oils, and the 'Best Wine Student Award', sponsored by Louis Latour. The prizes are generous, enjoyable and educational.

Business advice

For those considering setting up their own business, Leiths holds career seminars and offers talks on insurance, VAT, business plans, public relations, marketing, health and safety legislation and taxation.

Finding work

Leiths can arrange work experience placements in restaurants, magazines and other food companies for Diploma students. Leiths List, the school's agency for chefs, can also assist students and graduates in finding work.

Eligibility

The first step is to book an informal interview. Our Receptionist who manages the diary can be contacted Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm on +44 (0)20 8749 6400 by following the instructions for 'Reception'. Interviews are held at the school; 16-20 Wendell Road, W12 9RT. On the day of your interview, you will meet our Managing Director, School Principal or a Senior Teacher. You'll have a tour of the school, followed by a thorough chat about your previous experience, what you hope to achieve, and we will answer all of your questions about the courses and the school. It is also important that you inform us in your interview of any relevant medical conditions and/or specific learning difficulties that could affect your time on the course.

How to book

Following your interview, our Registrar will contact you by email offering you a place (and setting out any relevant conditional offers). The enrolment form and details will be attached. If we do not think the course is suitable for you for any reason we will let you know, and offer alternative advice.

If you decide to join us, please arrange payment of the deposit and send the signed enrolment form to: Registrar, Leiths School of Food & Wine, 16-20 Wendell Road, London, W12 9RT, UK or email to registrar@leiths.com. This will secure your place on the course. Once these have been processed you will receive confirmation of acceptance via email stating that you have been allocated a place on the course subject to Leiths terms and conditions.

Fees

The fee for this course is £23,080 (deposit £2,000). All remaining professional course fees will be due at least six weeks before the course starts. We'll send you an invoice, along with instructions for ordering equipment, books and uniform closer to the time.

View our full price list here.

Funding

Professional Careers Development Loans were withdrawn by the government on 31st January 2019 and as yet, a new scheme has not been announced.

Leiths are trying to register for alternative financing but sadly this is not yet available.

You can choose to pay your fees in instalments. Please call us on +44 (0)20 8749 6400 or email the registrar at registrar@leiths.com for more information.

How to book

In the first instance please email us at registrar@leiths.com to arrange an interview or call 020 8749 6400. Following this, to secure a place, we will require a completed enrolment form and a deposit of £2000. If you have any queries regarding how to book the course please telephone the school.

Leiths School of Food and Wine is located over 4 floors of a light and airy space on a residential street between Shepherd's bush and Chiswick in West London.

The school comprises four kitchens, three of which are used for the full time students while the fourth is used for recipe development, corporate team building, one day workshops, photography and filming.

The kitchens are all air coniditioned and equipped with gas ovens and hobs of the same design and high standard employed by most professional restaurants and catering kitchens, giving students access to all the equipment needed to learn to cook professionally.

The demonstration kitchen on the ground floor is fitted with LCD screens and cameras enabling students to see the close up details of each step of the dishes and techniques demonstrated by the teachers and outside lecturers.

Students have access to a library of cookery books and magazines for reference, a student dining room, changing facilities and WiFi. There are computers at their disposal.

Take a virtual tour of the school here.

Uniform and equipment

As a student on this course, you will require knives (£249 – £399) additional kitchen equipment (£130) and course literature (£75).

You are required to wear a chef’s jacket, hat, apron, checked trousers and non-slip kitchen clogs (£100). Instructions and order forms for all required items will be sent before the course begins.

Accommodation

The School is non-residential, but we keep an accommodation list if you need help finding somewhere to stay while you study. This can be sent to you once you have a place confirmed.

One door closed and another, rather unexpected one opened. I joined Leiths for the diploma course straight out of journalism, not sure what to expect... but it gave me not only new professional skills, but a new way of looking at life. It helped me turn an interest into a passion and gave my career a new direction that means instead of giving people bad news, I now give them good times. Every day I learned something - from the exacting standards required to the teamwork to the camaraderie. And while I might never pluck a pheasant again, now I can cook for 50 or interview a top chef live on stage without feeling fazed.

– Lisa Markwell, Food editor – The Sunday Times, Editor – CODE Hospitality Book – Holds Knife Like Pen, Leiths Alumni

Course Details

Covid Health & Safety Terms & Dates Bookings & Questions

Here is a summary of our full Covid-19 Health & Safety Plans, with all the key points and information you need for a safe return to our kitchens. We will be updating our procedures as necessary.

9 Jan to 24 Mar 2023 (Intermediate Term)

18 Apr to 30 Jun 2023 (Advanced Term)

If you would like to talk to us about a place on the Diploma course starting in October 2020, please email us at registrar@leiths.com to arrange an interview with one of our experienced and approachable tutors, or call 020 8749 6400.

To secure a place on the Diploma, we will ask for a completed enrolment form and a deposit to secure your booking. If you have any queries regarding how to book the course please telephone the school.

Foreign Language Students and Visas

If you are a Non-EU prospective student requiring a Study Visa or Tier 4 Study Visa please inform us before your interview. Any Visa related questions can be directed to the Registrar at registrar@leiths.com.