By Helena Irvine
March 26, 2026
The Leiths Letter

Meet the Team: Ben Blackburn

Meet Ben, Director of Studies at Leiths Education. While choosing his favourite herb was a struggle, he shares what carbs rank highest in his estimation and his go-to chef to Google when he's in need of Monday-evening inspiration.

What is your role at Leiths?

I’m the Director of Studies. I have responsibility for the Leiths courses we run in Primary Schools, Secondary Schools and sixth form colleges, and our teacher training courses we deliver with Roehampton University. I also work on different projects at the Culinary School. So, it can be quite varied.

Tell us a bit about your day-to-day at Leiths

No two days are the same. One day I might be visiting one of our Partner Schools (we have them as far north as Scotland, and as far south as the Channel Islands), while the next I might be working with Lou, the Culinary School Director, on curriculums for the new Culinary Diploma. It’s the variety that I love.

What did you do before you worked at Leiths?

I was a pharmacist in the NHS for six years before deciding to come and study at Leiths. After completing the Leiths Culinary Diploma in 2014, I worked as a private chef across the UK, in Europe and in the US. I really enjoyed being my own boss and seeing different places. I also did lots of work in events catering, which exposes you to so much more than just cooking for large numbers. But I always felt specialising in food education was what I really wanted to do.

Don’t overthink this. Favourite herb?

Dill (though this is a ridiculously difficult question)

Tell us your top three carbs and rank them in order:

Bread (I could have it with all three meals, each and every day)

Potato (rösti or roasted if I had to be specific)

A bowl of cereal can make for a satisfyingly lazy meal

What’s your go-to easy Monday night dinner?

I’ll google Meera Sodha, pick something involving tofu or pulses. I’ve never been let down. A current favourite is a tomato and butterbeans on sourdough dish.

What’s your ‘can’t live without’ pantry staple aside?

Capers… or miso (though not to go together)

What’s a restaurant you’ve always wanted to go to?

Osip in Somerset

Favourite pasta shape and what sauce should we pair it with?

Pappardelle, with some sort of slow cooked beef shin or ox cheek

What’s your most splattered cookbook?

Nigel Slater’s Real Food

What’s your most loved kitchen utensil?

A spoonula (though it’s probably the utensil whose name I dislike the most)

You can find out more about the how to study at Leiths here.