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Discover how the Leiths Culinary Diploma can launch your career in food – join our webinar on Monday, 17 August 2026, 7–8pm.
At Leiths Education, we teach students of all ages to cook quality ingredients from scratch. From schoolchildren learning practical cookery skills through Leiths-made curriculums at our Partner Schools to our flagship Culinary Diploma and Online Cookery School, both of which continue to cultivate industry-leading careers; to our Professional Development courses in the hospitality, culinary and food teaching sectors we’ve used fifty years of experience to provide exceptional cookery skills for the many not the few.
The Leiths Culinary Diploma stamp of approval is shorthand for world-class employment opportunities. Our in-house recruitment experts at Leiths List Connect work with our Diploma alumni to link them with their dream employers. With our tried-and-tested recipe for success, learning with Leiths will last you a lifetime.
Leiths Education: learn to cook for life
‘Everyone looks up to Leiths to produce the best graduates.’ – Yotam Ottolenghi
From food media to artisan breadmaking, and marine cookery to food teacher training, our professional development short courses are designed to help you pursue your chosen future in food. Whether you want to work in an award-winning bakery, a school classroom, a yacht galley or a studio, find your course and book today.
Courses for primary and secondary schools designed to ignite a passion for food in students aged 5 to 18.
Our highly-esteemed flagship Leiths Culinary Diploma is the launchpad for you to achieve your culinary dreams.
Career growth and support in everything from food teaching, patisserie to marine cookery assessment qualifications.
Leiths List connects you with top UK food businesses for work. Our Diploma students and alumni also benefit from work experience opportunities and career advice.
Flexible professional cookery training with cutting-edge technology, from any kitchen or device.
In 1975, Prue Leith DBE first opened the doors to our Culinary School in London. Fifty years on, we’ve stayed true to Prue’s belief that classical cookery skills combined with good quality ingredients make for both delicious food and exceptional chefs. Since opening, many Leiths graduates have gone on to be leaders in the industry, from bestselling cookbook authors to Michelin-level chefs to social media superstars.
Fast-track your future in food with 18 weeks of world-class culinary training in London. Study your way, get work placements with the biggest names in the industry and start your journey into food in the best way with top-quality culinary training from our team of expert chef tutors.
Career growth and support in everything from food teaching, patisserie to marine cookery assessment qualifications.
Leiths is the launchpad for every kind of culinary career – not just a route into restaurants.
The Leiths Culinary Diploma is a fast-track to employment with the biggest names in food. You'll get professional opportunities you might not otherwise because employers love Leiths.
Leiths teachers are both knowledgeable and nurturing. We champion constructive, positive feedback to help our students improve.
We’ve got fifty years of experience in cookery education. You can trust us to get you where you want to go.
Courses and digital resources for primary and secondary schools, designed to build practical cookery skills for life for students aged 5 to 18.
Inspire creativity while building real, hands-on cookery skills with Leiths Education Primary Programmes for Key Stages 1 and 2. Proven to instil a love of food and cookery, empowering every teacher to deliver confident, engaging food education that nurtures lifelong skills.
A flexible pathway from KS3, KS4 and KS5 cookery through co-curricular programmes to accredited qualifications. Every course includes the Leiths Education Portal, schemes of work, step-by-step videos and scalable shopping lists, designed to be delivered by teachers of any confidence level.
Leiths’ Masters-level food education qualification can now be taken outside London for the first time, with Queen’s College, Taunton the first hub to deliver it regionally.
The Leiths Culinary Diploma class of 2026 graduated in a ceremony that saw the school award its first ever Honorary Culinary Diploma and name a Student of the Year who had swapped two decades in the corporate world for a year in the kitchen.
Maria Dunbar, CEO of Leiths Education, argues that the chef’s hat belongs beside the hard hat and the graduation cap. Writing in response to the Prime Minister’s case for valuing practical skills as much as academic ones, she makes the point that a career in food is still too often treated as the fallback for children who did not take to written exams, when it is anything but. Almost everyone now agrees children should learn to cook, she says. The hard part is how you make it happen, and that is, Maria argues, where this is won or lost.
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It’s a school dedicated to teaching students how to cook to a high level, usually to prepare them for careers in the food industry. Our headquarters in London offers our Culinary Diploma which is one of the top qualifications of its kind. Find out how to launch the culinary career you’ve always dreamt of by visiting our Culinary Diploma page.
We used to be known as Leiths School of Food and Wine. Under our new name, Leiths Education, we still offer our flagship Culinary Diploma which is based in London but have made a couple of changes to what we offer. As Leiths Education, we have developed our Partnership School Programme curriculum which offers tried-and-tested Leiths teaching methods to schools of all shapes and sizes. We also offer professional development and online cookery courses, and all our graduates have access to Leiths List Connect, our in-house recruitment agency. Our Diploma alumni can also receive bespoke career support while studying and after graduating.
Yes, we’re a cookery school, also know as a culinary school. In fact, with fifty years of experience we are the cookery education specialists and have a range of courses to suit your ability level and budget.
Founded in 1975 by the legendary chef 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.
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 is the launchpad for your dream culinary career. Leiths alumni work in restaurants, on yachts, 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.
Leiths Culinary School (which is also the headquarters of Leiths Education) is on Wendell Road in London. 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.
Looking to hire a chef in the UK or abroad? We’ll help you find the perfect candidate. Our chefs are of the finest quality and come highly recommended.
Join one of the world’s most respected cookery schools online, with uniquely experiential video courses taught by expert teachers.
