Inspiring Cookery Classes For Teenagers And Adults This Summer

At Leiths School of Food and Wine

Tucked away on a quiet, leafy street near Ravenscourt Park, Leiths School of Wine has a formidable reputation. The School was set up by Prue Leith and Caroline Waldegrave in 1975, and many famous faces have trained here, from The Duchess of Cambridge to television cook Lorraine Pascale.

The School is famous for its nine month Diploma in Food and Wine, starting again in September, which offers a rigorous training in classical cookery, cuisines from around the world, and the tasting and selecting of great wines.

Yet that's not all Leiths has to offer. The School is lead by Managing Director Camilla Schneideman, who is absolutely determined to ensure young people are equipped with the cooking skills they need to eat well for life.

“When young people head off on GAP years, to university, or into the working world, it's so important that they have good cooking skills,” she says.

“Whether you're staying in a hostel and whipping up pasta with fresh pesto for your travelling buddies, or gathering your university friends together for a Sunday roast, cooking brings people together.

“Great cooking skills also allow you to earn as you travel. Our Essential Certificate, which runs for four weeks in August, is a quick way to learn to cook to a professional standard.

“Many students go on to use these skills in ski chalets and safari lodges, and to cook for private clients around the world.

“A thorough training in selecting and preparing wonderful ingredients, kitchen planning, knife skills and food safety is the best way to help young people stay well fed and healthy for life.”

Here's our pick of Leiths' summer courses for young people.

Let's Cook! The Cookery Toolbox for Teenagers

£615.00
Tue 25 Jul - Fri 28 Jul 2017

Young students aged 12 - 17 years old will gain a range of key cooking skills on this four day, fast-paced, hands-on cooking course for budding chefs. Packed with lots of top tips, teenagers will learn to cook an array of tasty recipes for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. Young chefs will leave inspired to keep on cooking with confidence.

Kitchen Survival Kit: 15 - 18s

£705.00
Mon 24 Jul - Fri 28 Jul 2017

This fun packed, one week introduction is perfect for teenagers with a passion for food and ideal for those heading to sixth form or into the working world. The week is filled with practical tips and techniques for the budding chef and ends with the  Invention Test , a fun ‘cook off' in which students creatively explore their new found skills.

Including indispensable techniques such as cooking fish, preparing a Sunday roast with all of the trimmings, mastering classics such as Chilli con carne and creating irresistible puddings such as Chocolate roulade and Peach Melba crumble; this is the one stop shop for a first foray into cooking.   

Kitchen Survival Kit: 18 - 25s

£705.00
Mon 31 Jul - Fri 4 Aug 2017

This is the same course as above, adapted for a slightly older crowd.

Essential Cooking Certificate: Daytime Course (Minimum age 18, adults of all ages welcome)

£3175.00
Mon 14 Aug 2017 to Fri 8 Sep 2017

If you'd like to learn the maximum number of cookery skills for a professional environment in the shortest period of time, this exciting and challenging four week course is for you.

Whether you are considering a new career or need to fend for yourself after leaving home, you'll learn all of the essential skills you need for a lifetime of confident cooking. From comforting classics to cutting edge creations, this is a unique opportunity to master the building blocks of cooking. 

Bag a Bargain: Classes for Adults

Of course, Leiths also offer a wealth of classes for the mature student! If you can carve out a free day for yourself (and perhaps a friend) why not come along to one of Leiths' wonderful one day cookery workshops?

Leiths are offering Chiswick W4 readers 10% off some of their most popular classes. Just enter code INTRO10 when booking online, or mention it when booking on the telephone.

Chef Skills - Creativity

£205.00 (Sale price £184.50)
Tue 25 Jul 2017   10.00 - 16.00

If you're a confident amateur cook with Michelin stars in your eyes, the  Chef Skills: Creativity class is exactly what you need to develop your technical ability and personal flair. The Leiths chefs will teach key techniques like glazing potatoes and pan-frying scallops, but you will also have the freedom to pick extra ingredients and put your own slant on each dish. The resulting menu will be as individual as you are!

Peruvian Cooking with Jorge Baumhauer da Silva

£155.00 (Sale price £139.50)

Sat 12 Aug 2017 10.00 - 14.30

In this exciting class for Leiths, Jorge Baumhauer da Silva will teach you to prepare the classics of Peruvian cuisine, and Nikkei, which is a fusion of Japanese and Peruvian food.

You will make a classic Ceviche (raw fish cured in lime juice), Aji de Gallina (Peruvian chicken curry) and learn how to select chillies, make Tiger's milk, and balance the flavours within a Peruvian recipe.

Knife Skills - Butchery

£180.00 (Sale price £162)

Tue 22 Aug 2017 10.00 - 14.30

Learning to use each knife confidently and accurately takes a great deal of practice. This class will teach you which knife to use and how to use it, as you learn to bone, stuff and roll a shoulder of lamb; bone and stuff a ballotine of chicken and prepare a rack of lamb. You'll go home with a new set of skills, and plenty of prepared joints of meat to share.

Wines from Around the World with Amelia Singer

£100.00 (Sale price £90)

Sat 2 Sep 2017   12.00 - 14.30

Amelia Singer, presenter of ITV's The Wine Show, is on a mission to demystify wine and empower everybody to make great wine choices!

You'll enjoy a carefully selected lunch menu of four world dishes, created and cooked by the Leiths chefs in front of you. As each dish is presented, you'll be served a very special paired wine.

Amelia will then explain how to use your palette to match wine and food, enhancing the flavour combinations in your dish.

To book a course or class at Leiths, visit www.leiths.com , call 0208 749 6400 or email bookings@leiths.com . The nearest tube station is Stamford Brook on the District Line.

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July 22, 2017