Learn to cook familiar family staples, international favourites, and gain confidence in the kitchen with this 8-week Absolute Beginners Online Cooking Course.
Entry-level Course
Beginner
Certification
Are you just beginning to experiment in the kitchen, or have you been cooking the same, repetitive recipes for a while, without really knowing where to turn next? Are you at university and keen to learn how to make a wide range of tasty staple dishes? Or perhaps you’re seeking out new inspiration when cooking for the family at home?
Never feel at a loss in the kitchen again with our hands-on, comprehensive eight week online cookery course, designed exclusively for ambitious beginners. Benefit from learning the basics from the same expert teachers who teach our industry-leading culinary diploma, and receive encouraging individual feedback from your Leiths mentor throughout.
The recipes taught on this course have been cleverly selected to cover a wide range of foundation cookery skills, so you can begin your journey towards becoming a confident home cook. On completion of the course, you’ll know how to rustle up all the elements to make a speedy midweek supper, batch cook hearty winter warmers, and effortlessly entertain friends and family.
Learn to confidently cook familiar family favourites, such as Macaroni Cheese with a Cracker and Parsley Crumb, and experiment with vibrant international dishes, including a tasty, flavourful Prawn Pad Thai. You’ll also master simple, satisfying desserts such as a Peach and Raspberry Cobbler, guaranteed to put a smile on everybody’s face. Along the way, you’ll pick up chefs’ tips and tricks and learn about easy kitchen organisation, recipe planning, simple presentation and much more. On completing Absolute Beginners, you will be more confident in the kitchen, have a useful repertoire of contemporary recipes, and the confidence to use your newfound skills to keep on cooking.
We look forward to welcoming you to Absolute Beginners, where you’ll meet a community of like-minded cooks, and introducing you to the joy of cooking at home!
★★★★★
“Leiths is the Oxbridge of the Food World.”
Tim Hayward, FT Magazine
Written for the novice cook this course is ideal for the absolute beginner in the kitchen. This 8 part course covers a wide range of eating occasions and you will cook alongside our skilled Leiths teachers who’ll be lifting the lid on some key fundamental cookery skills and techniques.
The 8 units are packed full of popular dishes and recipes have been cleverly selected to cover a wide range of foundation cookery skills. With Workshop’s unique hands-on method of learning, you’ll be cooking from day one with no need to read pages of theory in advance.
By joining the course, you will have access to the following through the Workshop app:
In addition to the core aspects of the course, you will also get:
In each unit you’ll unlock a new set of recipes, and as you start cooking you’ll be guided from the beginning to end of a recipe by one of our most experienced Leiths teachers. As you work through the course, you’ll have an expert Leiths mentor to guide you through the sessions. So, if you have a question or need some guidance your mentor will be on hand to support you.
Not only that, but you’ll be cooking alongside a small group of like-minded students who’ve started at the same time as you. Over the length of the course you’ll get to know one another, exchanging ideas and building on each other’s culinary successes.
Once a unit is unlocked, you’ll have access to that week’s sessions and one of the great things about online learning is that you have the flexibility to choose when you want to cook. To help you plan your time you’ll have access to the written recipes plus a weekly time plan and an overview from your mentor to guide through each unit.
You will learn how to get organised before you cook. You'll be taught about equipment and how to use it, hygiene and safety, and how to weigh and measure ingredients. Then you will learn how to cook delicious scrambled eggs, a frittata, and a simple tasty soup.
You'll continue on your cooking journey by learning how to cook fish, grains, and how to use herbs to enhance flavour. For pudding, you'll learn how to poach plums and create North African flavours.
This will be your introduction to quick meat cooking and will include elements such as browning, resting, and carving of the meat. You'll also learn to make a lemon posset dessert.
You'll learn how to batch bake delicious comfort food that's great for freezing. You'll be making Macaroni and Cheese accompanied by a green salad and a dressing, and chocolate chip cookies.
Learn how to cook chilli with mince, authentic jalapeno cornbread, and a set custard.
Learn how to stir-fry a classic noodle dish and you'll cook some sesame glazed chicken. You’ll also develop your kitchen organisation and knife skills! Asian recipes require sweet, salty, acidity, and heat in their ingredients. You'll be tasting as you cook to get the perfect flavour combination!
You’ll be introduced to some classic Indian dishes including, a quick flatbread, a cooling yoghurt dip, roasted tomatoes, a lamb curry with blended spices, a radish pickle, and some rice.
Master the perfect sunday roast! You’ll be cooking roast chicken with gravy, rosemary roast potatoes, tenderstem broccoli, and a peach cobbler.
You will learn how to get organised before you cook. You'll be taught about equipment and how to use it, hygiene and safety, and how to weigh and measure ingredients. Then you will learn how to cook delicious scrambled eggs, a frittata, and a simple tasty soup.
You'll continue on your cooking journey by learning how to cook fish, grains, and how to use herbs to enhance flavour. For pudding, you'll learn how to poach plums and create North African flavours.
This will be your introduction to quick meat cooking and will include elements such as browning, resting, and carving of the meat. You'll also learn to make a lemon posset dessert.
You'll learn how to batch bake delicious comfort food that's great for freezing. You'll be making Macaroni and Cheese accompanied by a green salad and a dressing, and chocolate chip cookies.
Learn how to cook chilli with mince, authentic jalapeno cornbread, and a set custard.
Learn how to stir-fry a classic noodle dish and you'll cook some sesame glazed chicken. You’ll also develop your kitchen organisation and knife skills! Asian recipes require sweet, salty, acidity, and heat in their ingredients. You'll be tasting as you cook to get the perfect flavour combination!
You’ll be introduced to some classic Indian dishes including, a quick flatbread, a cooling yoghurt dip, roasted tomatoes, a lamb curry with blended spices, a radish pickle, and some rice.
Master the perfect sunday roast! You’ll be cooking roast chicken with gravy, rosemary roast potatoes, tenderstem broccoli, and a peach cobbler.
Once you've met all the requirements to complete this course, you'll receive a verified Certificate of Completion.
Take a look at what previous students have said about their experience with Leiths Online, with reviews ranging from young cooks celebrating the start of their journey, to professional chefs successfully advancing their culinary skills.
Leiths Online Cookery School is a winning partnership between Leiths School of Food & Wine - the esteemed cookery school - and education technology pioneers, Workshop.
From its London school, Leiths has been equipping aspiring cooks with the skills to flourish in the food world since 1975. Through Workshop's unique hands-on learning experiences, Leiths is bringing the best of in-person teaching directly into people's kitchens around the world.
Putting the learner first is a founding philosophy common to both organisations. High-quality content delivered by top educators in the cookery world, tailored expert feedback and a close community network make it a joy to learn with Leiths Online.
Before enrolling, feel free to request a tour of the course below and you'll see how Leiths Online reimagines the learning experience.
Discover how easy it is to learn with Leiths Online Cookery School by trying this FREE taster session from the Absolute Beginners course.
Learn how to make scrambled eggs on sourdough with smoked salmon & chives for two people.
If you book your place over 30 days before your course start date, you can cancel your booking and claim a full refund within 30 days of your purchase.
If you book your place within 30 days of the course start date, you can claim a full refund within 14 days of your purchase.
You can contact your mentor directly through the app at any time, and will receive a response within 48 hours. Your mentor will also be able to grade and comment on your photo uploads with any feedback they may have.
Shortly before your course start date, you will be invited to introduce yourself to the rest of your class via messaging on the Workshop app.
Each week, your class will unlock a new unit encouraging you all to cook the same dishes within the same week. At the end of every session, you will be asked to upload a photo of your dish, which your class and mentor will be able to view, like and provide feedback on.
Your class will be moving forward at a pace of 1 unit per week, however after each unit is unlocked you have the freedom to complete each session entirely at your own pace. You will also have the ability to schedule your sessions for times that suit your lifestyle.
This course has been carefully designed to make sure the advantages of real-world learning experiences are still embraced online. You will therefore be taken through the subject matter week-by-week to give you the chance to digest what you’ve learnt whilst progressing at a steady pace alongside your classmates. Unlike a real-world course though, you will also have the opportunity to revisit sessions and practice whenever and wherever you like!
You’ll be able to log into the Workshop app and access your class group discussion shortly before your start date so that you can chat away and get acquainted!
Yes, we’ll send you a full equipment list after you have purchased the course. Make sure to keep an eye on your emails (including your spam folder) for this!
All Leiths Online courses are 18+ or require parental consent for those between 13-18. The exceptions are our Teens courses, which are exclusively for 13-18-year-olds.
The accreditation weekends at Leiths school in London have a wine element to them and are only for those aged 18 and over.
With 1-5 practical sessions to complete each week, you can typically expect to be cooking for a combined total of about 3 hours a week.
You’ll have access to your course dashboard for a total time of 6 months after your start date.
Units (including video sessions and supporting materials) will become available week-by-week as your class progresses through the course.
There’s no need to worry if you have a family holiday booked or have to miss a week or two during the course. You’ll have access to your course dashboard, and the ability to contact your Leiths mentor, for 6 months from your course start date. This means you’ll have plenty of time to catch up if you need to.
Yes, we’ll send you a full equipment list before the course starts. Make sure to ask your parent or guardian to keep an eye on their emails (including the spam folder) for this!
We strongly encourage every student to finish their course within the allocated access period, as this ensures you stay on track and make the most of your learning experience. However, if you believe you need additional time, we are able to offer 3-month extensions at a cost of £100.
We review every case individually so if you need to request an extension please reach out to us at support@workshop.ws.
Please be aware that with a course extension, you will receive less regular contact time from your mentor as the usual course access period will have expired. To receive a certificate, you will still be required to photo uploads and complete any assessments if applicable.
