Master the skills and techniques that will take your culinary abilities to the next level and help you excel in the food industry, with Leiths’ 24-week Chef Skills Online Course and Certificate.
Professional Course
Advanced
Certification
Chef Skills is a professional course designed for competent and knowledgeable home cooks, chefs and food professionals. Students may have already completed the Essential Online Certificate with the aim to now progress in their chefs training and build upon the foundation skills they have learnt.
The progressive techniques you’ll learn on this unique course will refine, enhance and elevate your cooking. Building on your foundation knowledge, you’ll develop as a cook and learn skills to drive your career forwards in the food industry, take those first important steps towards a potential career change, or become a masterful home cook. Deepen your understanding, extend your repertoire of skills, and take on new challenges as you take your culinary abilities to the next level.
★★★★★
Leiths School of Food and Wine has “seen oodles of students start up their own businesses or work in Michelin-starred restaurants.”
The Independent
★★★★★
“Leiths is the Oxbridge of the Food World.”
Tim Hayward, FT Magazine
This 24-week course will guide professional cooks and passionate home chefs through the skills, techniques and practices that they need to refine and enhance their cooking.
Each week, you will unlock a new batch of video-based sessions that take you step-by-step through the process of cooking a variety of recipes. 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:
Average cooking time: 3 hours per week
You'll learn the science behind enriched breads and the shaping of breads by making English buttermilk muffins and Chelsea Buns.
Learn how to whip up a delicious risotto rice and make mushroom risotto. With the leftovers, we're going to make arancini.
We'll cover commonly used spices, lesser used spices, how to maximise their flavour, and what do with the old spices in your cupboard. We'll apply that knowledge to make a Bengali chicken curry, a Punjabi sweet and spicy paneer dish, a classic kedgeree, and a tomato chutney.
Plate a beautiful french pastry, but beware, they're quite tricky and have a high fat content, so allow for plenty of time in the fridge. We'll be making pâte sablée and pâte sucrée.
Eggs are very versatile ingredients that can leaven, lighten and enrich. Here you'll be using eggs to thicken a bay bavarois and lighten a sabayon that you'll serve with french toast.
Grains are nutritious, versatile and great for carrying flavours. We'll be making a Pearl Barley and Harissa Yogurt, a Basil and Lemon Millet and a hearty Quinoa and Oat Porridge.
You'll be learning to prepare and cook fish using sardines and a poached cod served with a shiitake and dashi broth.
You'll be building your knowledge and your confidence with breads. You'll learn to make a potato bread that uses lard to soften the crumb. You'll also make a beer bread, looking at how alcohol affects the yeast.
You'll learn how to make Italian meringue, which is a more technical meringue to make. This is an incredibly useful skill, as this meringue is more stable and more widely used commercially.
Master the perfect flaky pastry such as a quentessential British sausage roll and eccles cakes.
In this unit, you'll learn how to cook offal. Offal literally means 'off fall' because it fall off the bench onto the floor when a butcher butchers a carcass.
Revisiting many of the skill that you've learned, we're going to practice baking. ou'll start with a banana bread that calls for making caramel, using the muffin method and making a cream cheese frosting. You'll also make soda bread using a rubbing in method, which you may already know from scone recipes.
This unit provides an opportunity to bring a number of dishes together and create a delicious and flavoursome meal. You'll learn to make a pistachio cake, an aubergine with bulgar and yogurt, and a tomato relish with yogurt flatbreads.
ou'll learn to cook lamb rumps with salsa verde and ratatouille. You'll also use a slow-cook method to cook pork cheeks served with pommes purée and an apple compote.
Stir up a delicious poached pear recipe, using the liquor base for a granita, and a pear sorbet.
You'll learn to cook 3 root vegetable dishes: Pommes Anna, butternut squash fondant and potato rosti. You'll use your chef's skills to transform humble ingredients into delicious accompaniments.
This is just an introduction to all the canapés you can do. You'll learn about canapés by making a fish-based canapé with salmon, a Moo Shu pork-based recipe and a vegetarian croquette recipe. We'll also cover menu planning, costing and choosing the right serviceware for a successful canapé event.
Master the techniques for creating a light, twice-baked cheese soufflé and a Seville orange soufflé. Soufflés are known for being difficult, but you should be successful if you apply a few simple rules.
A sauce can be part of a larger dish, or can bring different elements together. Vegetable puree can act as a sauce and provide a different way to present your vegetables. In this unit, you'll learn to make a classic jus, a composite sauce and a butternut squash puree.
Planning and preparation are just as important for a successful dinner party as your technical skills. You'll learn about these aspects and how to prepare a vegan starter, main course and dessert.
Discover how to make Paris Montaigne - an advanced pastry that incorporates craquelin, praline and crème pâtissière.
Learn to make an enriched pasta dough and gnocchi. You'll serve the pasta with truffle oil and parmesan, while the gnocchi will be served with summer vegetables and a sage butter sauce.
Have fun with making some jam filled doughnuts with a rich rapsberry jam. These recipes require two days to make, so plan in that extra time carefully.
When you start your assessment, all other units will be locked and can only be unlocked after you have submitted all required uploads.
You'll learn the science behind enriched breads and the shaping of breads by making English buttermilk muffins and Chelsea Buns.
Learn how to whip up a delicious risotto rice and make mushroom risotto. With the leftovers, we're going to make arancini.
We'll cover commonly used spices, lesser used spices, how to maximise their flavour, and what do with the old spices in your cupboard. We'll apply that knowledge to make a Bengali chicken curry, a Punjabi sweet and spicy paneer dish, a classic kedgeree, and a tomato chutney.
Plate a beautiful french pastry, but beware, they're quite tricky and have a high fat content, so allow for plenty of time in the fridge. We'll be making pâte sablée and pâte sucrée.
Eggs are very versatile ingredients that can leaven, lighten and enrich. Here you'll be using eggs to thicken a bay bavarois and lighten a sabayon that you'll serve with french toast.
Grains are nutritious, versatile and great for carrying flavours. We'll be making a Pearl Barley and Harissa Yogurt, a Basil and Lemon Millet and a hearty Quinoa and Oat Porridge.
You'll be learning to prepare and cook fish using sardines and a poached cod served with a shiitake and dashi broth.
You'll be building your knowledge and your confidence with breads. You'll learn to make a potato bread that uses lard to soften the crumb. You'll also make a beer bread, looking at how alcohol affects the yeast.
You'll learn how to make Italian meringue, which is a more technical meringue to make. This is an incredibly useful skill, as this meringue is more stable and more widely used commercially.
Master the perfect flaky pastry such as a quentessential British sausage roll and eccles cakes.
In this unit, you'll learn how to cook offal. Offal literally means 'off fall' because it fall off the bench onto the floor when a butcher butchers a carcass.
Revisiting many of the skill that you've learned, we're going to practice baking. ou'll start with a banana bread that calls for making caramel, using the muffin method and making a cream cheese frosting. You'll also make soda bread using a rubbing in method, which you may already know from scone recipes.
This unit provides an opportunity to bring a number of dishes together and create a delicious and flavoursome meal. You'll learn to make a pistachio cake, an aubergine with bulgar and yogurt, and a tomato relish with yogurt flatbreads.
ou'll learn to cook lamb rumps with salsa verde and ratatouille. You'll also use a slow-cook method to cook pork cheeks served with pommes purée and an apple compote.
Stir up a delicious poached pear recipe, using the liquor base for a granita, and a pear sorbet.
You'll learn to cook 3 root vegetable dishes: Pommes Anna, butternut squash fondant and potato rosti. You'll use your chef's skills to transform humble ingredients into delicious accompaniments.
This is just an introduction to all the canapés you can do. You'll learn about canapés by making a fish-based canapé with salmon, a Moo Shu pork-based recipe and a vegetarian croquette recipe. We'll also cover menu planning, costing and choosing the right serviceware for a successful canapé event.
Master the techniques for creating a light, twice-baked cheese soufflé and a Seville orange soufflé. Soufflés are known for being difficult, but you should be successful if you apply a few simple rules.
A sauce can be part of a larger dish, or can bring different elements together. Vegetable puree can act as a sauce and provide a different way to present your vegetables. In this unit, you'll learn to make a classic jus, a composite sauce and a butternut squash puree.
Planning and preparation are just as important for a successful dinner party as your technical skills. You'll learn about these aspects and how to prepare a vegan starter, main course and dessert.
Discover how to make Paris Montaigne - an advanced pastry that incorporates craquelin, praline and crème pâtissière.
Learn to make an enriched pasta dough and gnocchi. You'll serve the pasta with truffle oil and parmesan, while the gnocchi will be served with summer vegetables and a sage butter sauce.
Have fun with making some jam filled doughnuts with a rich rapsberry jam. These recipes require two days to make, so plan in that extra time carefully.
When you start your assessment, all other units will be locked and can only be unlocked after you have submitted all required uploads.
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.
If you would like a taster of the step-by-step online video format, we recommend you try the free taster session for Unit 1, Session 2: Knife Skills: Stir Fry using the link above. This session is representative of the way in which you will complete cooking sessions on the course.
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!
There’s no need to worry if you have a holiday booked or have to miss a week or two during the course. You’ll have access to your course dashboard for a total of 12 months from your start date, and so you’ll have plenty of time to catch up if you need to.
This course can directly award you with a Certificate of Completion, but it is also possible to earn the full Leiths-accredited Certificate with the skills you learn in this course.
At the end of the course, your mentor will review your progress to determine whether you’re ready for a practical two-day exam taking place at the school in London (for over-18s only). This accreditation comes at an additional cost of £635, and provides the same certification as the £3,440 Chef Skills: Evening Course course offered in-person at Leiths School of Food and Wine.
This course is perfect for those who have already completed the Leiths Essential Cooking course, as it will introduce you to a wide range of new recipes and techniques, while recapping some familiar skills to reinforce your learning.
By continuing your learning through structured practice and the development of new cooking concepts, you’ll be able to build up your skillset and reach the next level of your culinary ambitions.
If you have taken the Essential Cooking online course already, you are eligible for a 10% discount on this Chef Skills course. Please get in touch with us via support@workshop.ws to request your unique discount code.
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.
You’ll have access to your course dashboard for a total time of 12 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.
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!
If you have a coupon, you can redeem this when purchasing a course on the checkout to receive your discount.
Please be aware
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.
