People who attended culinary schools are seen as broke and unprepared for jobs. Regardless of that, the enrollment in culinary schools in London keeps going up.
Cooking schools can be really expensive, though worth it, I’d advise anyone who has a good head on their shoulder to buy a good book, read it and understand the fundamentals of the art of culinary.
Culinary schools are therefore just a good way for individuals with no experience to get their foot in the door. However, it is not a prerequisite to becoming a chef.
I tell new cooks to work in the field before they attend culinary school so they can see if they have a passion for cooking.
In general, there are opportunities for graduates in every sector of the job market. From event catering, kitchen management, hospitality, nutrition consulting etc.
Read on to see the list of the best Culinary schools in London.
Culinary Schools in London
The list below comprises culinary schools in London, culinary schools in London for international students, culinary schools in east London, and culinary arts schools in London.
- Le Cordon Bleu – London
- Leith’s School of Food and Wine
- Cookery School at Little Portland Street
- Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons
- Chef Academy of London
- Waitrose Cookery School
- La Cucina Caldesi
- Cactus Kitchens
- Divertimenti Cookery School
- Royal Academy of Culinary Arts
Le Cordon Bleu – London
15 Bloomsbury Square, London, WC1A 2LS
+44 (0)20 7400 3900
lcblondon.com
Cost: From £175 for a workshop to £28,465 for the prestigious 9-month Grand Diplôme and £550 for food photography styling.
The King of all culinary arts schools is right at home, on campus in London. they are known for delivering comprehensive and renowned education which is rich in Classical culinary techniques and cuisine.
Students in this culinary school go through intensively focused programs that cover all the culinary bases.
The highly coveted Le Grand Diplome Cordon Bleu is earned by students who complete each of the school’s study tracks, Cuisine and Patisserie, entirely.
Each discipline you choose is broken into 11-week courses that are at the basic, intermediate and superior studies in any of the disciplines. Completing all three levels of study, in both areas, comprises the master degree known as Le Grand Diplome
Students will spend about 18 hours each week on each cuisine portion of the program and then about 15 hours devoted to patisserie. They have state-of-the-art bakeries and kitchens.
Students are equally taught hospitality, management and gastronomy. This culinary school is one of the culinary schools in London that is recognized internationally for its over 100 years of excellence.
Below are some of their courses:
- 10-day Bakery Course
- Cake Decoration Program
- Wine Master Classes
- Summer Cooking Courses
- Food Photography & Styling
- Le Petit Cordon Bleu
Leith’s School of Food and Wine
One day workshops: £150 – £195 with the most expensive around £565.
Evening, weekend and 1-3 weeks courses: £150 – £195
2-week courses: £1600
1 Week courses: £685 – £820.
Cost in general: From £95 for a day workshop to £21,265 for a 3-term professional diploma.
16-20 Wendell Road, London, W12 9RT
+44 (0)20 8749 6400
leiths.com
This is one of the culinary schools in London that was founded in the year 1975. They offer professional courses ranging from 1 to 3 terms, or courses for enthusiastic home cooks or amateurs.
This London-based school specializes in degree programs for professionals and classes for serious cooking enthusiasts.
A Professional Diploma earned from Leith’s is a respected credential within the culinary industry and equally one that advances career chef agendas.
Their programs utilize dynamic instructional methods, which includes master chef demos, field trips to food markets and fine restaurants, and hands-on internships that reinforce campus learning and train students to become professionals.
Three certificates are earned on the way toward a coveted Leith’s Diploma. The Foundations Certificate builds knowledge in technical fundamentals like knife skills and classical cooking styles.
The Intermediate Certificate focuses on classic recipes, soufflés, game and fish, and pastry proficiency.
The advanced Certificate candidates are tasked with perfecting complex dishes and sophisticated sauces.
Advanced pastry and spun-sugar work is another phase of advanced certificate studies, as well as expanded wine studies, menu planning, inventory and cost control and entrepreneurial budgeting all planned to make students graduate as professionals in the industry.
Throughout your full-time education at Leith’s, you’ll be dispatched for internships and catering work, as well as fact-finding missions to the Billingsgate Fish and Smithfield Meat Markets.
Cookery School
15b Little Portland Street, London, W1W 8BW
+44 (0)20 7631 4590
cookeryschool.co.uk
Cost: From £115 for a half-day class to £5,900 for a “Cook’s Certificate in Food & Wine” course.
At Little Portland Street –Chef education comes in many forms, and this unique little school qualifies as an alternative learning method for domestic cooks and experienced pros. This is one of the culinary schools in London that is for everyone.
Rosalind Rathouse founded the school with 40 years of culinary teaching experience behind her.
As a result, it is one of the niche culinary schools in London that conveys recipes and techniques in an accessible way for pupils from various cooking backgrounds.
Straightforward instruction in ‘pure’ cuisine, unadulterated by the ‘fusion’ of eclectic food influences, imparts a fundamental understanding of traditional cooking. In the year 2014, they won the award as the “Most Sustainable Culinary school”.
Sustainability and responsible practices are emphasized as a curriculum component that embraces organic and other environmentally sound food production methods.
Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons
Church Road, Great Milton, Oxford, OX44 7PD
+44 (0)1844 278 881
Cost: From £185 for a half-day session to £1,775 for 5 days.
Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons is one of the best cookery schools in London that is surrounded by manicured lawns, orchards and flower beds.
This is one of the culinary schools in London that is set in a typical idyllic English countryside setting.
This culinary school caters for beginners and have experienced instructors. This is equally one of the culinary schools in the world that offers the students the chance to learn in the kitchens of a restaurant with 2 Michelin stars.
They offer different kinds of classes, ranging from half-day classes, evening classes as well as 5-day courses.
The one thing that is guaranteed at Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons cooking school is that you will have loads of fun during your course, walking away with the enthusiasm to replicate the dishes and impress your family and friends.
Chef Academy of London
57-61 Mortimer Street, London, W1W 8HS
+44 (0)203 290 7201
chefacademyoflondon.com
Advanced Professional Chef Course (550 hours): Fees: £ 13650
Professional Chef Course (325 Hours): Fees: £ 8600
Halal Advanced Professional Chef Course (550 Hours): Fees: £ 13650
Kosher Professional Chef Course (400 Hours): Fees: £ 15700
This is one of the catering schools in London that gives students the opportunity to learn from industry experts while teaching them the main cooking techniques and the meaning of what it is like to be a chef.
It is one of the prestigious schools that originated in Italy. Graduating at Chef Academy will give you access to the professional world of cooking. This school is also internationally recognized by ASIC (Accreditation Service for International Colleges.
They are among the culinary schools in London that are known for their popular hospitality management courses and advanced food science.
Waitrose Cookery School
199 Finchley Road, Goldhurst Terrace, London, NW3 6NN
+44 (0)207 372 6108
waitrose.com/home/inspiration/waitrose_cookeryschool
Cost: From £50 for a 2-hour evening class to £180 for a full-day course.
This is one of the culinary schools in London that offers a selection of full-day, half-day and evening courses.
During the all-day courses, students spend the morning preparing the recipes and then eat for lunch what they made during the morning.
The afternoon is spent with demos allowing students to get involved hands-on.
Gift certificates are available to give to friends and family, and the school has also recently opened their Salisbury school in Wiltshire.
They equally offer a full range of online food and drink experiences that are hosted by Waitrose cookery school experts.
La Cucina Caldesi
4 Cross Keys Close, London, W1U 2DG
+44 (0)207 487 0750/6/8
caldesi.com
Cost: From £40 for an evening class to £180 for a day class.
La Cucina Caldesi is one of the best culinary schools in London. It is an Italian cookery school that is located in central London. They offer lessons in Italian cuisine.
Cooking classes and wine tasting is taught by visiting celebrity chefs, food writers and wine experts, as well as by experienced staff employed by La Cucina Caldesi.
They are one of the culinary schools in London that have been in business for over 20 years and are open 7 days a week and have since been running their 2 restaurants, the cookery schools and have written over 15 cookbooks.
The classes cater to children and adults at all skill levels. You can choose an evening, full-day or weekend class, and you can also buy vouchers, which are valid for 1 year from the date of purchase
Cactus Kitchens
1 St Luke’s Avenue, London, SW4 7LG
+44 (0)20 7091 4800
cactuskitchens.co.uk
Cost: From £149 for the “knife skills” class, £249 for a “stocks & sauces” course, to £750 for the Michel Roux & Monica Galetti Experience.
This is one of the top culinary schools in London that offer a luxurious place in which students can spend quality time learning and cooking.
Cactus Kitchens is located on the site of Cactus TV’s media complex in central London. A group of old buildings, including a chapel and vicarage dating back to 1834, have been renovated and adapted to house the Cactus Kitchen’s cooking school, which sits in the eaves of the chapel.
Cactus Kitchens is a unique venue space available for cookery classes, pop-ups, PR events and corporate incentive days.
As the home of the award-winning Michel Roux Jr Cookery School, enjoy fun-filled and expertly taught full and half-day classes and entertaining cooking experiences with top chefs.
Our friendly teaching kitchen sits above the studio where BBC One’s Saturday Kitchen is recorded live each week.
Divertimenti Cookery School
227-229 Brompton Road, London, SW3 2EP
+44 (0)207 581 2764
divertimenti.co.uk
Cost: From £65 to £120
This is one of the famous culinary schools in London where you learn culinary arts. They have the best selection of equipment, cookware and electricals which are used in their classes to drive down knowledge into students.
Their kitchen itself is extremely versatile, and accommodate everything from group cookery classes to intimate chef’s tables.
They have the best built-in appliances – including ovens, gas and induction hobs, dishwashers, fridges, freezers and the much-coveted warming drawers. They offer the following types of classes:
Demonstration Classes
Hands-On Classes
Knife Skills Hands-On Masterclasses
The Chef’s Table
The Cooking with Confidence & Intensive Skills Courses
Gastro Tours
Royal Academy of Culinary Arts
Royal Academy of Culinary Arts 53 Cavendish Road London SW12 0BL
020 8673 6300
info@royalacademyofculinaryarts.org.uk
This is one of the culinary schools in London that was founded in the year 1980 and has over the years provided groundbreaking education and training programmes that is aimed at securing the future of the hospitality industry.
The Academy’s inspiring education and training initiatives are aimed at all ages and stages of development from school children to established hospitality professionals.
Frequently Asked Questions
How hard is it to become a chef?
Choosing your career path can feel quite daunting, especially when you’re looking at a career that requires years of investment to progress successfully.
Being a chef requires years of work experience and hard work in order to get far because it’s such a competitive industry.
However being a chef is not hard, you just need to read more books and do more cooking or probably work with professionals in the industry to succeed.
How long is culinary school?
Culinary and cooking school sometimes can take anywhere from a few short months to four years, depending on the chosen length of culinary school.
There are different options you can choose when you enrol, and there are several factors that can affect the length of your studies.
For instance, professional culinary training can take 2 to 4 years. There are equally one-day courses, courses that are covered in weeks or even months. It all depends on the course you chose and the institution.
What jobs can you do with a culinary degree?
Below are Career opportunities for Culinary Arts graduates:
- Chef.
- Research Chef.
- Baker or Pastry Chef.
- Restaurant Manager.
- Service Staff.
- Beverage Professionals.
- Nutritionist.
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In Conclusion:
Successful chefs are known to make a good living but unfortunately, no chef has made it to the Forbes highest-paid list. Most times it is a job about passion. If you find joy in cooking and spending time preparing cuisines, then culinary schools in London are for you. All the best!!