Your cooking journey starts here.

Learn to cook familiar family staples, international favourites, and gain confidence in the kitchen with this 8-week Absolute Beginners Online Cooking Course.

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★★★★★

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

Kickstart Your Journey to Becoming a Confident Home Cook

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!

Earn a Leiths-approved Certificate of Completion

When you finish the course, you’ll be awarded a Leiths-approved Certificate of Completion, acknowledging your growth as a chef.

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Learn from the Finest Teachers in Your Own Home

Learn a vast variety of professional cooking skills, techniques and practices from the world-renowned Leiths School of Food and Wine

Access your step-by-step, video guided cooking sessions anywhere on mobile, tablet or on the web

Learn alongside a class of likeminded aspiring cooks and receive real feedback on your cooking sessions from your dedicated class mentor

Absolute Beginners Cooking: 8-Week Online Course

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:

  • 8 units, unlocked weekly, guiding you through ~3 hours of cooking time each week
  • 16 individual cooking sessions
  • Expert guidance and one-to-one support from your class mentor
  • Collaborative group chat with your own private class and mentor
  • Feedback on your dishes from your class and mentor via a private in-app feed of photo uploads
  • A final assessment to earn your course Certificate of Completion

In addition to the core aspects of the course, you will also get:

  • Downloadable Leiths recipes and theory notes for you to keep
  • Access to all video sessions for an additional 6 months after your assessment
  • The opportunity to progress onto the Leiths Essential Cooking Online Course and Certificate

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.

Our expert Leiths teachers will guide you through some essential kitchen basics. They will show you the key kitchen equipment you’ll be using on the course.

The course has been designed so you will learn how to cook complete meals such as a harissa marinated salmon dish with couscous and a Sunday lunch favourite – roast chicken with all the trimmings.

You’ll start by learning how to cook eggs and rustle up a simple soup and build your skills from there. You’ll learn how to cook steak, make a curry from scratch, make, bake and freeze mac and cheese – add to this soy glazed sticky chicken drumsticks with a fresh vibrant slaw and a smoky chilli with jalapeno cornbread – and crucially you’ll be cooking alongside one of our most experienced Leiths teachers!

For those of you with a sweet tooth there are a range of simple but delicious desserts, you’ll make a fruit cobbler, indulgent chocolate chip cookies, an orange infused egg custard, lemon and ginger possets and deceptively simple poached plum dessert and pistachio dessert.

Our hope is that this course will ignite your passion for cookery and make you hungry to spend more time in the kitchen.

What Our Students Say

This course is brand new, and so our first classes are still making their way through. In the meantime, take a look at what students are saying about our other courses to give you a flavour of what’s to come…

Leiths School of Food and Wine, on Workshop

Leiths School of Food and Wine has been equipping aspiring cooks with the skills to flourish in the food world since 1975.

With a philosophy grounded in teaching the individual within a close and collaborative community, they have put immense efforts into ensuring that their online course reflects their core values.

With Workshop’s unique learning experience, they are now able to teach hands-on cooking skills to people in their own homes, providing in-depth feedback and a close community network just as they do at their school in London.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to complete sessions at specific times?
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!
What if I miss a week?
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.
How will I interact with my class?
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.
Can I try before I buy?
If you would like a taster of the step-by-step online video format, we recommend you try the Leiths workshop “Mastering Sauces: Hollandaise”, which you can accessfor £9.99 here. This simple workshop is representative of the way in which you will complete cooking sessions on the course.
How much contact will I get with my mentor?
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.
When will I get to meet my class?
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!
What is the typical workload per week of the course?
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.
Will I get a list of all the cooking equipment I’ll need for the course ahead of time?
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!
What is your cancellation policy?
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.
How long will I have access to the course?

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.

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We also offer group discounts. Please speak to a member of our team if you're interested in learning more.

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