Leiths Education

Why I Wrote "Let Them Cook" for Teach Secondary As someone deeply invested in food education, I wrote my recent Teach Secondary article to highlight how drastically this subject has changed since the 1980s—and why cooking skills matter more now than ever. The statistics are alarming: nearly a quarter of 10-11 year-olds are obese, ultra-processed foods dominate UK diets, and less than a fifth of secondary schools offer weekly food lessons. This represents what the Academy for Food Sciences aptly calls an "appalling deficit" in children's education. Food education teaches far more than making a roux sauce or jointing a chicken—it develops organization, teamwork, problem-solving, and resilience. Few subjects deliver such positive, tangible outcomes within a single hour. #LetThemCook #FoodEducation #CookingInSchools #LifeSkills #TeachSecondary Practical Solutions I've Seen Work In writing this piece, I wanted to move beyond simply identifying problems. That's why I've shared practical approaches that work even with today's constraints: Simplified equipment kits shared between classrooms Creative use of space with pop-up kitchen areas Well-written, cost-effective recipes using minimal ingredients Collaborative approaches to ensure inclusivity Despite space and budget constraints, effective solutions exist for schools to implement meaningful food education. I invite you to read my full article and join me in advocating for food education that prepares students not just for exams, but for life. Together, we can reverse this worrying decade-long decline in essential culinary skills.

As CEO of Leiths Education, I'm encouraged by the Curriculum and Assessment Review focus areas. Food education directly supports all four priorities: For inclusive standards, cooking naturally accommodates diverse learning styles while equipping all students with essential life skills. Regarding curriculum depth, our experience shows food education effectively integrates with core subjects while developing both practical skills and theoretical understanding. Food education uniquely addresses modern challenges - teaching sustainability, ethical consumption, and nutrition literacy while developing both technological and hands-on skills. Finally, the food industry offers diverse career pathways accessible to students of all backgrounds, with clear progression routes that can particularly benefit disadvantaged learners. I'd welcome the opportunity to contribute Leiths' expertise to ensure food education strengthens this important curriculum reform. #FoodEducation #CurriculumReform #InclusiveLearning #PracticalSkills #CareerPathways #LeithsEducation

The March edition of the Leiths Letter celebrated International Woman’s Day and dove into some of the incredible stories of the inspirational women of Leiths. We spoke to Leiths graduate Sophie Archer; the head chef and podcaster who has struggled with fertility and battled blood cancer but, in doing so, has chosen cooking as her career change from law, finding joy in every day.   ‘I had chemo during Covid and so that was quite intense. But it really did change how I felt about life. I was alive and had my health. It made me just think “right, I’ve got to follow my dreams, now is the time” and so after that I pursued a career in food.   To read Sophie’s story or subscribe to the Leiths Letter, click the link in bio now.   #leiths #leithseducation #internationalwomensday #IWD #chef #lifeafterleiths #leithsalumni #newsletter

In this months edition of the Leiths Letter, we caught up with all-round food teaching legend Yvonne Mackey who has over 35 years’ experience as a food educator. In her role as Head of Food and Nutrition at the Royal Masonic School for Girls, Yvonne champions the Leiths KS5 course. ‘I first heard about the Leiths course around ten years ago when I started teaching at Queen’s College in Taunton. I was looking to introduce a KS5 course to replace the outgoing A-level. I visited Millfield School to see the course in action and really admired the structure of the course and practical nature of it. It was always a course I wanted to introduce. But it wasn’t until years later when I started working at my current school, that I had the opportunity.’ To read more, or to subscribe to our monthly newsletter, click the link in bio. #leiths #leithseducation #leithsinschools #RMS #RMSforgirls

Happy International Women’s Day! To celebrate, this month’s Leiths Letter is diving into the incredible stories of the inspirational women of Leiths: our headteacher Lou on fifteen years spent in professional kitchens; a blood cancer survivor turned chef; a career changer at sixty who hasn’t let redundancy stop her pursuing her Diploma dream and a legendary food educator who’s been in the business for over 35 years. Plus, Culinary Diploma teacher Caz creates a deliciously buttery side dish using Purple Sprouting Broccoli, our ingredients of the month. To subscribe, hit the link in bio.

In February’s edition of The Leiths Letter, we caught up with Don Dobrenski, a teacher and librarian from Canada, who came to Leiths as a Foundation student with a plan to stay if the course felt like the right fit. Now, well into the Intermediate term, we spoke to Dom about his best and worst moments, favourite dems, and how life in a professional kitchen compares to life in the library. To read more and subscribe to our monthly newsletter, The Leiths Letter, click the link in bio now.

Last week, we hosted our annual Careers Day at Leiths—a fantastic networking event for our Culinary Diploma and Evening Essentials students as they start to think about life after Leiths. The day kicked off with a live panel discussion hosted by the head of Leiths List, Sarah Keane, featuring some of our alumni: Romany Henry, Sophie Archer, Jess Filbey, Charlotte Harris, Auggie Lopes. Following this, there was a live demonstration and talk from BOSH!TV and Craig Morrison — Leiths alumni and head chef at Bosh — who made the viral Bosh beetroot hummus and crispy potato dish, as well as a ‘chicken’ Caesar salad for the students to try. We also invited a number of alumni from across the industry to our ‘Alumni Room’, where students could chat to groups of alumni with careers in restaurants, food media, private cheffing, and recipe development. Thank you as well to our professionals: Rahel Seghers, executive and careers coach; Chris Barber, food business consultant; and Michelle Abraham and Ankush Shah, insurance consultants, who also attended. Finally, we were delighted to welcome a range of businesses from across the food industry to our ‘Room of Opportunities’, showcasing the many exciting career paths available within the industry: City Harvest, Corinthia Hotel Group, DISHPATCH, Dudu Chili Oil, Egg Soldiers, Firmdale Hotels, Lord’s Cricket Ground, Social Pantry, The Wolseley, Woodhead Restaurant Group and Harts Group. A huge thank you to all our guests for taking the time to attend Careers Day. It is hugely inspiring and invaluable for our students! #leiths #leithseducation #careersday #hospitality #careersinfood

February 2025 marked an extraordinary milestone in British education. As CEO of Leiths, I had the privilege of launching our groundbreaking Level 7 Advanced Certificate of Professional Development in Food Education - the first of its kind nationally - delivered through our pioneering partnership between the University of Roehampton and Leiths Education. The energy in the room was palpable as I stood before our inaugural cohort of trainee educators. Their passion for advancing food education mirrors our own mission, and having the opportunity to lead part of the day's training made the experience even more meaningful. We were honoured to have @Louise Davis from the The Food Teachers Centre Teachers Centre join us as a guest speaker. Her compelling presentation on the food teaching community and its extensive support network deeply resonated with our trainees, perfectly illustrating why this innovative qualification is so crucial for the future of food education. What sets our program apart is its innovative fusion of academic rigor and practical expertise. The launch session exemplified this approach as we seamlessly transitioned between pedagogical theory and hands-on application. Our comprehensive program includes: ·        Ten specialist skills days that bridge educational theory with practical application, ensuring our trainees develop both classroom expertise and culinary proficiency ·        Access to our cutting-edge online platform featuring 30 essential recipes, carefully curated to build fundamental teaching skills ·        Full integration with Roehampton's virtual learning environment, offering robust academic support and resources This launch day was just the beginning of what promises to be a transformative journey - not only for our trainees but for the entire landscape of food education in British schools. I left feeling incredibly energized and more convinced than ever of this program's vital importance. For more details: https://lnkd.in/d_mbumeV #FoodEducation #CulinaryEducation #TeacherTraining #ProfessionalDevelopment #LeithsEducation #Level7Qualification

In this months edition of The Leiths Letter, we spoke to 2021 Culinary Diploma graduate Craig Morrison, who we are excited to welcome back to Leiths tomorrow for our annual Careers Day! Craig’s first job after graduation was at Marley Spoon, HelloFresh’s biggest competitor in Australia. ‘It was recipe development with a little bit of product work. Now back in the UK, Craig is working at BOSH! TV, the biggest plant-based online recipe channel in the world. He explains his role: ‘It’s twice a week that we film and then there’s videographers and editors, I’m kind of the “hands and pans” person.’ The Leiths training, he says, has proven invaluable.  To read more https://lnkd.in/gyNs8pDd To sign up to The Leiths Letter, our monthly newsletter, click the link in bio.

Are you passionate about culinary education and ready to shape the next generation of cooking talent? Leiths Education, one of the UK’s most prestigious culinary institutions, is seeking an experienced food industry professional to join our dynamic teaching team!   As part of our dedicated faculty, you'll have the opportunity to share your expertise with aspiring chefs in both hands-on practical classes and engaging demonstrations. Working with small groups of up to 16 students, you'll help cultivate their skills and confidence in the kitchen while maintaining the high standards that Leiths is known for.   This full-time position offers a blend of teaching, demonstration, and collaborative work with our passionate team of culinary professionals. If you think you’ll thrive in a fast-paced educational environment and are excited about nurturing culinary talent, we want to hear from you!   Located in our London campus, this role combines the excitement of practical cooking instruction with the satisfaction of seeing students progress from basic skills to accomplished cooking techniques. Whether you're leading a demonstration, assisting fellow teachers, or helping to develop our curriculum, every day brings new opportunities to make a difference in our students' culinary journey. Closing date for applications is 21st February 2025. Full job description and details on how to apply can be found here: https://lnkd.in/esa_t-iB