COURSES

Leiths Basic Certificate in Food & Wine
Overview
Leiths Basic Certificate in Food and Wine is a
professional cookery course which is recognised by
the food industry. The course was established by
Leiths School of Food and Wine, one of the most
prestigious and respected cookery schools in the
country.
The certificate is a must if you have a passion for
cookery, or would like to utilise it in a vocational
route after school. Pupils have previously used this
certificate to access work during ski seasons and
have gone on to take further courses at Leiths
School of Food and Wine in London, opting to
become professional chefs.
Approach
The course has been specifically designed to teach
the basic skills necessary to become a confident,
capable and efficient cook. It gives you a thorough
introduction to kitchen techniques and most styles
of cooking. You will become proficient in family and
party cooking, learn to understand recipes, plan time
efficiently and cook with relaxed confidence. As such
it is possible to undertake this course with little or
no previous experience. However a good level of
practical skill and nutritional knowledge will help you.
As a compulsory part of the course you will also
undertake the Chartered Institute of Environmental
Health Certificate in Food Safety in Catering (level 2).
This is a very useful food hygiene certificate that is
recognised in the food industry.
At the end of the course you should be able to
cook interesting lunch and dinner menus with
competence.
Course outline
The course lasts for five terms and is designed to
enable you to quickly develop a range of basic
cookery skills and to build upon these, so that you
are able to produce more complex dishes and work
independently.
During both the Lower and Upper Sixth you will be
visited by chefs from the Leiths School, who work
with you during the practical lessons and carry out
demonstrations.
Each week you undertake a structured practical
session and produce a time plan, which enables you to
plan your practical work efficiently. The presentation
of your work is paramount and you are encouraged
to utilise flair and creativity to serve food of a
good quality.
The dishes you will prepare are interesting and varied
with an increasing degree of skill required. There is a
balance between classical methods and modern
recipes. You will learn the skills needed for meat
preparation, cooking and carving, fish preparation,
vegetable preparation, stocks and sauces, the use of
gelatine, pastry, meringues, ice creams, sweet sauces,
cakes, scones and buns.
Throughout the course talks will be given on produce
buying, storage, freezing, low fat cooking and menu
planning.
A Master of Wine will also give you a 2 hour
‘wine with food’ talk, involving tasting carefully
selected wines.
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Millfield Sixth Form Courses 2014-2015