One Month Introductory Certificate in Practical Cookery at Edinburgh New Town Cookery School
Transform your passion for cooking into real, practical skills with our fast-paced and fully immersive One Month Introductory Certificate in Practical Cookery. This intensive four-week course places you in the kitchen from day one, cooking hands-on and learning through focused demonstrations, expert tuition and special interest talks. Designed to build a solid foundation in essential cookery techniques, it offers a structured and inspiring professional environment in which to learn.
More than just a course, this programme is a gateway to a vibrant global industry. Whether you dream of cooking in exclusive lodges and chalets, catering elegant private dinners or working in cafés, restaurants or catering companies, you’ll gain the skills and confidence to take your next step. Located in the heart of Edinburgh – a dynamic culinary hub surrounded by world-class ingredients and a thriving restaurant scene – you’ll also gain insight into sustainability, local sourcing and the wide range of career pathways available within the food world.
Training takes place in our light, spacious city-centre kitchen where you’ll master core culinary techniques across pastry, bread-making, meat, fish, sauces and desserts. The course also includes basic nutrition and cooking for special diets, including plant-based, gluten-free and dairy-free approaches. All students complete the REHIS Elementary Food Hygiene Certificate (Level 2) and Allergen Awareness certification, and the course concludes with both a practical cookery assessment and a written theory exam to evaluate your progress and achievement.
Find out more about the curriculum in our FAQs
Who is this course for?
This four-week intensive programme is designed for people who are hungry for hands-on learning and real-world opportunities. Whether you’re exploring the idea of a culinary career or simply want to level up your skills fast, this programme gives you the confidence to cook to a professional standard – no previous experience required.
Our students are curious, ambitious and ready to get stuck in. Many take this course as a launchpad into paid work in kitchens, private homes and seasonal hospitality roles. Others use it as a transformative personal investment – a month dedicated to learning a skill that will stay with them for life.
Those who join us might be:
• Heading to university and want a flexible, employable skill that can fund your lifestyle during term time and holidays.
• A career changer ready to explore the food world – whether that means private cheffing, events, catering or launching your own food concept.
• Future food-industry talent, ready to break into a sector full of energy, innovation and possibility.
At Edinburgh New Town Cookery School, it is not just what you learn – it is the space you learn in and how we teach you that sets us apart. Our school is in a beautiful, historic five-storey Georgian townhouse in Edinburgh’s New Town. The kitchens are bright, spacious and purpose-designed for professional training. Edinburgh is one of the UK’s most exciting food cities, home to vibrant markets, innovative food businesses and many Michelin-starred restaurants. You will be surrounded by food culture, creativity and opportunity.
We are fortunate to be based in a beautiful, historic five-storey Georgian townhouse in the centre of Edinburgh’s New Town. Our teaching kitchens are bright, airy and spacious . Edinburgh itself is one of the UK’s most exciting food cities—home to vibrant markets, innovative food businesses and no fewer than seven Michelin-starred restaurants. You will be learning in an environment surrounded by food culture, creativity, and opportunity.
Our teachers bring experience from across the food world – fine dining, patisserie, artisan baking, food styling, recipe development and more. They are genuinely invested in your success, and students consistently praise their dedication, warmth and expertise.
Students are in the kitchen every day – practising, refining and building confidence through repetition and personal feedback. Training includes demonstrations in our professionally equipped demonstration kitchen before students recreate the dishes themselves with guidance from tutors.
We foster a calm, supportive atmosphere that encourages growth. Students often say our school feels like a second home – a place to feel confident, supported and challenged while forming lifelong friendships.
Don’t just take our word for it! We are so proud of our graduates. Alumni from our professional courses have gone on to:
- Business owner – restaurants, bakeries, food trucks, cafes
- Private chef
- Recipe development and food styling
- Cookery book author
- TV work
- Food influencer
- Government food policy or strategy
- Food sustainability expert.
- Seasonal work in chalets and villas
- Catering company chef
- Hotel chef
- Product development
- Teaching
- Food PR
STILL GOT QUESTIONS? read our FAQs.
Course Duration:
1 month full-time
Teaching Times:
Monday to Friday,
9:30am– 4pm
Assessment:
Continuous practical assessment
with a 3 hour practical test
and short theory test
Course dates:
Mon 16th June 2025
Mon 21st July 2025
Mon 1st September 2025
Price:
£3,200 – £3,400
Secure your place now with a deposit: £320-£340
We know this is a big decision, so lets talk about it.
| Course Date | Course Title | Price | Availability | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Mon 15th June 2026 | One Month Practical Cookery Course | £3,750.00 | Places Available | |
 | Mon 20th July 2026 | One Month Practical Cookery Course | £3,750.00 | Places Available | |
| Mon 31st August 2026 | One Month Practical Cookery Course | £3,750.00 | Places Available | |
| Mon 5th January 2026 | One Month Practical Cookery Course | £3,750.00 | Places Available | |
Our past students and their success stories.
“I attended ENTCS for one month. The course was great fun and I would recommend it to anyone. The group bonded early on and we worked and played hard!
I was surprised at how exhausting the course was and how much there was to learn – it’s not easy! But the teachers were good fun and patient with us.
Towards the end of the course ENTCS introduced us to some Cooking Recruitment Agents and I have been able to get some holiday jobs through them. The course gave me the confidence to apply for jobs knowing that I can produce some good meals and look after people. There is masses more to learn and I think cooking is something that you need to keep practising but my beginners one month course gave me good foundations to build on.”
Hattie,
One month course graduate