Monday 23rd June – Friday 5th September 2025
9:30am – 4pm
This eleven week course is designed for people with a solid knowledge and ability in basic cookery. It’s ideal for those wishing to take their cookery skills to the next level or for competent cooks who wish to have a formal training. As with the beginners’ course, classical cooking techniques are taught via demonstrations and practical cookery sessions. In this course, you cover some of the skills learnt in the beginners’ term in more detail and move on to more advanced techniques. You will have the opportunity to cook on many different cooker types including Aga, Induction and Gas. As well as the practical cookery there will be expert demonstrations and lectures. The course is full time from 9.30 am – 4 pm each day. At the end of the course, there will be a practical and a theory examination. In preparation for this there will be regular short tests.
Areas covered include:
- Soufflés – hot soufflés both savoury and sweet
- French pastries – Puff pastry, Pate Sucree, Pate Frolle, Pate a Pate
- Sauces – Espagnol, Hollandaise, buerre blanc
- Preparation and cooking of shellfish
- Boning meat and poultry
- Meat and game cookery
- Fish preparation and cookery
- Pasta
- Yeast – bread making, enriched doughs and using natural yeasts in sourdough bread
- Preserves
- Canapés
- Petit Fours and working with chocolate
- REHIS Basic Food Hygiene Course
- Developing recipes and recipe writing
- Wine appreciation
- Vegetarian food and special diets
- Healthy eating and nutrition
- The students will plan, cook, serve and cost a lunch to be served in our dining room
- Menu planning – students will prepare a portfolio of menus for different occasions
We have strong links with a number of employment agencies and once the course is completed, will help to prepare you for the job market or offer you advice if you are considering setting up your own business.
Students are required to wear chef’s jackets, trousers, aprons and hats and you will need to buy a set of knives at an extra cost of approximately £250 – £300. To see what some of our ex-students are doing now visit our case studies area of the website.
This course is suitable for adults over the age of 16 only