Certificate in Basic Cookery Skills
Course Overview
The Certificate in Basic Cookery Skills is a 3 to 6-month UK Level 3 introductory qualification aligned with Craft Guild of Chefs and City & Guilds cookery competency themes. It is the first-entry route into LSCAHM's kitchen pathway for new entrants, career changers and international applicants stepping into professional cookery for the first time.
By graduation, students can work a service section under supervision, run mise en place to a written brief, hold their own on knife skills and cook the classical techniques a commis or kitchen porter is expected to deliver on shift.
Key Features
- Level 3 introductory syllabus benchmarked to Craft Guild of Chefs entry standards and City & Guilds cookery competencies.
- Weekly practical sessions in the LSCAHM teaching kitchen or partner kitchens.
- Structured knife skills, mise en place and classical technique labs.
- Introductory food safety, allergens and HACCP awareness to UK expectations.
- Named programme tutor drawn from senior kitchen practice.
- Clear articulation into the LSCAHM Diploma in Professional Cookery and Diploma in Culinary Arts.
What You Will Learn
- Handle chef knives safely and produce the core classical cuts.
- Set up a section for service with structured mise en place discipline.
- Execute boiling, poaching, roasting, grilling, sauteing and braising techniques.
- Produce mother sauces, jus and simple emulsions.
- Bake bread, pastry and simple desserts to service standard.
- Follow allergen, food safety and personal hygiene rules to UK expectations.
- Read a written recipe brief and portion accurately.
- Communicate on a service line using classical kitchen language.
Who This Course Is For
- Career changers stepping into professional kitchens for the first time.
- School leavers preparing for a Diploma in Professional Cookery.
- International applicants building UK-recognised entry-level cookery credentials.
- Aspiring private chefs and food entrepreneurs learning core technique.
Career Pathways
- Commis Chef
- Kitchen Porter (progression track)
- Junior Baker
- Private Chef (entry level)
- Kitchen Assistant
- Kitchen Runner
The LSCAHM careers service supports Certificate cookery students with CV clinics, kitchen trial preparation and introductions to London hotels, restaurant groups and event caterers recruiting into commis and kitchen porter progression tracks.
Entry Requirements
- GCSE English at grade 4/C or equivalent; open access for mature applicants at admissions review.
- No prior study of cookery required; Certificate courses are designed as first-entry routes.
- IELTS 5.5 overall (no band below 5.0) for non-native English speakers, or equivalent.
- A short personal statement of 250 words describing your interest in professional cookery.
- International applicants supported through visa, accommodation and English-language guidance.
Why Study at LSCAHM
The London School of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management is a specialist division of Harold International College of London teaching in small, tutor-visible cohorts. LSCAHM reads culinary arts, hospitality management, tourism, events and food business as interlocking disciplines, so cookery is taught alongside service, cost and guest experience context.
Central London places Michelin-starred kitchens, the Craft Guild of Chefs and the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts within a short tube ride of every classroom, and three parallel study modes let progressors and international applicants complete the Certificate without leaving current work.
Apply for Certificate in Basic Cookery Skills
Start with a UK Level 3 Certificate at LSCAHM. Rolling intakes run through the year, early applications receive the widest choice of tutors and elective modules, and admissions responds within one working day. Enrol Now
