@Shelovescake

Founder of Rosey's Village Table, Leith's Diploma Student, small-event catering, cakes, desserts and nibbles for every occasion, recipes and dinner party ideas

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May 2026
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  • Leith’s Culinary Diploma: week 5

    Having settled into something of a rhythm, I was struck by a deep sense of gratitude this week. How changed my life is now from my Bank of England days. At lunchtime on Wednesday, having cooked and eaten a delicious sirloin steak with parsley butter, I went for a walk in the sunshine. The contrast from a rushed box of Itsu at my desk whilst responding to emails and preparing for my next several meetings, couldn’t be more striking. The chance to pause, to learn and grow; and have the time and space to do so is a gift.

    On Monday, we channeled our inner Jenny Chandler having been inspired by her energy and drive at the end of week 4. Paired with the lovely Kate Madden, we smashed the Greek butter bean with feta recipe, creating a sweet yet deeply umami sauce to ooze into the velvety plump beans. We also each produced a lacy, crispy-edged Farinata, which made a delicious light lunch dressed with rocket, parmesan, black pepper and a good dousing of extra virgin.

    Tuesday brought the drama of our second formal assessment. The drama coming mostly from the requirement to make mayonnaise by hand. That is, not in a machine, but by hand with a sauce whisk. NEVER AGAIN! After a successful and swift plaice filleting and skinning, the mayonnaise took me a good 40 minutes. So determined was I that it wouldn’t split, I took it painstakingly slowly. I knew that if it did split there was a high probability I would walk out and not come back. Thankfully my patience paid off. I managed to serve my crisp and golden plaice goujons with a piquant tartare sauce (daughter sauce of the mayonnaise) with a neatly prepped lemon wedge with just 2 minutes to spare of the allotted 20 minute service window.

    The afternoon was considerably less pressured. Ryan showed us how to cook tender cuts of meat: steak, pork chops and lamb rump. We really do get fed very well in these dems! The steak came with a chimichurri sauce and a side of fries; the pork with a cider, tarragon and cream sauce; and the lamb with a sharp and salty salsa verde.

    Wednesday was a glorious day. In the morning we tackled steak. First taking a piece through the gradations of cooking from blue to medium. And then preparing a piece of sirloin, rendering the fat, cooking to medium rare and finishing with slices of parsley butter. What a fabulous lunch (for me and my youngest daughter who had it the following day at school)! Pudding was even better. The afternoon dem took us through each of the components for chocolate choux buns. The finale of which was a production line for our own delectable consumption: filling a crisp choux bun with creme diplomat, icing with molten chocolate and sprinkling with glistening almond praline. Most of us couldn’t resist a second!

    The sense of gratitude continued on Thursday. We filled a previously prepared shortcrust pastry case with a rich and unctuous leek and gruyere egg custard. The dressing for our accompanying salad was chef’s choice for which I created a lemon, honey and mustard mix to cut through the creaminess of the tart (forgot to take photos before it went into tuppaware). Having enjoyed a considerable wedge of that tart for lunch, the afternoon dem negated all requirement for dinner. We were cooked for by Marvin Jones, Executive Chef of El Pastor restaurants. He demonstrated his legendary raw tuna tostados, serving one each with an enormous mountain of the chilli-sesame-soy dressed tuna.

    The final flourish of the week was making our own chocolate choux buns and almond praline. Apparently onlookers said I stopped breathing at the crucial moment for the praline. But this is clearly the key to success as I achieved what Leith’s call an ‘adult’ caramel i.e. one that is bold enough to have some bitter notes alongside the sweet ones. The final construction of the masterpiece was a fitting end to a wonderful week; and a massive crowd pleaser when I returned home to a hungry audience of cleaner, nanny, children and husband. The right question, of course, is who on earth came up with the method for creating choux pastry? Why would you melt butter in water, boil, add flour and egg with the intention of creating a light, crispy vector of deliciousness? One to ponder. In the mean time, and looking ahead to week 6, things are stepping up again with a practice theory paper and our first all day cook. Come back next week to find out how it all went 🙂

  • Leith’s Culinary Diploma: Week 4

    As I come to the end of week four, I feel like I might just be getting into my Leith’s groove 🙂 Of course, I could fall flat on my face in next week’s formal assessment but for now let’s take the positive vibes!

    Brilliant start to the week, and what you’ve no doubt all being on tenterhooks to hear….my chicken thigh was cooked! Indeed, the assessor’s comments were ‘flesh cooked well – nice moisture and well seasoned.’ What a relief!

    I catered for a retreat last Sunday afternoon so welcomed a slightly later start to Monday and a brief canter through some key points about nutrition. We also got to taste some delicious recipes specifically crafted for individuals lacking in or requiring certain nutrients. Not that we’re in deficit, but because it will make a great side dish, I’ll be making one of these (a herbed quinoa) for my brother and family this weekend. Creating the perfect swirl was the name of the game in the afternoon. A decadent chocolate and coffee cream Swiss roll. Light, tiramisu-inspired and very more-ish! Alongside the Swiss roll, we also had our first go (to Leith’s exacting standards) at creme anglais. I was very pleased to hear mine met those standards. And even more pleased to have a quiet Nigella moment snaffling spoonfuls from the fridge when I returned from dinner later that evening!

    I wasn’t looking forward to Tuesday, not being a huge fan of a roast. But it was great fun to produce a full roast in two hours as a dream team of four and then sit down together and eat it. I’ve had the pleasure of being on the same cooking bench with three fabulous women this week (Ellie, Kristen and Sophie). We were rightly proud of our medium rare sirloin, crispy yet fluffy roast potatoes, puffed up Yorkshires, the cheesy umami gratin and a perfectly seasoned gravy that brought the whole masterpiece together. Well done team! To round off the day, we covered short crust pastry with patisserie expert, Lou. Leek & Greyere and walnut and date tarts for the tasting – yum!

    A much needed study day on Wednesday and mid-term catch up with our tutor. I took the opportunity to get ahead for a private catering job on Friday night. Nibbles for a drinks party for 20 mums in Tooting.

    Back into the kitchens on Thursday for a meditative session making our own shortcrust pastry. I have to admit I was nervous for this one. Having made shortcrust, taught by my mum, since I was a child, I was very aware that my methods were not those of a Leith’s professional! And in shocking news, it turns out that it is worth going to culinary school as you do learn some fantastic tips and ways of working that really elevate your ability. I loved the session: it was calming, brought back memories of my mum, and I ended with three neat crisp tart cases which have made four little children happy!

    Friday morning was an absolute treat. Jenny Chandler, Leith’s graduate and author of Pulse, came to talk pulses and grains. She was incredibly engaging and cooked some delicious food which we not only devoured, but made us think differently about the use of pulses in our cooking and diets. I’m already planning to make her Greek butter beans with parsley feta for an upcoming dinner party. And the chickpea farinata is an absolute winner for a quick mid-week supper that doesn’t scrimp on flavour. Friends and family: don’t be surprised to find her book in your Christmas stocking this year!

    Our final session of the week, which left me on a high, was filleting and cooking a flat fish. We were each presented with a whole plaice. I really enjoyed the methodical process of removing the four fillets individually, followed by the skin. Very satisfying! We made a seaweed butter (yes, more butter!), a slice of which we placed on the fillets before grilling. We served them alongside crushed new potatoes with salad onions and extra virgin olive oil. Simple, nutritious, delicious.

    Thoughts of my mum have been with me all week. Both remembering her cooking heydays and her decline as her anniversary approaches. Even a year on, it still feels raw. And I miss her desperately and deeply every day. To be doing this diploma is a wonderful way of channelling the essence of her, and yet the loss of not being able to share it with her is profound.

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  • Leith’s Culinary Diploma: Week 3

    Chicken, chicken and more chicken. I even dreamt about jointing a chicken! Indeed, my brain is so busy trying to make sense and organise all the culinary knowledge and learning that I am dreaming about my days at Leith’s every night. It’s been a physically exhausting week but I end it feeling elated and fizzing with excitement for more learning, more upskilling and definitely more eating next week!

    We expected our first formal assessment to be the pinnacle of week three but that turned out to be one of the least onerous (in terms of time) kitchen sessions. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t without considerable angst and stress but the twice-experienced four hour cooking days were absolutely epic. The written feedback from the formal assessment is still to come but thankfully we were all informed we had passed. This wasn’t assured given, when my chicken thigh returned from service, the inside looked distinctly raw. I could have cried. Or wailed. Stay tuned for next week’s thrilling instalment to discover whether it was cooked or not!

    Jointing a chicken last weekend and again on Monday (with considerably sharper knives) felt new but relatively intuitive. In the formal assessment, it all felt alien and wrong. I didn’t even recognise some parts of the bird. It’s odd what pressure and stress can do! Having made the chicken sumac with fattoush salad twice, chicken supreme with tarragon cream sauce, sriracha butter chicken, and a brown chicken and veal stock, I think we can tick chicken off our foundation skills list. And remove chicken from the Ocado order for at least a few weeks!

    Mid-week saw us prepare a butter heavy side dish of purple-sprouting broccoli with a never-attempted before beurre noisette with caper, anchovy and pine nut. To say we were all on a knife edge making the beurre noisette would be an understatement. Several people went too far and had to re-start. Mine was too salty but I still scoffed the lot for lunch. Chef’s perks 🙂

    A welcome change and sugar injection on Wednesday afternoon. We watched preparation and bake, and devoured, lemon and poppy seed cake; the dampest, most aromatic gingerbread cake; an elegant chocolate and coffee Swiss roll; and cheddar and marmite scones with homemade butter. A well deserved treat! On Thursday, we tackled the lemon cake and scones ourselves. Glorious kitchen session. I’m a big fan of making and eating cheese scones (see my post on cheese scones). The marmite really elevated them to an even deeper umami experience; and the butter flavoured with nutritional yeast to yet another level. Neither lasted the day once delivered back to my family!

    Not done with carbs and sugar, we readied ourselves for crepes Suzette and almond meringue biscuits. This alongside simultaneously finishing our brown chicken and veal stock with a final cook, strain and reduction. The depth and intensity in flavour of the final stock was definitely worth the three day process. It’s now been frozen for use in a few weeks’ time in a carbonnade of beef. The cooking session started well with me initially keeping to my time plan. Somewhere between rolling precisely weighed 15g balls of almond meringue between wet hands and flambé-ing Grand Marnier and brandy in a hot saute pan, it all took on a somewhat less controlled edge. Thankfully the results were delicious!

    For the final Friday flourish, Grace and Mikey (two of the teachers) showcased the very best of roasting to produce an epic and applause-worthy feast. They cooked roast pork with crackling, roast beef, two separate gravies, apple and sage sauce, fresh horseradish cream, roast potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, roast parsnips, roast carrots with caraway seeds, and buttered cabbage. I have to admit I was defeated by the week and could only manage a sample of the carrots from the groaning selection. The rest of the class formed a stampede, embarking on a hearty ‘dunch’ (as my mum used to say).

    Many memories of my mum this week. A great lover and maker of cheese sconces herself. And a daily marmite on toast for breakfast girl. Returning from 11am church on a Sunday to the welcoming aroma of the roast she’d timed to come on filled my senses once again and the memories of ‘grown up’ dinner as a family came flooding back.

    It’s been a physically exhausting week but I end it feeling elated and fizzing with excitement for more learning, more upskilling and definitely more eating next week!

  • Leith’s Culinary diploma: Week 2

    The increasing pace and breadth of the curriculum certainly kept us busy through week two. Between teaching demonstrations and hands-on kitchen sessions, we covered various sauces and batters, hummus and crudités, basic bread dough, veg prep and cooking, jointing and cooking chicken, and making our own white meat stock using chicken carcasses and veal bones.

    There was some respite, of sorts, for the start of week two. A morning completing the Food Allergen Awareness certificate. One of the more engaging online training sessions I’ve completed, which really brought home how crucial it is to take full responsibility for ensuring you are 100% confident that what you are serving or selling someone won’t harm, or in extremis, kill them.

    In the afternoon, we were back in the kitchen focusing on one of the 14 food allergens: eggs! I usually leave the omelette making to my husband having never had much success. Turns out more butter in the pan is the answer (to this and many other culinary dilemmas). As we started cooking, I had a quick word with myself to relax and enjoy it! I produced a very neat, well seasoned classic French omelette with a smart snipping of chives and just the right amount of baveuse. Success! Then on to scrambled eggs. I had thought I was something of a connoisseur here but it turns out that my usual flake size could be compared to what Ryan, our teacher, described as ‘cat food’. Clearly something to aim off if at all possible! Take a look at the pic – I think success here too 🙂

    Our knives finally arrived this week. And sharp is most definitely the word. Or perhaps it is cut, since most of us managed to nick a finger during the course of the week. Blade covers to be purchased this weekend!

    Our first formal assessment looms large in the week ahead, with everyone leaving school on Friday evening ordering chickens-a-plenty to practice jointing over the weekend. A more relaxed peer assessment was experienced on Friday afternoon following an enjoyable kitchen session making pan-cooked pizza using pizzaiola sauce and dough we had prepared earlier in the week, alongside a Green Goddess dressing using the mayonnaise we had whipped up by hand (yes!) using a small sauce whisk. Making mayonnaise by hand felt strangely akin to the practice of simultaneously patting your head and rubbing your tummy i.e. tricky! Whilst whisking the egg yolk, we had to continuously transfer drops of oil from a gastro into the egg, at speed, and without stopping. By the end of the session, I had a very oily bench, and thankfully a tasty, and importantly, not split, mayonnaise. With somewhat tired wrists, we moved swiftly to making a roux and basic white sauce. Quite the arm work-out!

    The pace and breadth of the washing up and kitchen cleaning are also something we are quickly getting to grips with. The steam bath from standing over hot washing up water is, sadly, a far cry from a spa facial.

    My dad was an expert at a classic French salad dressing. I’m not sure he would have been swayed by the idea of Green Goddess, at least not if he was on salad duty. Meanwhile, there were deeply felt memories of my mum this week during the bread demonstration and making. She made bread, by hand, to the same recipe, nearly every week of her adult life. And the image of her doing so is firmly and forever fixed in my mind. I think it’s unlikely she would have been impressed by my Grissini attempt this week, unevenly shaped and baked as they were. Hopefully I can do a better job of scones next week!

  • Leith’s Culinary Diploma: Week 1

    After six months of waiting and anticipating, I finally walked into Leith’s School of Food & Wine on Tuesday to begin my Culinary Diploma adventure.

    Joining our crisp new uniforms in our lockers were three Leith’s aprons and a box of delights…! After a considerable information download on the term ahead from Head of School, Lou Kissane, we opened our boxes with the excitement and delight of Christmas morning. Inside there was a treasure trove of utensils, gadgets and very sharp knives.

    Day two took us into the kitchen for the first time. There was a frisson of excitement and nervousness in the locker room as we changed into our full chef uniforms, discussing hair nets (yuk), varying shoe styles (comfort over style); and the right way to tie the neckerchief (thank you Alix de Mauny). We were eased in gently with a spiced carrot cake muffin recipe. Becoming familiar with the kitchen, appropriate etiquette, and how to clean up after ourselves were the key objectives. Everyone was on their best behaviour. No licking the spoons or bowls like you might (definitely) do at home! In the afternoon, Sarah from Leith’s List Connect (careers service) spoke to us about all the inspiring opportunities for work experience (yes please Saturday Kitchen and a week with Rick Stein in Padstow) she can assist us with. Suffice to say, we all went home buzzing!

    Knife skills was the focus of day three. An Asian inspired salad which took a luxurious two hours to prepare. Never have I spent so long chopping one carrot! We got to grips with julienning, chiffonading, and rolling our chops! Garlic is not to be crushed in a crusher (sacre bleu!) but by using our knife and pressing down with a paddle motion.

    Is it strange to be immensely proud of a bowl of chopped vegetables?! I think that’s probably what gets you through the intense kitchen sessions. Certainly it made for a delicious, and well deserved, lunch whilst chatting to my fellow students and congratulating our efforts. The afternoon was spent in dems (short for demonstrations / teaching sessions): three different types of stock (fish; white chicken and veal; brown chicken and veal) and veg soup with garlic sourdough croutons.

    I make a veg soup about once a fortnight. I’ve never over-thought and second-guessed my actions as much as I did making it in Leith’s kitchens yesterday. I’ve been fat-sweating onions for years (thanks mummy!) but that didn’t stop me getting in a tizz using a cartouche and flapping about keeping the gas flame low but without putting it out. Against the odds, after two hours we each had a silky, sweet and well-seasoned soup, plus some crunchy garlic croutons on the side. We were all exhausted!

    Friday afternoon pepped us up in anticipation of week two: eggs dem with Ryan. Mayonnaise, Turkish poached eggs, egg and bacon salad, shakshuka, and lemon curd. He made it; we ate it!

    What would I say to my mum and dad about this week if they were alive to hear it? To my dear dad, I’d be telling me about all the good quality ingredients and feeding his love of food with detailed descriptions of the dishes we’ve cooked and been shown. To my mum, I’d be thanking her for everything she taught me from her own training as a home economist, which is still relevant and standing me in good stead!

  • Cheese scones

    You should be able to make scones in the time it takes to boil a kettle. This edict, oft cited by my mother, presumably originated from a time of whistling kettles on gas hobs. Still, it is certainly one of the joys of eating a scone that you can desire it, smell it, and have gobbled up at least two in not much more than half an hour!

    Cheese scones in particular create an aroma when baking which instinctively causes my tummy to rumble. Watching them in the oven, they develop from pale dough to burnished, bubbling treasure in just 10 minutes. You can’t feel sad at the sight of a freshly baked scone – they are the epitomy of comfort. Slicing open a warm scone elicits a puff of steam, the aroma of which only increases your desire to consume. A deeply savoury combination of carbohydrate and fat, slathered with cold butter melting immediately into the soft pillow of dough, leaving a glistening, salty moistness.

    The first bite of a well-baked scone feels light. Then transfors to a luxurious, savoury richness filling the mouth and nose. The umami warmth lingering until the next taste.

    Scones are incredibly easy to make. Have a go at the recipe below, experimenting with different types of cheese and accompaniments.

    Cheese Scones – makes 8

    Ingredients

    8oz flour

    2oz butter

    3 oz cheese, grated

    approx. 1/4 pint milk or buttermilk

    Add handful of chopped chives or sage, chopped wild garlic, teaspoon of Marmite; half a grated apple etc

    Method

    Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees (fan) or 220 degrees; butter a large baking sheet.

    In a medium size bowl, rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Shake the bowl and any large bits of butter will come to the surface ensuring you don’t miss any. Stir in 2/3rds of your cheese and any other accompaniments with a knife. Add the milk gradually, stirring with a knife until it starts to come together. You want the mixture to be slightly sticky but not wet. You may not need all the milk.

    Bring the dough together on a lightly flour surface. Knead quickly and gently into a smooth ball. Pat the ball down into a flat disc about 1.5cm high. Use a 5-6cm cutter and transferring the raw scones to your buttered baking sheet. You’ll need to re-knead the off cuts to another smooth ball and pat down as before. Cut again; and re-knead as required to use up all the dough. Top each scones with a good pinch of the remaining grated cheese. If you added wild garlic, sage or chives you could also put a pinch of that on top. Place the tray in a hot oven; set a timer for 10 mins and await your treasure! Once cooked they will be golden brown on top and will sound hollow when you tap their bottoms! Transfer to a cooling rack; eat immediately if you can’t wait for that kettle to boil 🙂