Intensive Cordon Bleu Diploma

Course Summary

The Academy’s 2 term Intensive Cordon Bleu Diploma is a faster paced programme than the 3 term course, but covers the same curriculum and awards the same internationally recognised, comprehensive fast track to a career in food.

The course starts every January, April and September and follows an academic year, with a mid-term break aligned with the usual academic holidays.

Our Intensive Cordon Bleu Diploma course is designed for those who have some previous cookery experience. This could be either professional experience or simply cooking at home. Either way, the course progresses at a faster pace than the three term course, and students are expected to be able to tolerate a more pressured and intensive learning environment. Students are still given the same level of guidance and training as they would on the longer course and we still start with the most basic skills, but the pace and pressure of this course means students must be committed, focussed and able to handle pressure from the beginning*. This course is most popular with those seeking a change of career, university graduates, or people who have previous cookery experience, be it in a professional kitchen or at home. The age range on this course can be anything from 20 to 70 years old!

*Our Intensive Cordon Bleu Diploma is a fast paced course which requires commitment and dedication and for those wanting to get the best out of the course, it requires a certain amount of independent study. If you are unsure as to whether or not this course is more suitable for you than the three term course, we would encourage you to contact us to discuss your options.

Qualifications Gained:

Tante Marie Culinary Academy Cordon Bleu Diploma
An industry recognised professional qualification which sets the standards in global culinary training and has been offered at Tante Marie since 1954.

Level 4 Diploma in Professional Culinary Arts
An internationally accredited qualification created by Tante Marie and qualifications awarding body, The Confederation of Tourism and Hospitality (CTH). This optional qualification is regulated by People First, the Sector Skills Council and Ofqual and carries 96 credits within the government’s Qualifications Credit Framework. This may enable students to gain credit towards any future qualifications they may wish to take, be they at university or colleges around the world.

CIEH Level 2 Award in Food Safety in Catering
1 day course delivered by leading expert and former Environmental Health Officer, Paul Povey.

Wine Certificate
3 day wine course delivered by acclaimed wine writer and 'Master of Wine' John Downes.

What are the career prospects?

Graduates of our Intensive Cordon Bleu Diploma progress into a wide range of exciting careers, usually with a view to running their own successful food businesses, be it immediately upon graduation or after a period of gaining industry experience.

Careers guidance is offered to all students and by utilising our extensive global network of industry contacts, graduates invariably transition to employment immediately upon graduation. Some graduates will take positions in Michelin starred restaurants as Chef de Parties with fast-track progression thereafter, others will establish themselves as successful freelance caterers or open their own restaurants and food businesses. All will enjoy rewarding careers in food.

Many Tante Marie graduates have used the skills and knowledge they have gained on this course to take up non-cooking roles such as food journalism, food photography, food styling, PR, events management, consultancy and recipe development. We have extensive industry contacts and provide careers support to all of our students during and after the course. Click here to see what some of them are doing now.

What will I learn?

For over 60 years, our focus has been on highly skills focussed training. Our recipes are vehicles for learning the skills within, our kitchens are specially designed to promote skills based learning and our staff are not only experienced chefs with a wealth of industry experience, but are also qualified teachers.

This means Tante Marie graduates are versatile and with our Cordon Bleu Diploma and are able to enter any food environment and quickly adapt.

Tante Marie Culinary Academy’s Cordon Bleu Diploma is split into Practical and Theory elements, with a heavy emphasis (approximately 80% of the course) on time spent in the kitchen, cooking.

The course formally covers 12 different categories:

• Stocks, sauces and dressings
• Soups
• Yeast products
• Vegetables and salads
• Meat, poultry and game
• Fish and shellfish
• Farinaceous dishes
• Terrines
• Pastries, desserts and confectionary
• Canapés and cocktails
• Professional kitchen skills and management
• Menu planning

Within each category you will cover an entire spectrum of skills, from the basics such as knife skills to the most advanced professional techniques such as modern cooking techniques.

Each term of our Intensive Cordon Bleu Diploma is run over 11 weeks. Term 1 lays the foundations – a solid base of skills across all areas of cookery – before learning to apply those skills across a full spectrum of advanced classical and contemporary cuisine in preparation for progression into a career. Individual development plans are established as the process of ‘Continuous Assessment’ highlights areas of strength and weakness. A typical course covers the following structure:

Term 1 (Basic and Intermediate):

During this term, students cover essential skills across all areas of cookery with a view to laying a solid foundation of knowledge and skill which will become second nature as the term progresses. As the term progresses, the pace increases and the technical level steps up a gear. Greater pressure is applied to the students, whilst still nurturing learning in a positive and supportive environment.

A typical programme for Term 1 includes: Knife skills; time planning and organisation; food safety; basic and intermediate stocks, sauces, soups and dressings; knife skills; organisation and time management; salads and vegetables; baking and pastry; sugarcraft and piping; fresh pasta; simple to advanced breads; intermediate fish preparation and shellfish; butchery; patisserie; afternoon teas; pastry; roasts; seasonal and festive catering; preserving and curing; culinary terms and conversions; international and regional cuisines; nutrition and special diets; cakes and pastries; farinaceous; game; terrines; chocolate tempering; 3 day wine course; introduction to advanced butchery; petit fours; presentation skills; guest chef demonstration; practical and theory exams. Theory: costing menus; nutrition and special diets; menu planning; meat and offal; cooking methods and cooking at altitude; chocolate from around the world, tempering; cheeses; cakes, pastries and raising agents; eggs, milk, soya and dairy; fats and oils; fish and sustainability; freezing and preserving; advanced menu planning and menu planning portfolio (assessment); writing CV’s for careers in hospitality; butchery and fish presentations.

Term 2 (Advanced):

The skills and techniques developed in Term 1 are now applied at an advanced technical level, to produce food to the standards expected of the hospitality sector at the highest level, including modern cookery techniques. Students are exposed to the pressure of the professional kitchen environment, learning advanced professional techniques and cooking methods.

A typical programme for Term 3 includes: Advanced pastry; butchery; fish and shellfish preparation; patisserie; bakery; advanced stocks, sauces and soups; advanced presentation skills; international cuisines; ‘advanced classics’; terrines; modern cooking methods and sous-vide cookery; cold preparations; self-discipline in the kitchen; guest chef demonstration; practical exams, ‘Wedding Buffet’ and CTH Assessments. Theory: advanced menu costing; advanced poultry and game; the ‘family tree of sauces’; shellfish; desserts, cakes and pastries; career development planning and support.

Exams and Assessment

Continuous assessment forms the basis of all progression on the course on a day to day basis in class and through a series of practical and theory exams. This process enables identify areas of strength and weakness early on in the course and establish academic progression plans for individual students to ensure the best possible opportunity to learn.

Students undertake a series of practical and theory exams, together with more informal ongoing assessments in class, at carefully programmed stages throughout the course. Extensive feedback is provided after exams.

Students will also complete a 3 day wine course with Master of Wine, John Downes and the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health Level 2 Award in Food Hygiene.

A number of qualified specialists will provide lectures and demonstrations on subjects such as butchery, sustainable seafood and guest chef demonstrations. Students also receive guidance on running your own business. Upon successful completion of our Intensive Cordon Bleu Diploma, you will have the skills and knowledge required to progress with an exciting career in food.