ENROLMENT 2025

New and current students – find out all you need to know about the enrolment process

Culinary Flavours Cooking Course

Overview

Learn to cook international cuisine for FREE* at West Notts College!

Culinary Flavours is a dynamic, hands-on cookery course designed to help adult learners build real kitchen confidence while exploring diverse global cuisines. Whether you’re passionate about food, seeking to develop professional culinary skills, or looking for a creative and rewarding hobby, this course offers a supportive and engaging environment where you’ll cook, learn, and grow.

You’ll work with quality ingredients, professional equipment, and gain practical skills that can be applied at home, in community settings, or as a stepping-stone to further study.

This course is ideal for adults of all levels — from complete beginners with a love of food to those with some kitchen experience who want to broaden their skills. It’s suited to anyone keen to explore French, Italian, East and Southeast Asian, South Asian, and Spanish cuisines while developing a strong foundation in culinary techniques, food safety, and kitchen operations.

Build confidence in a professional-standard kitchen.
Master core skills such as knife handling, bread and pastry making, butchery, pasta making, sauce preparation, and more.
Gain insight into the ingredients, techniques, and presentation styles of five major world cuisines.
Learn time management and teamwork through dish assessments.
Create a portfolio of dishes that could support applications for further training, employment, or self-run catering projects.

Throughout the course, you’ll work towards preparing and serving dishes to a professional standard, with opportunities to showcase your skills during assessments.

Where: Refined Resturant, Derby Road Campus, Mansfield (NG18 5BH)
Duration: 30 weeks**
Day/time: Mondays, 9.30am-3.00pm
Start/end date:
- French cuisine - Monday 8 September to Monday 3 November
- East and Southeast Asian cuisine - Monday 3 November to Monday 15 December
- Italian cuisine - Monday 15 December to Monday 9 February
- South Asian cuisine - Monday 9 February to Monday 13 April
- Spanish cuisine - Monday 13 April to Monday 15 June
Cost: FREE* or £25 per session.

*Subject to eligibility. Contact us for more information.

**There's no obligation to attend every session.

What will I study?

Food safety, health & safety, and professional kitchen practices
Professional kitchen setup and clear-down procedures
Knife skills: identification, handling, and correct use of a range of kitchen knives
Basic vegetable cuts and their culinary uses (including French cuts)
Fresh bread and dough-making techniques
Fresh pasta making and identification of pasta types (Italian cuisine)
Basic pastry making - sweet and savoury products
Preparation of classic and regional sauces (French, Italian, Spanish, East and Southeast Asian, South Asian)
Butchery skills: breaking down whole chicken, fish filleting, and portioning
Marinating, pickling, and cooking techniques from various cuisines
Production of Spanish tapas and South Asian fresh paneer
Fundamental cookery methods: grilling, frying, braising, roasting, steaming, etc.
Presentation and plating skills inspired by global cuisines.