Plates Smith.
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'Crafting Kitchen Confidence'
From first knife skills to independent cooking, we teach students to plan, cook, and serve complete meals with confidence, creativity, and fun, preparing them for life at home, at university, on gap years, ski seasons, and yacht adventures, with our Junior and Senior Kitchen Academies.
Junior Kitchen Academy
'Building real cooking skills for independent young people'
Designed for budding young chefs, the Junior Kitchen Academy focuses on core skills, confidence, and cooking from scratch. Perfect for children or teens starting out, this course helps students develop safe, practical habits in the kitchen while learning to create complete, balanced meals.
Aimed at Secondary School Children, Year 7 - Year 9
The Course:
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Core knife skills & safe kitchen habits
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Following a recipe accurately & working independently
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Cooking from scratch using real ingredients
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Preparing a complete, balanced meal
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Basic baking and sweet treats
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Preparing and cooking a variety of vegetables
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Learning new flavours and simple international dishes
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Adapting recipes confidently
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Cooking for different dietary needs
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Presenting your dishes nicely
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Understanding timing, organisation & clean working
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Using leftovers creatively and reducing waste
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Working independently in the kitchen
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Confidence to cook at home without supervision
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Each session includes a home-cooked dinner to take home & share with the family
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Having fun while cooking, and plenty of extra tips and tricks along the way!
Current Course Dates 2026:
@ Ripley Court School, Rose Lane, GU23 6NE
Times: 10am - 4pm
Easter Course
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31st March, 1st, 2nd April
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8th, 9th, 10th April
£200 - 3 day course
£75 - individual drop in days
BOOK NOW
https://bookwhen.com/littleplates
Senior Kitchen Academy
'Confident cooking for independent living'
The Senior Kitchen Academy is for those ready to take their cooking to the next level—perfect for students preparing for university, gap years, ski & yacht seasons, or independent living. This course develops confident, professional kitchen habits and practical skills to cook for yourself and others with ease.
Aimed at Secondary School Children, Year 10 - Year 13
The Course:
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Safe, confident knife skills & professional kitchen habits
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Mastering mise en place: planning, prepping & organising ingredients efficiently
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Cooking from scratch & adapting complex recipes independently
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Planning, cooking & serving complete meals for yourself and others
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Advanced baking and patisserie techniques
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Boning, filleting, and handling meat, poultry, and fish
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Preparing and cooking a wide variety of vegetables and seasonal produce
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Exploring international cuisines, flavours, and advanced cooking techniques
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Rectifying dishes and troubleshooting culinary challenges
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Catering for dietary requirements and menu variations
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Professional food presentation & plating skills
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Developing new recipes and experimenting with flavours
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Time management and workflow for multi-course meals
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Using leftovers creatively and minimising waste
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Cooking with confidence for hosting, entertaining, and real-world scenarios
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Each session includes a home-cooked dinner to take home & share
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Fun, creativity, and culinary problem-solving at every step
Current Course Dates 2026:
@ Ripley Court School, Rose Lane, GU23 6NE
Times: 10am - 4pm
Summer Course
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10th - 14th August
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17th - 21st August
£800 - 5 day intensive course
BOOK NOW
https://bookwhen.com/littleplates
Whats included in both Junior & Senior Academy Classes
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Deposit option – if booking more than 1 month in advance get in touch for more details
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A fun, sociable, flexible and informative course
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Intensive daily cooking programme
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All equipment and ingredients provided
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Interesting demonstrations
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Fun, warm and professional teaching
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Useful tips and tricks of the trade
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Tips on organisation and prepping your dishes ahead of time
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Hands-on cooking
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Mind-blowingly delicious recipes
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Delicious snacks and lunch every day
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Well-structured course
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A 3 course dinner for a family of 4 to take home
