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Leith's School of Food and Wine
by Munchkin
I recently attended the "Easy Dinner Party" course at Leiths.
1) On the first day there was tea, coffee and biscuits set out in the canteen, which was nice. On the following day when we arrived however, again tea, coffee and biscuits were set out, so my classmates and we poured ourselves a cup each. A member of ... staff then walked in and announced that it was not for us, and promptly removed the cups and biscuits, stating that it was for another course that was starting. This made me feel like a vagrant that had just wandered in off the street. For a course that costs £720 for 5 days, I was rather hoping that they could stretch to normal cups and biscuits every day. In any case, none of us ate the biscuits, but I felt that it was an insult for them to be taken away in such a fashion. If the cups and biscuits were not for us, they should not have been laid out, or at the very least they should have been taken away more discreetly, without an announcement that they were not for us.
2) On the day that we cooked chicken, one of my colleagues asked if it was free-range. She was informed that it was not because it is "un economical to buy 1,000 free-range chickens". Instead of eating or taking the chicken home, I had to cook an organic chicken again that evening when I arrived home. I was rather hoping that they would be able to at least stretch to a free-range chicken, given the course fees. I know that they need to turn a profit, but I thought that Leith's was about good food.
3) Starters, main courses and puddings are all sampled in the same plastic tubs and spoons. I therefore didn't find the flavour of pork and chocolate cake entirely appealing. It would be better to have savoury and puddings in separate containers. I also did not find the plastic tubs very elegant in general. Perhaps plates could be used for a course of this nature?
4) During one demonstration, a large chocolate and orange cheesecake was made, which I was particularly fond of. We were informed that there was plenty for everyone, however 3 slices were cut, before the cake was put away, never to be seen again. I would have appreciated it if the cake had been offered out for anyone that wanted to take a slice home.
5) The course is advertised as being appropriate for the beginner or intermediate home cook, however I have been cooking at home (in my spare time) for one year, yet I had covered over 80% of the techniques on the course, and found myself falling asleep during some of the demonstrations. I would therefore suggest that it is more for beginners.
On a positive note, I felt that the chefs were knowledgeable and friendly.
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City Lit
by dabella-q
It was from one rejection to another; five universities and two Drama schools to be precise. So a gap year was my only option as the University I did get into did not really float my boat. Luckily one of the Drama Schools recommended City Lit- London’s largest adult Education College which offers part time and evening courses on weekdays ... and weekends.
I had a browse through the website of the different courses available.
Access to higher education
Careers in care and support
Computing
Deaf education
Drama, dance and speech
Health and movement studies
Humanities
Languages
Music
Progress
Psychology, counselling & personal development
Psychology, counselling and personal development
Skills for learning and life
Speech therapy
Teacher and management training
Visual arts
I decided in the end to go for the Music Theatre Workshop which was a 2 hours a week. I had to audition with a music theatre piece. The person doing the auditions was quite impressed that I had brought actual music. I did My Favourite Things from the Sound Of Music. I got in, woohoo!
I was given an enrolment form but it was only when I paid the fees that my place was confirmed. You are advised to pay as soon as possible as they operate on a first come first serve basis. Although in my experience, we had people joining us every term.
I was excited about the course; the blurb sounded good!
A workshop for singers and actors wanting to develop their vocal technique and performance skills in the Music Theatre repertoire. To explore the appropriate voice qualities and varying styles required nowadays for Music Theatre and to work towards achieving and performing these in a healthy and efficient way.
I was shocked when I got in to see many old adult students, no offence but it was a shock from being the oldest in the class in Sixth Form to being the youngest. At least two thirds of the class were age mates with my grandparents, talk about a generation gap. Sometimes they would talk about actors and artistes that I had never heard of. The advantage though was that a lot of them had experience in music and theatre, which raised the quality of the class.
The classes started with vocal warm-ups which our teacher used to teach us different techniques of vocal production. This was followed by everyone getting a 10 minute on-on-one tuition with the teacher as they worked through their material. So we all learnt from each other.
For the first term, we worked on our own material. The second term we were allowed to choose material from certain shows and time periods. The third term, we were allowed to work on anything we liked. In the penultimate week, we had a mini concert within the class where you could bring friends and family. The last week we were given constructive feedback and advised on how we could continue our singing journey within the walls of City Lit. A lot of the members of the class were former students and many of them are continuing there next year.
Apart from the course itself, I benefitted from the library which had an extensive range of books relating to all the courses taught. Also you could rent DVDs for free. You could also use the internet for free. Black and white photocopying was 10p a page and printing vouchers of a pound entitled you to 12 pages.
The location is easily accessible either from Holborn or Covent Garden Stations respectively. There is a nice cafe on the ground floor which serves a variety of snacks, meals and drinks as well as a number of snack and drink vending machines respectively.
The support system is good; they send you prompt reminders of overdue books and fees. Also when it snowed in February, I was contacted by the school when the class was cancelled. A catch up class was arranged. So no penny was wasted. The cost is £373 (full), £227 (snr) and £113 (concessions).
Did I enjoy my time there? Yes I did! But I really can’t wait for Uni to begin.
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