Why study Practical Cookery?

Healthy, tasty food is crucial to our wellbeing. The course will suit you if you love food and cooking and want to develop your skills in this area.

Being able to cook for yourself and others is a valuable life skill and can lead to a range of careers, including working in hotels and restaurants, the health sector and the food industry.

Career Pathways

To see what career areas this subject could lead to and the routes to get there, download and view these career pathways:

Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism

Sport

What do I need to get in?

Entry is at the discretion of the school or college but you would normally have achieved one of the following:

• National 3 Health and Food Technology
• National 3 Practical Cookery

What will I study?

This course is practical and relevant to the world of work. You will learn how to choose ingredients, prepare dishes and present them well. You will learn how to work safely and hygienically while developing your cookery, food preparation and organisational skills.

There are three compulsory units, plus an added value unit that assesses your planning and practical skills.

Cookery Skills, Techniques and Processes (6 SCQF credit points)

In this unit you will:

• develop your cookery skills, food preparation techniques and ability to follow cookery processes
• develop your understanding of the importance of safety and hygiene.

Understanding and Using Ingredients (6 SCQF credit points)

In this unit you will learn about:

• ingredients from a variety of different sources and their uses
• the importance of responsible sourcing of ingredients and of current dietary advice
• selecting and using ingredients to prepare dishes and doing so safely and hygienically.

Organisational Skills for Cooking (6 SCQF credit points)

In this unit you will learn how to:

• develop your organisational and time management skills
• follow recipes and time plans to produce dishes
• further develop your ability to evaluate the product.

Added Value Unit: Producing a Meal (6 SCQF credit points)

You will learn how to:

• prepare, cook and present a two course meal for a given number of people within a given timescale.

How will I be assessed?

Your work will be assessed by your teacher or tutor on an ongoing basis throughout the course. Items of work might include:

• practical work - such as preparing and cooking dishes 
• written work - such as planning a meal and evaluating them 
• projects
• class-based assessments.

You must pass all three units, plus the practical assessment to get the qualification.

What can I go on to next?

If you complete the course successfully, it may lead to:

• National 5 Practical Cake Craft
• National 5 Practical Cookery

Further study, training or employment in:

• Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism
• Sport

Which jobs are related to this subject?

• Practical Cookery - Related Careers