Edinburgh New Town Cookery School

What Edinburgh New Town Cookery School does

Edinburgh New Town Cookery School, now trading as Edinburgh Food & Drink Academy (EFDA), is a single-site cookery education business operating from 7 Queen Street in Edinburgh's city centre. The company delivers hands-on, in-person culinary training through two interconnected product lines: a professional track comprising a Diploma in Professional Cookery, Continuing Professional Development, Industry Qualifications, and a Seasonal Chef Host course targeted at aspiring and working chefs; and a recreational track of themed Classes & Experiences spanning baking, world cuisine, health and wellness, and cooking for special diets, targeted at home cooks, food enthusiasts, children and teenagers. The diploma programme is positioned as the core academic offering, leveraging small class sizes, expert tutors, and stated industry connections to professional kitchens (including Castle Terrace) to facilitate graduate progression into the Scottish hospitality sector.

EFDA operates a direct-to-consumer, predominantly transactional revenue model. Income is generated primarily through per-person booking fees (£20 to £145 across the recreational catalogue, with diploma programmes likely priced materially higher per enrolment), supplemented by a venue hire and private events business that monetises the physical kitchen facility for corporate strategy sessions, team-building, product launches, filming and streaming. A gift voucher storefront provides an additional e-commerce acquisition channel. Distribution is entirely domestic through the company's own website and on-site delivery; there is no mobile app, no marketplace listing, and no third-party integration beyond standard social media channels (Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, TikTok).

The business is founder-owned and operated, and the founder announced retirement in February 2026 after a 50-year career, a material leadership transition for what appears to be a personality-led brand. No institutional funding, acquisitions, partnerships, or patents are disclosed, and no AI, API, or proprietary technology stack is referenced. Operating geographies are restricted to Edinburgh, with no disclosed international or multi-site footprint.

Name

Edinburgh New Town Cookery School

Legal name

Edinburgh Food & Drink Academy

Website

https://entcs.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Edinburgh New Town Cookery School, trading as Edinburgh Food & Drink Academy, is a single-site Edinburgh cookery school offering professional culinary diplomas and recreational cooking classes to aspiring chefs, home cooks, food enthusiasts, and corporate groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Culinary Education

NAICS

Technical and Trade Schools (6115), Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Professional Culinary Arts (Chef Training) (EDAOAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cooking Classes & Chef-Led Workshops (THAJAGAI), Culinary Arts & Cooking (Baking, Pastry, Global Cuisines) (EDAAAGAG), Culinary Skills Workshops (Baking, Regional Cooking, Food Prep Skills) (THAJAKAE)

Keywords

• Culinary education
• Cookery classes
• Professional chef training
• Corporate team building
• Venue hire services

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Cookery Classes and Courses: Revenue from professional diploma programmes, continuing professional development courses, and recreational cooking classes offered to individuals.
2. Venue Hire and Private Events: Revenue from renting the cooking school facility for private events, corporate functions, filming, and team-building experiences.
3. Gift Vouchers: Sale of gift vouchers for cooking classes and experiences through their own storefront.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Edinburgh New Town Cookery School (trading as Edinburgh Food & Drink Academy) is a private culinary school in Edinburgh that delivers professional cookery training, short recreational cooking classes, accredited industry qualifications, and CPD to individual learners, aspiring chefs, and hospitality professionals. The school also runs private dining experiences, corporate team-building events, and venue hire, and makes its kitchen available for filming and streaming. Revenue is generated through course fees, class bookings, gift voucher sales, and venue/event hire.

Product overview

Edinburgh Food & Drink Academy operates a cookery school offering professional culinary education programs (Diploma in Professional Cookery, Continuing Professional Development, Industry Qualifications) alongside public-facing Classes & Experiences (themed courses including Baking, World Cuisine, Health & Wellness, and cooking for Special Diets). The school also provides venue hire services for private events, corporate functions, and filming. The professional program functions as the core offering for career-focused students, while Classes & Experiences serve food enthusiasts and home cooks. All offerings are delivered from the Edinburgh city centre location with expert tutors in small group settings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Diploma in Professional Cookery
• Classes & Experiences
• Industry Qualifications and CPD
• Seasonal Chef Host Course
• Evening Introductory Award
• Venue Hire
• Private Events
• Filming & Streaming
• Travel Trade
• Gift Vouchers

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Leiths School of Food and Wine: Edinburgh-based professional cookery school offering diploma-level culinary training plus recreational and short courses. Most direct local competitor, serving the same aspiring chef and home cook segments in the same city.
• Ballymaloe Cookery School: Long-established Irish cookery school offering professional certificate programmes alongside short courses, corporate events, and venue hire. Closely comparable business model and product mix to Edinburgh New Town Cookery School.
• Ashburton Cookery School: UK cookery school offering professional chef diplomas, recreational classes, corporate events, and venue hire. Comparable in scope and audience to Edinburgh New Town Cookery School.
• The Bertinet Kitchen: Bath-based cookery school run by a celebrity chef, offering hands-on classes, baking workshops, and corporate events. Comparable product mix and direct-to-consumer model.
• The Avenue Cookery School: London-based cookery school offering recreational and professional classes, children's courses, and corporate team-building. Comparable audience and product range to ENTCS.
• Eckington Manor Cookery School: Worcestershire-based cookery school offering hands-on short courses, professional development, and corporate events. Comparable in product mix and target audience.
• Divertimenti Cookery School: London cookery school attached to a kitchenware retailer, offering classes, events, and team-building experiences. Overlaps with ENTCS in culinary experiences and corporate offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Le Cordon Bleu London: Global culinary education brand with a London campus offering professional diplomas, short courses, and gourmet experiences. A larger, established player in the same UK culinary education category.
• Waitrose Cookery School: Cookery school attached to a major UK grocer, offering professional and recreational courses plus corporate events. Larger, retail-anchored incumbent competing in the same culinary education category.

Emerging players

• MasterClass: Online education platform featuring celebrity chef-led cooking classes. Adjacent competitor in culinary learning, addressing the home cook segment with a scalable, low-overhead digital model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/EdinburghFoodDrinkAcademy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/edinburghfooddrinkacademy
• Instagraminstagram.com/edinfooddrinkacademy
• TikToktiktok.com/@edinfooddrinkacademy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Edinburgh New Town Cookery School