Are you interested in a career in catering or a restaurant? Kickstart your training with Alison’s free online cooking courses. While there are courses galore on recipes, we recommend that you focus on career-focused courses that will give you the basic training you need to work in a professional kitchen. We suggest a short, certificate course like Food Safety and Hygiene in the Catering Industry for starters, followed by the Diploma in Hospitality Management for a main course and the Diploma in Food Safety or one of Alison’s baking or cake decorating courses for dessert!

Even the most talented chef will get nowhere without the fundamentals of handling, storing and cooking food safely. That’s where Alison’s free online certificate courses in cooking come in! Whether you are already working in the food industry and want to improve your skills, or would like to impress potential employers with your understanding of food safety essentials, we can recommend Food Safety and Hygiene in the Catering Industry along with Food Safety and Hygiene and RSBA1 - Food Safety and Hygiene for training in best practice in professional kitchens. These are short courses that can generally be completed in half a day.

Prove you are serious about making progress in a professional kitchen with a free online diploma course in cooking from Alison. There are numerous options, depending on the area you wish to focus on, and all can be completed in less than 20 hours. If you are aiming for a management position, we suggest the Diploma in Hospitality Management or the Diploma in Food Industry Roles and Responsibilities. For intensive training that will equip you to work in the food industry, we recommend the Diploma in Food Safety or the Diploma in Food Skills and Techniques.