How old must I be to attend a course?
What age are the students?
Are the courses suitable for both men and women?
Do you take overseas students?
As an overseas student, how good does my English have to be?
Does the School provide the food ingredients?
What do I need to bring with me?
What sort of food will I cook?
Do we get to eat the food we make?
How many students are there in a class?
Which course is best for gap year students?
Can you help me find employment when I have finished the course?

Who owns Tante Marie?
Tante Marie is owned by Andrew Maxwell, the schools Managing Director and Principal, Lyndy Redding of London's leading catering and events company, Absolute Taste, and Gordon Ramsay Holdings.

Where does the name Tante Marie come from?
Tante Marie was a legendary French cook who set new standards in French cuisine in the early 20th century.

How old must I be to attend a course?
16 years on commencement of the course. There is no upper age limit.

What age are the students?
All ages, usually between 16-55, but we have had a number of older students, including a gentleman of 82!

Are the courses suitable for both men and women?
Absolutely. The ratio recently has tended to be approximately 60% female, 40% male, depending on the course.

Do you take overseas students?
Yes! Tante Marie is licensed to enrol students under Tier 4 of the Points Based System and is a Highly Trusted Sponsor. Students from outside of the European Union, who require visas, can study on our Cordon Bleu Diploma courses and earn the Level 4 Diploma in Professional Culinary Arts - two internationally recognised qualifications. Our courses have always been very popular with students from all over the world. At any one time we may have Japanese, Korean, Thai, US, Brazilian, Australian and New Zealand students, to name a few, studying with us, as well as students from the British Isles.

As an overseas student, how good does my English have to be?
Our overseas students are required by immigration law to have acceptable English in order to obtain their visa. An IELTS English certificate is sufficient, unless you come from an English speaking country! If you are in doubt, please call us in person to discuss your options.

What is the Level 4 Diploma in Professional Culinary Arts and is it different to the Cordon Bleu Diploma?
The Level 4 Diploma in Professional Culinary Arts is on the governments Qualifications Credit Framework and is offered to all students who complete the Cordon Bleu Diploma or Intensive Cordon Bleu Diploma. There are no extra exams or tests to sit. Students who would like to obtain this qualification, as well as the Cordon Bleu Diploma, will have to pay a small processing fee and will then gain the qualification along with membership of the Confederation of Tourism and Hospitality.

Does the School provide the food ingredients?
Yes. All ingredients and equipment are supplied.

What do I need to bring with me?
We provide everything you need: our fees are all inclusive, including all ingredients, chef’s whites or aprons (according to the course), professional knives, and your own Tante Marie recipe manual.

What sort of food will I cook?
Both classical cordon bleu and contemporary recipes and techniques are taught. Examples of recipes can be found in the professional course section of this website.

Do we get to eat the food we make?
Yes, students eat lunch in the school each day and can take home some food prepared in class. The only exception is on our 1-Day Demonstration Days when our staff & students cook the lunch provided.

How do I know which course to take?
Some indication can be gathered from our course details on this website, but the Principal is happy to advise on suitability of courses.

How many students are there in a class?
Classes are small. A maximum of 10 students per class with 1 teacher and sometimes an assistant depending on the course topic. Because of the size of our facilities we can run several classes on the same course in parallel.

Which course is best for gap year students?
We run a number of suitable courses. Our 1 term Cordon Bleu Certificate Course is very popular with gap students who wish to obtain ski chalet work and other short term employment. We also have courses of 1, 2 and 4 weeks duration. The Certificate Course is excellent for those looking for the best choice of jobs in their gap year, but our 4 week Essential Skills course is also suitable for employment with a number of ski and other holiday companies.

Can you help me find employment when I have finished the course?
Employment prospects are excellent for those Diploma graduates wishing to pursue a career. The Principal is always happy to advise personally on suitable work prospects and Tante Marie has excellent contacts in all areas of the hospitality and catering industries. Our Certificate graduates are sought after by employers such as ski chalet, summer villa and yacht companies; and our four week Essential Skills course provides such opportunities as well. Some of these companies come to Tante Marie to recruit students but in any event we can invariably help to place you through our contacts.