The Wee Kitchen isn’t about training professional chefs. We’re an independent Edinburgh cookery school where interesting home cooking is at the heart of everything we do. Whether you’ve never cooked a dish in your life or consider yourself quite the chef, there’s always something new to learn in our classes.
From big groups to solo participants, we welcome people of all abilities and backgrounds, with the aim of making everyone feel right at home in The Wee Kitchen.
SO sorry to bring it up but Covid happening was instrumental in the creation of The Wee Kitchen. At the time, I was working for a travel company and found myself furloughed in the very same week that I moved into my in-laws’ house in Ireland. I’d always enjoyed cooking but had never had the time to fully explore it – suddenly I was blessed with ample time and ample guinea pigs willing to try my creations. It wasn’t just the food itself that fascinated me, but the different cultures, traditions and stories behind the dishes. Cooking became a way of exploring the world at a time when travelling wasn’t an option.
Following redundancy, I wanted to share everything I had learned in this time and so I began teaching online cooking classes and ‘Eat with Ailsa’ was born.
Fast forward a few years, plenty of cooking classes and lots of house moves, ‘Eat with Ailsa’ went offline and grew into The Wee Kitchen Cookery School. What started as a one-woman venture has now grown into a lovely little team, welcoming locals and visitors alike to cook their way around the world in Edinburgh.
I’m Ailsa, and I spend my days teaching people to cook, talking about food and generally thinking about what I’m going to eat next. The Wee Kitchen brings together all of my favourite things – cooking, travel, meeting new people and bringing everyone together around a table. I’m very lucky to have built a business around it all.
There’s plenty happening at The Wee Kitchen when we’re not actually teaching. From researching new dishes and testing recipes to sourcing ingredients and preparing for upcoming classes, a lot goes into making those few hours in the kitchen happen.
We’re constantly finding inspiration from the food we eat, the places we visit and the people we meet. Exploring Edinburgh’s brilliant food scene is a big part of what we do, whether that’s discovering a new independent restaurant, visiting a local food producer or finding inspiration for our next class.
And of course, there’s the not-so-small task of getting the word out about The Wee Kitchen. From sharing our latest restaurant discoveries and creating content for social media to planning new events and collaborations, marketing is a huge part of our day-to-day. If we’re not in the kitchen, there’s a good chance we’re out eating somewhere in Edinburgh and calling it work.
We’re based in Leith, and very proud of it. Just a short journey from Edinburgh city centre, The Wee Kitchen is easy to reach by public transport, with a tram stop just a seven-minute walk away and plenty of nearby bus connections. We’re also around a 10-minute taxi ride from the city centre, with parking right out the front if you’d prefer to drive.
We love hosting private group cooking classes here at The Wee Kitchen. Whether you’re planning a Hen or Stag do, organising a work social, or you’re looking for a fun and unique birthday experience in Edinburgh – we’ve got you covered.
A cooking class can be a great way to break the ice with a new group, bring friends or colleagues together, or just something a bit different for a night out.
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