plantacademy.co.uk

What It Is

Plant Academy is a UK-based plant-based culinary school focused on self-paced online courses. Its curriculum is built around the Plant 123 pathway: Plant One covers the foundations of plant-based cooking, Plant Two is aimed at advanced creative cuisine and food design, while Plant Three shifts toward plant-based food entrepreneurship and brand implementation. Overall, it is positioned not as a standard recipe course, but for learners who genuinely want to systematically improve their plant-based cooking skills, creative expression, and business capabilities.

Core Courses and Teaching

Plant One consists of 12 modules, covering knife skills, basic stocks, nuts and seeds, fermentation, plating, baking, desserts, photography, and a final project. It is suitable for beginners in plant-based cooking, home cooks, and professionals looking to build a solid foundation. Plant Two also has 12 modules, with an emphasis on mushrooms, zero waste, seaweed, salt, brand briefs, photographic storytelling, and personal menu development. It is suitable for chefs who already have a foundation and want to develop their own style. Plant Three includes 14 modules and focuses on product design, community, marketing, fundraising, branding, events, and business plan submission, making it more of an entrepreneurship incubator.

Instructors and Certification

The teaching team appears to be strong, with the course materials mentioning a number of chefs, restaurant founders, brand founders, photographers, and entrepreneurs, including Dr Johnny Drain, Arthur Potts Dawson, Douglas McMaster, Sara Kiyo Popowa, Carolina Chinea, and others. After completing the projects for Plant One and Plant Two, students can receive a Graduation Certificate, while Plant Three offers a Certification. However, the pages do not indicate that these certificates are third-party professional qualifications or officially accredited academic credentials, so they should be understood as course completion certificates.

Pricing

Plant One costs £400 as a one-time payment, or £150 via monthly installments. Plant Two costs £600 as a one-time payment, or £216 via monthly installments. There is a 10% discount when enrolling in Plant One and Plant Two together. Plant Three mentions one-time payment, monthly installments, and a Plant 123 Bundle, but the scraped text does not provide specific pricing, so this should be confirmed before purchase.

Pros and Cons

Its strengths are a comprehensive course structure and forward-looking topics, covering fermentation, zero waste, future ingredients, food photography, and branded expression. Each course also includes practical projects and feedback, making the learning outcomes more concrete. The drawbacks are that all courses are taught in English, which may be a barrier for Chinese-speaking learners, and students need to source their own ingredients. Some specialty mushrooms, seaweeds, fermentation materials, or equipment may be difficult to obtain in China. The online format also cannot fully replace the immediate hands-on correction available in an in-person kitchen.

Who It’s For and Access from China

It is suitable for plant-based cooking enthusiasts, chefs looking to transition, food content creators, and people planning to start a plant-based food brand or restaurant project. It is less suitable for those who only want to quickly learn a few home-style dishes, or who need an official professional certificate. The scraped text does not make it possible to determine access conditions from China, so it is recommended to test the official website, course platform video playback, and payment process before purchasing.