Belinda discovered her passion for food early on, enrolling at culinary college at 16 and going on to complete the Advanced Term at Leiths before setting out as a chef.
Since then she has worked across many areas of food, including restaurant management, food styling, recipe development and running her own business, before returning to Leiths as a teacher. She now mentors students on Leiths Online.
We spoke to Belinda about how she got started, what she enjoys about teaching and the cooking skills she thinks everyone should learn.
I fell in love with cooking very early on. My mother was a great home cook, and although she didn't particularly enjoy cooking, it was where I began to learn. I soon realised I got great pleasure from cooking for other people.
I started early, leaving school at 16 and going to college for two years, which was then topped up with the Advanced Term at Leiths, before I set off on my cheffing journey.
I've turned my hand to most areas of food. Managing a restaurant, food styling, running my own business and recipe development are some of the areas I worked in before returning to Leiths as a teacher.
The most rewarding part of teaching is seeing students develop in confidence. When you see the confidence grow, then the skills come.
It's very similar to the above: seeing the development. The difference between the images students post at the start of the course and the ones at the end is clear.
There are simple things too, like students commenting on how much they've learnt about organisation and time plans. Or a student achieving a beautifully light soufflé after years of no joy.
Several students who started online have gone on to enrol on the full-time courses at the school, and one returned to demonstrate to the students, with me alongside her.
I asked someone else this question, and the answer was patient, kind and insightful. About myself, I'd say I'm good at responding, and I'm always happy to answer any food-related questions, even if they're outside the scope of the course.
In my early days of catering, I forgot to check there was running water at a wedding venue. It was in a beautiful setting, but about half a mile from running water!
I also once used salt instead of sugar in meringues! Luckily, I realised before baking them.
Be organised and plan ahead - but also enjoy the food you cook!
Knife skills are key. You use them daily, no matter what style of food you're preparing.
Seasoning is one of the most challenging skills to learn, especially as a chef: you're seasoning for the general palate, not yourself.
And sweating vegetables, because they are the base of so many recipes.
I never get tired of cooking soups of all descriptions, in particular light soups using a dashi base. You can have them with noodles, vegetables, seaweed and so on, or you can keep it simple and enjoy the broth on its own.
Bread is always a joy to make, too. You can get into the rhythm of it and it takes your mind away from everything else. It's such a magical thing to make.
