Leiths' top students announced

Leiths School of Food and Wine has announced its award-winning students from the 96 who recently completed the Diploma in Food and Wine.

Sponsors Laurent-Perrier, Louis Latour Agencies and the BBC Good Food Magazine each present awards in different categories for exceptional performance.

Winners for 2008/2009 include Lizzie Caton-Thick, who was awarded the Laurent-Perrier Student of the Year after achieving outstanding results in all disciplines. The winner is decided by secret ballot of teachers who nominate the student they would most like to employ.

Louis Latour Award winner Ruth Weighill achieved the highest score on the WSET intermediate level wine exam and Lucy Netherton and Hannah Yeadon have each won a six-month work experience placement at the BBC Good Food Magazine

Now in its sixth year, the BBC Good Food Award was initiated to help increase the numbers of trained cookery professionals with proper journalistic and creative skills.

Caton-Thick has won a trip for two people to visit the Laurent-Perrier Cellars in Tours-sur-Marne with an overnight stay in Reims, while Weighill has won a trip for two to Beaune, where she will be taken on a tour of the vineyards and the cellars at Maison Louis Latour.

The awards lunch was held at the Glasshouse, Kew which is co-owned by Bruce Poole, also co-owner of Chez Bruce and La Trompette.

In addition to her award Caton-Thick will soon be joining the Glasshouse team in the kitchens.

Poole says: "There is always competition between the head chefs of my three restaurants to see who can offer a job to the Leiths student of the year. We know that their training will be first class, and that they will have serious potential."

Last year's winner of the Louis Latour Award, Rupert Holden is currently working at La Trompette.

• Sommeliers