Alumnus Luke Jenneson
Diplôme de Boulangerie
Alumnus Luke Jenneson took a leap of faith in 2021, leaving behind a career in banking to pursue his lifelong dream of opening a bakery. With an unwavering passion for proper sourdough and top-notch produce, his mission was clear: to shake up the local bakery scene and deliver the best bread in the North of England.
After completing the Diplôme de Boulangerie at Le Cordon Bleu London in 2017, Luke dedicated time to perfecting recipes for his signature sourdough. To his delight, everyone who tried it raved that it was the best they’d ever tasted - a classic sourdough with the ideal balance of softness and crunch. Fuelled by their feedback, he fired up the ovens, bought a van, and hit the road.
Today, Luke and his team at Luke's Bakery bake thousands of loaves a week, bringing the freshest, tastiest artisan sourdough to shops, homes and hospitality outlets across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. They slow-prove their dough for unbeatable flavour, bake for just the right amount of time, and never shortcut on simple, local, honest ingredients and friendly northern service.
Fresh, flavourful and full of goodness, people now tell Luke all the time it’s the best bread they’ve tasted. Their loaves can be found in a growing number of northern shops, cafés, and restaurants - businesses who share Luke’s love of quality, homemade food. We caught up with Luke to find out more about his culinary journey.
What made you decide to train in the culinary arts?
“I always had a passion for food and cooking. My very first memory, aged 3, is baking a cake with my grandmother. From that very first culinary moment my entire life has pivoted around the joy of crafting great tasting food. In order to build confidence in my ability, and to give credibility to any potential investors in my dream, I wanted to gain formal training.”
Why did you choose to come to Le Cordon Bleu London?
“I live in UK, so wanted to stay close to home. I explored other options from other providers within the UK, but I found the facilities, training and materials at Le Cordon Bleu London superior.”
How did your culinary training studying at Le Cordon Bleu London help you to start your career?
“I gained practical professional experience from my time at Le Cordon Bleu. From day one we were taught to think about working at pace and at scale, this was just the progression I needed to move from a home baker to a professional.”
What advice would you give to someone looking to follow in your footsteps?
“Make a plan and take the leap!”
What does Le Cordon Bleu represent for you in a few words?
“Le Cordon Bleu is the foundation that all my future success is built upon.”
How would you describe your current role?
“I own and manage a wholesale sourdough bakery in East Yorkshire.”
How did you get into this role?
“Blood, sweat and tears; I built a bakery from scratch!”
What does your day-to-day look like?
“Busy. As the bakery grows, I continually have to adapt my routine. I currently work through the night to operate the ovens as I don’t have a budget for a night shift at the moment.”
What is the most challenging aspect of your job?
“You need eyes in the back of your head. Due to the almost 24-hour operation of the bakery I need to maintain quality and supervision when I’m not around, so a lot comes down to trust. I have to trust my team to uphold our values and maintain our quality and reputation. At first, I found this hard as it was difficult for me to let go of something that I’d worked so hard to build.”
What part of the role are you most passionate about?
“I love bringing proper bread to my community. It’s not something that’s well represented in my local area, so the more I can spread the word to encourage people to support local artisan bakeries the better.”
Do you have anything exciting coming up in the future?
“We're over the moon to announce that our White, White & Rye, and Malted Granary Sourdoughs have all been awarded gold stars at this year's Great Taste Awards by the Guild of Fine Food. It's our first year entering, and to receive not one, but three awards is a real dream come true. To showcase this achievement we’re about to rebrand our packaging and to install point of sale fixtures into the retailers we supply to give the Luke’s Bakery brand a fresh image and to elevate it to the next level!”
Inspired by Luke's journey? Find out how you can follow in his footsteps by finding out more about our Diplôme de Boulangerie, or by visiting our programmes page to view the full list of courses available and start your culinary journey today.
