The Summer Festival
by Le Cordon Bleu

Le Cordon Bleu London was thrilled to host its first ever Summer Festival on Saturday 29^th June 2019. The turnout was wonderful and guests were able to enjoy a full day of activities that allowed them to discover the breadth of skills, techniques and advice on offer at the institute. Practical workshops were available in the state-of-the-art professional kitchens, with demonstrations from exciting guest chefs and wine and beverage tasting workshops with Master Sommelier and Le Cordon Bleu Wine Development Manager Matthieu Longuere.

A Slow Food Market kept guests entertained between workshops and demonstrations, with 14 different producers selling and sampling their products which all adhere to Slow Food's principles of being "Good, Clean and Fair." Phaidon were also on site with a pop-up bookshop showcasing the great culinary books they've published with some of the worlds most renowned chefs and tours of the state-of-the-art facilities were also available throughout the day.

We had some of the finest guest chefs currently working in the UK, all from acclaimed restaurants, who gave their expert tips while showcasing a range of culinary skills and techniques. These chefs included Asma Khan of Indian restaurant Darjeeling Express, who was the first British Chef featured in Netflix Chef’s Table, Ramael Scully, the Head Chef and Co-owner of Scully St James’ and Le Cordon Bleu alumnus Kerth Gumbs, the Head Chef of Ormer Mayfair. Anna Hansen MBE of The Modern Pantry hosted a fantastic demonstration, Rakesh Nair of Cinnamon Club prepared clove smoked reduction and masala cashew nut for guests, and Robert Ortiz of Michelin-starred LIMA showcased the skills which have seen him become one of the leading pioneers of Peruvian cuisine.

As well as the incredible Le Cordon Bleu Master Chefs, a number of former students who have developed their careers and established themselves in the industry hosted hands-on culinary workshops. Olivia Burt, a Sous Chef at Claridges Hotel, and the first woman to reach Roux Scholarship Finals in four years, taught workshop participants to butcher British beef and delivered the ultimate tartar. Sarju Ranavaya, a pastry chef at The Taste Lab, who came in fifth place in the Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie 2019 and won Best Artistic Chocolate Showpiece at the UK Pastry Open 2019, hosted a workshop on how to make gourmet chocolates. Joo Won of Michelin-starred Galvin at Windows, who specialises in both traditional French cuisine and traditional Korean cuisine, led a workshop on how to create an Iberico pork boulgogi with fresh kimchi and pickled mooli.

The Le Cordon Bleu Master Chefs led the majority of the interactive workshops, which featured some of the fundamental techniques covered across our diplomas. The Cuisine techniques workshops highlighted the classical French culinary techniques found in our Diplôme de Cuisine, with dishes such as green asparagus poached egg and duck breast aiguillette with sweet and sour peaches.

Our nutrition, plant-based & sensory analysis workshops delivered the key concepts and techniques found in our Diploma in Plant-Based Culinary Arts, to be launched in January 2020, our Diploma in Gastronomy, Nutrition & Food Trends and our Diploma in Culinary Management. Attendees learnt skills such as how to make plant-based dishes like the tofu and seaweed burger, or how to create and analyse the sensory aspects of a pâtisserie dish.

Taking from the skills and knowledge covered in our Diplôme de Boulangerie, there were three boulangerie techniques workshops, which saw attendees create flatbreads, Chelsea buns, cinnamon buns, and soda breads.

The Pâtisserie techniques workshops, inspired by the Diplôme de Pâtisserie, taught participants the essential French pastry techniques, as guests created a passion fruit gateau, raspberry and orange chouquette and cocoa sable.

The wine & beverages tasting workshops delivered by Le Cordon Bleu’s Wine Development Manager, Matthieu Longuere MS, covered a range of topics such as decoding a label, or selecting the right wine for an occasion, each tied into the tasting of various wines from around the world.

Please visit our programmes and courses page to find out more information about joining Le Cordon Bleu as a student.