As Niki Gorick prepares a new photographic account of the current Lady Mayor’s year and the contribution of the City’s livery companies, the Worshipful Company of Cooks offers a vivid example of how deep tradition can still serve public life.
Members will recently have received the letter from the Master, Father of the Company and Chair of Trustees about philanthropic giving. Its purpose was to invite every member of the Livery to consider how they might contribute to the life and charitable work of the Worshipful Company of Cooks. Already 12 members have responded, and there is a real opportunity for many more of us to add our support.
There was a real buzz in the kitchen at Capital City College, Westminster on Monday 23 March, as twelve young finalists gathered for the Springboard FutureChef National Final where they served up skill, confidence, and a clear message for the future of food. Knives were sharpened, choux pastry was piped, humble vegetables got starring roles, and the pressure was very definitely on.
The Cooks Charity have backed a research proposal from the Centre for Food Policy at City St George’s, University of London. What’s Cooking investigates what this vital project is designed to achieve.
The Cooks’ Charity recently approved a £10,000 grant to support the continuation of The CRUMBS Project’s Traineeship Programme for 2026/27, after a break of two years, reinforcing a longstanding partnership that has already transformed the lives of disadvantaged adults across Dorset.
The International Conference on Culinary Arts and Sciences was founded by the Worshipful Company of Cooks of London and brings together two worlds that too often work apart: food science and food service.
For this issue of What’s Cooking, we revisit The School Food People’s School Chef of the Year 2026 finals and meet two standout winners: national SCOTY champion Ben Finn and Melanie Johnstone, recipient of The School Food People Apprentice/Trainee Award. Their stories reveal the skill, resilience and creativity shaping school food today.
At first glance, a military catering competition might sound like a matter of ration packs, mobile kitchens and tight timings. The Exercise Army Sustainer 2026 at Grantham was something far more impressive: a vivid demonstration of what trained Army chefs can create when the conditions are anything but comfortable and the pressure is very real.
Organised by the Craft Guild of Chefs and supported by Central Bedfordshire College, the event has become one of the country’s most respected platforms for emerging culinary and hospitality talent, with the Worshipful Company of Cooks playing a visible role through its sponsorship and judging support.
This year’s new grant from the Cooks Charity will continue to help Treloar’s strengthen specialist nutritional support for young people with complex dietary needs — and share that expertise far beyond its own school and college.
It is with great affection that we remember Lieutenant Colonel Nigel Ramsay Shepherd who died on 14 June 2026, aged 64.
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