Le Cordon Bleu Opens Its Kitchen, One Volume at a Time
Le Cordon Bleu Comes Home
A new seven-volume collection, publishing in November, explores classical French techniques and recipes from around the world. A London workshop and lunch will mark its launch.
Phaidon and Le Cordon Bleu are bringing the culinary school’s teaching to readers’ kitchens with Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts School: Volumes 1–7, a substantial new collection due to be published in November 2026.
Designed for aspiring chefs, experienced professionals and enthusiastic home cooks, the set combines practical instruction with recipes that move from foundational preparations to more elaborate dishes. Across 1,716 pages, readers are guided through skills including preparing artichokes, deboning fish, making puff pastry, poaching eggs and mastering classic stocks.
The collection features 175 techniques and accompanying technique recipes, alongside 596 stand-alone recipes, according to Phaidon’s press release. More than 1,500 specially commissioned photographs illustrate the processes and finished dishes, giving readers a visual reference as they develop their skills.
Six volumes cover the principal areas of the kitchen: stocks, sauces and soups; eggs and dairy; fish and shellfish; meat, poultry and game; vegetables, grains and pulses; and pastry, baking, confectionery and desserts. A seventh, the Kitchen Handbook, brings together guidance on equipment and safety, culinary glossaries, weight conversions and an index to the complete collection.
A preface by André Cointreau, President of Le Cordon Bleu, introduces the set, while each volume opens with an introduction placing its subject in the context of culinary history and practice.
Although grounded in classical French cooking, the collection also draws on recipes from Le Cordon Bleu schools around the world. That international scope is reflected in the tasting menu prepared for the London celebration, which includes Middle Eastern fatteh with garlic yoghurt, smoked paprika butter and pomegranate; Polish sauerkraut and porcini pierogi; and Peruvian ceviche.
French preparations also feature, including potage Du Barry, a cauliflower and truffle soup, and lobster à l’Américaine. Other dishes include teriyaki-style lamb loin with mushrooms and pancetta compote, followed by a dessert combining cardamom ganache, chocolate, passion fruit and caramel sorbet.
To celebrate the publication, Le Cordon Bleu and Phaidon have invited guests to a chef workshop with Emil Minev, followed by lunch at CORD by Le Cordon Bleu on Fleet Street. The event is scheduled for Thursday 15 October, from 11am to 3.30pm.
Presented as seven hardback volumes in a bespoke Perspex slipcase, the collection pairs the scale of a culinary reference library with step-by-step guidance for use in the kitchen.
Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts School: Volumes 1–7 will be published by Phaidon in November 2026, priced at £400 in the UK. The supplied press release lists pre-orders at Phaidon.com/LeCordonBleu.
