Women Leaders in Food, Drink and Hospitality

An affiliate chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier International

Welcome to the London Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier International

LDE London (Les Dames d’Escoffier London) is a dynamic group of forward-thinking and successful female leaders in the food, beverage and hospitality industries. Located in the best city in the world, LDE London is a chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier International (LDEI), a non-profit organisation which supports its communities through grants, scholarships and mentorship.

Visit our events page to learn about our events, which are open to members and many also to the general public.

Mission:

We are founded on the principle of creating a supportive culture within our community through:

  • Sharing knowledge
  • Supporting our members
  • Providing leadership, educational opportunities and philanthropic events for the community at large

Letter from the President

Hello and welcome to LDE London.

For those visiting us for the first time, we hope you gain an insight into our Chapter, affiliated with the larger organisation, Les Dames d’Escoffier International.

Please take time to see what we do, get to know our membership here and consider how you can be involved in our welcoming community. We look forward to hearing from you or seeing you at one of our events!

Events

Jen’s Taco Tuesday with Raffle – rescheduled

Tuesday 5th November from 18:30

Bonnington Cafe

For one night only, Dame Jen Greenhalgh will produce a special menu devoted to American women who have rocked our world – and on this auspicious night when the US might finally elect a female President it won’t just be Julia Child and Martha Stewart who’ll be feted.

It’s a bring your own hooch affair and everything on the menu is priced at a princely £4.  

Bring a friend or two along for what promises to be a mighty fun social.

 Thank you to everyone who has so generously donated raffle prizes for the event – all profits made will be ploughed back into the Chapter.

The cafe is open to regular Taco Tuesday guests so please make your booking directly with Jen – chefjeng@hotmail.com – to avoid disappointment.

Read Jen’s history of tacos here

 

Save the Date

Tuesday 10th December @730pm

Seasonal social

 <Members  only>

Dust off those Santa hats, get your tinsel ready, it’s time for the Dames Christmas meet up.  Our annual festive get together is a chance to kick back, raise a glass to the year gone by and wish your fellow Dames a wonderful festive season.

Mark the date in your diaries now and location details will be confirmed a little closer to the time.

Panzanella with a twist

Inspired by her recent volunteer shifts at the Community Fridge run by the Oasis Hub in Waterloo, Dame Jen Greenhalgh shares her recipe for tomato and sumac Panzanella – a twist on the classic summer dish which rescues some of the food we may have forgotten in our fridges. Ripe tomatoes and stale bread are given a fresh lease of life in a dish that is ready in no time.

A Day in the Life of a Great Taste Judge

The Guild of Fine Food’s Great Taste Awards for 2024 have been announced – so it seems the perfect time to shed a little light on what the awards are all about and how producers can achieve those coveted three stars.

Dame Cathy Sloman explains how it all works and why it’s worth looking out for the Great Taste badges when you’re out and about at the shops.

Dames Give Back with Plan Z Heroes

At the end of July, we began our “Dames Give Back” initiative by partnering with the Oasis Hub in Waterloo who run a weekly community fridge among other initiatives.  We connected with them via  Plan Zheroes – The Zero Food Waste Heroes CEO Chris Wilkie, whom Dame Kate Howell knows from her time working at Borough Market, where they set up a food waste reduction initiative together.

A Toast with Toast

Join us on September 4th at 18:30 for a Toast with Toast Zoom with Alex.

We’ll raise a glass to cheer her success while she guides through making her famous cheese toastie.

<LDE London members only>

Alex Beighton

The Chapter was delighted that our President Jacqui was able to attend Alex Beighton’s graduation at the School of Artisan Food and we loved seeing the photos of Alex looking so proud on the day, along with her very happy parents.

Alex graduated with an Advanced Diploma in Artisan Baking – she worked so hard for six months and made some amazing bakes, we were drooling over her photographs throughout her time at the school in Nottinghamshire.

Support us

Donations go towards our beneficiaries – these range from food charities to educational funds for women entering the worlds of culinary arts, fine beverage or hospitality.