22 Years of Franco-British Entente Cordiale Culinaire Celebrated at the French Residency
The spirit of collaboration between the United Kingdom and France was celebrated in exceptional style at the Residency of the French Ambassadrice, Madame Hélène Tréheux-Duchêne in London on 4 March 2026, where leading chefs, educators and students gathered for the latest Entente Cordiale Culinaire Franco-Britannique event.
The Chefs’ Forum was honoured to be invited to the special evening, hosted by Second Ministre-Conseiller, Mr Sébastien Bidaud, which showcased the power of culinary diplomacy, with a beautifully crafted canapé and bowl-food menu prepared by Chef de Cuisine Gilles Quillot and his talented brigade. The team delivered an elegant reception that reflected the precision, heritage and creativity of French gastronomy while celebrating the shared culinary traditions of both nations.
Guests were welcomed with a spectacular oyster and caviar display and an exquisite selection of breads, cheeses and cold canapés before enjoying an array of beautifully executed hot dishes and refined desserts. The balance of classical technique and modern presentation demonstrated the remarkable standards upheld by the kitchen team throughout the evening.
Michael Coaker, Culinary Ambassador, University of West London, gave a welcome speech and praised both the culinary excellence of the evening and the collaboration between education providers.
“This event highlights the vital importance of linking culinary students with the industry and with each other. It is wonderful to have so many talented chefs present this evening supporting the occasion. When universities, culinary colleges, and professional kitchens collaborate across borders, we strengthen the culinary corridor between the UK and France. It provides young chefs with the opportunity to learn from one another and forge relationships that will influence their careers.”
The Entente Cordiale Culinare, now in its 22nd year, was established by the late Chef Michel Bourdin in partnership with the Escoffier Foundation to promote collaboration between culinary students from both sides of the Channel.
Speaking at the reception, Michel Escoffier, the great-grandson of the late Chef Auguste Escoffier, reflected on the enduring significance of the initiative.
“The Entente Cordiale celebrates not only culinary excellence but friendship between our two nations. When young chefs cook together, share ideas and exchange knowledge, they become ambassadors for gastronomy and for cultural understanding.”
The event also celebrated the impressive talent and dedication of the participating establishments, whose students and mentors represent the next generation of culinary excellence on both sides of the Channel.
Students from Lycée Auguste Escoffier in Cagnes-sur-Mer, Lycée Jeanne et Paul Augier in Nice, Capital City College Group, and the University of West London took part in the Entente Cordiale initiative, supported by experienced mentor-lecturers who guided them through the culinary and cultural exchange and the evening’s activities. Among the talented young chefs were Marvyn Blondet, Max Smith, Nida Olendra, Nicolas Bourriez Daniel, Lily Roucayrol, Shannon Bu and Pavlina Vemolova, mentored respectively by Mathieu Gouyer, Tom Egerton, François-Xavier Michaud and Nathan Vasanthan.
All participants received a medal and a culinary participation certificate for the exchange, held in the Capital College Group’s kitchens the day before this wonderful soirée.
A Beautiful Menu – Presented in French
Menus at events held at the Residency of the French Ambassador are traditionally presented in French. To help readers appreciate the exceptional dishes created by Gilles and the team, the original French descriptions are shown below with an English translation immediately underneath each item.
Buffets
Buffet d’huîtres
Oyster buffet
Buffet caviar et saumon + purée de pomme de terre
Caviar and salmon buffet with potato purée
Buffet de fromage
Cheese buffet
Pains – Breads
Old Kent Red, Khorasan, Barbu du Roussillon
Selection of heritage breads: Old Kent Red, Khorasan and Barbu du Roussillon
Canapés froids – Cold Canapés
Chou de fromage frais aux herbes et citrons, salpicon de saumon fumé
Herb and lemon cream cheese choux with smoked salmon salpicon
Sushi de légumes fermentés et gingembre confit, pousse de coriandre
Fermented vegetable sushi with candied ginger and coriander shoots
Sablé parmesan et crème de chèvre frais à la menthe, mini poivron confit
Parmesan sablé with fresh goat’s cheese and mint, confit mini pepper
Mini pain au lait à la bergamote, crème citron et poutargue
Bergamot milk bun with lemon cream and bottarga
Gelée tendre de pizza et toast croustillant aux herbes, tapenade et maquereau séché
Soft pizza jelly with crispy herb toast, tapenade and dried mackerel
Tartelette de crevettes marinées et piment d’Espelette, crème chibouste salée de carotte glacée au consommé de crustacé
Marinated prawn tartlet with Espelette pepper and savoury carrot chiboust with shellfish consommé
Cocciole farcie aux herbes et citron vert, œuf de brochet fumé
Herb and lime filled cocciole pasta with smoked pike roe
Mini pâté croûte de canard à l’orange amer
Mini duck pâté en croûte with bitter orange
Canapés chauds – Hot Canapés
Poulet de Bresse aux asperges blanches, compotée de potimarron
Bresse chicken with white asparagus and pumpkin compote
Joue de bœuf braisé, pomme purée
Braised beef cheek with potato purée
Compoté de céleri et boudin blanc, crème de langoustine
Celery compote with boudin blanc and langoustine cream
Croque madame
Classic croque madame
Croûte feuilletée aux champignons et truite mi-fumée, sauce au verjus
Puff pastry with mushrooms and lightly smoked trout, served with verjus sauce
Desserts – Tartelettes
Chocolat de Martinique
Martinique chocolate tartlet
Amandine aux fruits de saison
Seasonal fruit amandine tartlet
Citron meringué
Lemon meringue tartlet
Caramel / chocolat et cacahuètes grillées
Caramel and chocolate tartlet with roasted peanuts
Mangue et fruits de la passion
Mango and passion fruit tartlet
St Honoré
Saint-Honoré tartlet
Praliné amande noisette
Almond and hazelnut praline tartlet
The evening was a perfect reflection of the Entente Cordiale spirit, a celebration of mentorship, cultural exchange and the shared passion for gastronomy that continues to unite the culinary communities of France and the United Kingdom.
Gilles Quillot, Chef de Cuisine at the French Residency, concluded:
“It was a great pleasure to host this special evening at the Residency, and to welcome so many respected culinary leaders to such an iconic setting. Working alongside the talented students from the University of West London to prepare and serve this beautiful menu was a truly rewarding experience for our kitchen team. Opportunities like this allow young chefs to experience the standards and atmosphere of professional hospitality at the highest level. It was a privilege to open the Residency to the wider culinary community, and I am absolutely delighted with how the event unfolded and extremely grateful to our sponsors.”
The evening was kindly sponsored by Petrossian Caviar, MW Capture for Gillardeau Oysters, Beillevaire for cheese and Koppert Cress for microherbs.
Through the dedication of Gilles and his team, and the continued collaboration between institutions, the future of Franco-British culinary excellence looks brighter than ever.
