ICCAS

The Worshipful Company of Cooks Research Centre has organised a series of international conferences - the International Conference of Culinary Arts (ICCAS), to draw together individuals and organisations from a wide range of disciplines. Culinary traditions and skills have for centuries been regarded as an art however more recently, science and technology have played an increasingly important role in the development of new skills, techniques, equipment and food.

To date, five International Conferences have been organised and proceedings published: two in the UK; one in Egypt; one in Sweden; and one in Poland.   This highly successful series allows academics and practitioners from across the world to present and exchange views and opinions and develop areas of mutual interest and benefit. These have been attended by the Master and other senior Company representatives.

The next conference is due to take place in Stavanger, Norway, in June 2008 (ICCAS - 08).

Price and quality control were very much in evidence in 1350. Regulations of the time state ‘That no cook shall take more for putting a capon or rabbit in a pastry than one penny on pain of imprisonment.’ And in 1379, ‘that every piebaker shall bake pasties of beef at one-halfpenny, just as good as those at a penny’ .