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Short Courses Sugar Techniques

Sugar Art Essential Techniques Class

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Last week I participated in an intensive Sugar Art Essential Techniques class at my pastry school alma mater, Le Cordon Bleu London.

Sugar Techniques at LCB…Finally!

I’d had my eye on this class for several years, ever since my time as a full-time student at Le Cordon Bleu. I even enrolled in the class on more than one occasion. Unfortunately, it kept being postponed due to the Covid pandemic and other subsequent disruptions. So, I was super happy to finally have the chance to take this course. I was also excited to study with Chef Nicolas Houchet.

Over the course of three (very long, and very hot!) days in the kitchen, our group of eight pastry chefs honed our sugarwork skills through a combination of pulled, poured, blown, and cast sugar techniques.

The end result? These intricate fishing-themed showpieces, complete with blown sugar goldfish, pastillage fishing rod, pulled sugar ribbons, handmade roses and plenty of bubbles!

A sculpture of a goldfish, adorned by sugar ribbons and roses

A decorative sugarwork sculpture featuring a goldfish, ribbons, roses, and bubbles

Closeup shot of a goldfish sugar sculpture in the kitchen at Le Cordon Bleu London

A sugar sculpture made at Le Cordon Bleu London, with student chef in the background

A finished sugarwork sculpture on a countertop at Le Cordon Bleu London, made during a sugar workshop

Closeup shot of a blown sugar goldfish

A sculpture created at Le Cordon Bleu London, with the kitchen visible in the background

Le Cordon Bleu kitchen with chefs working in the background, with a fish themed sugar sculpture displayed in the foreground

Blue and orange sugar sculpture created in a sugar class at Le Cordon Bleu London

Closeup shot of an orange goldfish, ribbons, and roses made from sugar

Closeup shot of a sugar sculpture made during a pastry class at Le Cordon Bleu London

Image of an orange goldfish made from blown and pulled sugar

A goldfish themed sugar sculpture made of orange and blue pulled sugar

Goldfish sugarwork sculpture in a teaching kitchen at Le Cordon Bleu London

Fish themed sugar sculpture in a kitchen at Le Cordon Bleu London, with tools and sugar pieces surrounding it on the countertop

Student chefs at Le Cordon Bleu London displaying their certificates and finished work
The class with our finished showpieces
Kitchen at Le Cordon Bleu London, with students' completed sculptures displayed on the countertop
Everyone’s finished piece, with the chef’s demo in front!

All About Sugarwork

To learn even more about sugarwork, check out my experience studying with Chef Kathryn Gordon at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. (In that class, we made a winter-themed penguin sculpture.) You can also visit my detailed pastry school diary to read more about my sugarwork studies during my nine months as a Diplôme de Pâtisserie student at Le Cordon Bleu London. Or, view my sugar portfolio to see more of my work.

There are also some great sugar artists to follow on Instagram (check out the mind-blowing work of Stephane Klein!) and several books on the topic, including The Art of the Confectioner: Sugarwork and Pastillage by Ewald Notter.

If you’re looking to hone your own sugar skills, this Sugar Art Essential Techniques class is still held periodically at Le Cordon Bleu London. Visit their website for more information.

And if you aren’t following along already, please feel free to connect with me on Instagram. I’m always happy to chat with fellow bakers, pastry chefs, and sugar art enthusiasts!

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