If you cook at all, even just on occasion, you know the name Le Creuset. It’ s become synonymous with quality, luxury cookware, and their sought-after pieces are staples in many chefs’ culinary collections. If you are lucky enough to be bestowed a Le Creuset piece for any reason, you know that you have been given a gift that literally keeps on giving and will last a lifetime. Just like the family recipes that are crafted within its cookware, Le Creuset is handed down from generation to generation because of its durability, its beauty, and the way the food tastes when created in its enamel-coated, cast-iron goodness.
Our region is lucky enough to have a Le Creuset store as part of the Manchester Designer Outlets( MDO) in the heart of Manchester. I recently visited the store to chat with the manager, Denise Zdobnikow, and learn more about the centennial and this season’ s new pieces and colors. I also took some time to admire the beautiful array of seasonal and year-round cookware on display while I was there. It’ s easy to get lost amongst the rows of gorgeous color and quality. I was eager to hear from Denise about Le Creuset’ s 100th anniversary and the unveiling of the holiday collection.
The Crucible
For generations, kitchens around the world have been graced by the beautiful hues and durable presence of Le Creuset cast-iron cookware. Founded in 1925 in Fresnoy-le-Grand, France by two Belgian industrialists, the brand has been celebrating its centennial in 2025, honoring 100 years of craftsmanship, design innovation, and its unique ability to transform everyday cooking into a legacy of shared meals and lasting memories.
STORY BY MEGAN DEMAREST PHOTOGRAPHY BY CRAIG LIGHT
The Belgian innovators— an enameling specialist and an expert in casting— were the first to put colored enamel on a cast iron cocotte, which is a very small Dutch Oven designed for individual servings( it’ s also as cute as it sounds). The fiery orange hue, inspired by the color of molten ore in a crucible, or“ creuset,” became the signature color. Together, they created the basic production process still used by Le Creuset today at the original foundry in Northern France.
Hewn from cast iron and meticulously finished by skilled artisans, each piece of Le Creuset represents more than utility— it embodies tradition, artistry, and connection. The brand has become the backbone of countless kitchens. Ask any home cook or seamanchester manchester life magazine life holiday magazine / winter 2023 2025 9 9