The Company received its first and incorporating Royal Charter from Edward IV on 11 July 1482.

Its Royal Charter of 16 February 1663, from Charles II, is the present day governing ordinance for the Company.

Unusually for the male-dominated livery companies, the Cooks had freemaiden members in 1495.

[1] The Cooks Company is no longer an association of tradesmen in its original sense of control, yet its membership today still includes craft tradesmen, and its activities engage with a broad range of organisations associated with cooking.

It does this through four principal objectives that translate its origins, history, traditions, affiliations, and activities into meaningful outcomes for today's world: The Cooks' Company ranks thirty-fifth in the order of precedence of Livery Companies.