Cyrus & Pervin Todiwala Announce Zest Quest Asia – Panasonic Autumn Challenge Finalists

(London, 27^th October 2021) Cyrus and Pervin Todiwala are proud to announce the three finalists who will go forward to the cook-offs of the Zest Quest Asia – Panasonic Autumn Challenge, the latest on-line spinoff of their popular student culinary competition, Zest Quest Asia.

Alfie Joe Alsop of Cambridge Regional College, Matas Gestautas of New City College (Redbridge Campus) and Emily Simkins of North Hertfordshire College were picked from a field of over twenty students, each having submitted a recipe for an Asian-inspired dish that can be part-cooked in a Panasonic professional combination microwave oven. Both Alfie and Matas looked to Korea, with Alfie putting forward a Korean Bibimbap and Matas offering his version of a Bulgogi Korean BBQ short ribs dish, served with steamed rice. Emily’s entry consisted of a Thai Salmon in spicy coconut sauce with turmeric rice.

For the final round, Alfie, Matas and Emily will be asked to prepare their shortlisted recipes using the Panasonic professional combination microwave oven that will now be delivered to their colleges.  With theory now turning to practice, each finalist must film themselves live on video as they cook the dishes in their college kitchens. The judging panel, which includes Cyrus and Pervin Todiwala as well as Murray Chapman, the current winner of the prestigious 2021 Catey Education and Training Award, will then make a decision based on the video content.

Cyrus Todiwala said, “The Zest Quest Asia – Panasonic Autumn Challenge is designed to inspire our next generation of professional chefs to accept the use of high-tech, high-output and power-saving equipment in the production of great quality dishes at speed. The ability to take advantage of available technology adds to the repertoire of skills demanded of chefs today, and the need will only grow in the future. I’m so proud of the fact that so many students like Alfie, Matas and Emily were talented and ambitious enough to accept our challenge and submit their entries. The judges and I are looking forward to seeing what our finalists come up with and to picking the worthy winner.”

Barnaby Sykes, Head of Category Marketing, Panasonic, said, “We’ve been very proud sponsors of this fantastic competition since its inception in 2013 but this time wanted to showcase the versatility of the much underused combination microwave and challenge the students in their understanding of what place technology can have in a modern kitchen.  We asked them to prepare and cook an authentic Asian dish, but they had to demonstrate how they could use a combination microwave to replace some of the traditional stages of cooking.  We’ve been blown away by the response and high standard of entries and thank every college that took part.  Now we can’t wait to see what these three finalists can do and look forward to announcing the winner very soon.”

The winning student will receive a Panasonic combination microwave for his or her college, as well as a Santoku knife and a £50 Russums voucher (for the lecturer as well). The two runner up students will win a commercial rice cooker for their respective colleges, as well as a Santoku knife and a £25 Russums voucher each for themselves and their lecturer.

The Launch of Redefine Meat – The New Kid on the Block of the Alternative Meat Sector

The launch of Redefine Meat new meat at the new Chef Works & Bragard UK showroom in Islington last Monday was greeted with enthusiasm by chefs and caterers at the event.

Redefine Meat is the new kid on the block of the alternative meat sector having spent upwards of four years in development while the market has taken off. However, the time spent getting the product right in terms of taste, texture and usability is likely to have been time well spent.

The meat itself is made up of various plant-based proteins, fats, and natural colours and flavours. Gluten is used to achieve the right “chew”. According to Adrian Sagman, Head of Global Sales and Biz Dev at Redefine Meat the new meat looks and behaves just like real meat when you cook it.

There were three types on display the event: steak, beef and lamb mince. The Chefs’ Forum teamed up with Chotto Matte Restaurant in Soho to design a canapé menu that reflected the style of the restaurant with the addition of redefined meat in some of the dishes.

Jordan Sclare, Executive Chef of Chotto Matte, told The Chefs’ Forum: “We designed four canapés for the event including using redefine meat in our beef tataki. It’s been a very exciting process.”

Kurt Zdesar, founder of Chotto Matte, explained why he was excited about the new products and using it in his restaurants: “I’m super impressed how similar it is to real meat. One brand came out when this whole thing started and it’s everywhere now. I think it’s time we saw better versions and I think that version is here now. We are big fans.”

Ben Purton of caterer Thyme & Plaice, said: “If I’d had that meat-free version without knowing then my palate would have been fooled into thinking it was meat. It had that little bit of texture in there.”

Shanti Bhushan of Brigadiers London who also created some Redefine Meat canapés for the event was equally impressed: “The previous attempts that we’ve tried have a dominating taste of unnatural fibres that comes through. So, it doesn’t gel with the spices and the sauces that we make.

“This one just feels right, the texture, the way it absorbs the spices, it works better. It was really nice and I’m looking forward to having it on the menu.”

Jordan Sclare summed up the feelings of everyone present when he said: “I can see the years of development that has been put into the development of this product. It’s not easy to do what they’ve achieved.”

Take a look at the launch event…

Nine of World’s Greatest Chefs at Launch of Brain Food Forum

Saturday 30th October will see the launch of The S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Brain Food Forum, an exchange of knowledge and ideas between young chefs and nine of the greatest chefs in the world.

The inaugural event will take place in Milan, where Massimo Bottura and Virgilio Martinez will discuss the themes of Taste & Creativity, presenting topics to demonstrate how creativity, drive for taste, and discovery does not just result in delicious food, but can also change lives.

Bottura will discuss his mission to save food from waste, his appointment with the UN Environment Program (UNEP) as Goodwill Ambassador, and Refettorio projects, cultural community hubs with social kitchens under the vision of the non profit Food For Soul, now partnering with the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy mobilizing and empowering local communities to reduce food loss and waste and support social inclusion.

Martinez will discuss his project ‘Mater’, undertaken to catalogue and rediscover ingredients and techniques within the local communities of the Andes and the Amazon to preserve indigenous gastronomic culture for the future.

In addition to Bottura and Martinez, the forum will host seven additional leading figures in global gastronomy: Mauro Colagreco (Italian-Argentine chef at the three-Michelin-star restaurant Mirazur in Menton, France), Manu Buffara (executive chef and owner of Manu in Curitiba, which is paving the way for gastronomy in Brazil), Clare Smyth (the first and only female chef to run a restaurant with three Michelin stars in the UK), Andreas Caminada (at the age of only 33, he earned three Michelin stars, and today showcases his vision of gastronomy in the historic 13th-century castle of Schauenstein, Switzerland), Gavin Kaysen (James Beard Award winner and one of the founding mentors of the nonprofit Mentor BKB Foundation (formerly Bocuse d’Or USA Foundation), Pim Techamuanvivit (owner of Nari, Kamin, and Michelin-starred Kin Khao in San Francisco, and the executive chef of Michelin-starred Nahm in Bangkok in 2019) and Enrico Bartolini (three-star Michelin chef originally from Tuscany is one of Italy’s, and the world’s, brightest gastronomic talents). These Seven Sages will make up a panel of experts that will invite questions and discussion around the themes of Taste & Creativity.

The event will be held at the S.Pellegrino Young Chef 2019-2021 grand final and is curated by Fine Dining Lovers with editor-in-chief Ryan King offering insight and mediation in his role as host. The key themes of Taste & Creativity chosen to reiterate the core values of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy: an online educational platform created to attract, connect and nurture diverse talent in the world of gastronomy.

Young talents and previous winners of the S.Pellegrino Young Chef competition, Mitch Lienhard (USA, 2016) and Mark Moriarty (UK & Ireland region, 2015) will also be in attendance to discuss expectations of young chefs today and their experiences in the industry.

Follow the launch event: The S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Brain Food Forum will continue to take place at various locations across the globe, offering insight across varying themes with the aim of providing direct access to knowledge from global figures in the hospitality industry.

The Brain Food Forum will be available to view via live stream on Fine Dining Lovers on Saturday 30th October from 9.30am-12.30pm CEST.

Viewing accessed via the following link (requires sign-up) https://www.finedininglovers.com/article/spellegrino-young-chef-academy-brain-food-2021

Chef Works & Bragard UK Launch New Showroom with Top Chefs and Catering Students!

Hospitality uniform leaders Chef Works & Bragard UK are proud to launch their beautiful new London showroom earlier this week at the Business Design Centre in Islington.

With styles to suit every taste and budget, you will be spoilt for choice from modern and edgy to timeless classics, customers will have the very best personal shopping experience in hospitality uniform. Chef Works & Bragard UK are dedicated to delivering a fit-for-purpose solution that suits all hospitality businesses and understand how important uniform is to customer brand perception.

Emma Cohen, General Manager and Head of Marketing at Chef Works & Bragard UK commented:

“The opening was a huge success – it was fantastic for our team to welcome so many esteemed chefs and hospitality professionals to our new space, giving customers  the opportunity to touch and try on our collections in person is key. With decades of input from culinary icons, Chef Works & Bragard UK have created a beautiful array of hospitality clothing that combine both function and style for every kind of hospitality sector.”

Also at the event was a launch of a different kind: Israeli-based Redefine Meat showcased samples of its ‘New Meat’ in a selection of canapés overseen by Chotto Matte Exec Chef Jordan Sclare and Brigadiers London’s Head Chef Shanti Bhushan, made and and served by students from West London College and HIT Training learner Gemma Youlden from The Volunteer Inn (Ottery St Mary).

Chefs were invited to sample a selection of Nikkei (Japanese/Peruvian fusion) canapés by Jordan and delicious Curtis Pitts Deer Services venison, game and Redefine Meat canapés from Shanti and Sous Chef Gopal Basnet.

Shanti said

“It was a great opportunity to meet fellow chefs after such a difficult year.  It was wonderful to be able to work with my peers from different restaurants and sample their cuisine.  Nikkei cuisine from Jordan and the team from Chotto Matte is so fresh and clean, flavours coming through are exquisitely refreshing– It’s just beautiful.

It was very rewarding to see how much the students enjoyed working with my chefs and I, both at the restaurant on Sunday for prep and on the day at the event – I have offered all students the chance to spend a day in my kitchen with a view to inviting them to join the team!”

Jordan Sclare and Kurt Zdesar from Chotto Matte really enjoyed their day at the event.  Kurt, a global restauranteur was very excited to see the chefs’ reaction to Redefine Meat and it was a great opportunity for Jordan to look at the new range of black denim-look chef jackets, perfect for a busy service on his world-class custom-built Charcoal grill – A black jacket doesn’t show the marks as a tradition white jacket would.

Jordan said

“Chotto Matte is very much a stylish place to be seen and is frequented by celebrities and the showbiz glitterati. It is very important that my team and I have the right look and our uniforms are in-keeping with the uber-cool and edgy feel of the restaurant.  We are in the throws of opening various new sites, so today was a great opportunity to network with fellow chefs, spot future talent for our kitchens and try on the latest chefwear with both fashion and function front of mind!”

Both Jordan and Shanti have offered all students the chance to return to their restaurants to gain further work experience in both Nikkei and Indian cuisine, which is a fantastic result for all concerned.

Attending chefs invited for the launch included Jesse Dunford Wood (Parlour), Mario Perera (The Dorchester) Michael Kwan (Hotel Café Royal), Masterchef: The Professionals Semi-Finalist Arbinder Singh, Ben Purton (Thyme & Plaice), Exose Grant (Masterchef: The Professionals Finalist, Top Chef Brazil 2020 winner Luciana Berry (Mano) and many more!

Adrian from Redefine Meat said:

“We’re excited about our product and chefs like it so far. It’s very interesting to see how chefs such as Jordan and Shanti are interpreting it and using it on their menus.

Chef Works & Bragard UK look forward to welcoming customers Monday-Friday from 10.30am-4pm. Call +44 20 3735 9114 or email customerservice@chefworks.co.uk for further details.

Stay in touch on social: Instragram: @chefworksukandireland @bragarduk / Twitter: @bragarduk @chefworksuk

Photography & film by John Blackwell: www.johnscottblackwell.co.uk

Pulling Together to Remodel Hospital Food

The second Rational Future of Hospital Kitchens seminar, hosted by The Chefs’ Forum on Wednesday 20th October, attracted close to 100 hospital chefs and other stakeholders and brought several new key points to help shape the future of the hospital kitchen.

The assembled panel stretched across the whole of the hospital sector and included Philip Shelley (chair of the NHS Hospital Food Review), Naomi Campbell RGN (Hydration Care Nurse Consultant), Tim Radcliffe (Facilities Manager at East Lancashire Hospital), Mike Ridder (Dragon Consultancy), Nick Vadis (Culinary Director at Compass Group) and Colin Parry (Rational UK).

Philip Shelley said: “We’ve taken some steps to address hospital food but we can’t stop. We must keep going.”

The consensus from the seminar was that there was much still to be done and that different trusts and hospital sites had differing problems that needed to be addressed. One of these was the subject of ‘Food to Go’.

Tim Radcliffe of East Lancashire Hospital, said: “The offer needs to reflect the high street. We need to innovate, invest and change the way we do things. There are so many vacancies and staff shortages as it is.”

On the subject of hydration Naomi Campbell said: “We are reaching a critical point. Hydration is time critical. Patients on the wards need to make sure they have water or hot drinks within reach. This doesn’t always happen.”

Mike Ridder talked about the need to maximise ‘Connected Cooking’. He said: “We need to use the existing technology to save energy. One of the ways of doing this is through high pressure steaming of vegetables. However, we need to look at the costs between replacing old equipment with new, versus maintaining existing equipment.” Mike continued to discuss the importance of sustainable practices and the significance of planning in conjunction with other operations, rather than in isolated activities.

To celebrate the excellent work that has been taking place across the country, Nick Vadis provided an overview of the CPD workshop opportunities he and his team have delivered in hospitals up and down the country. He also mentioned the cookery resources developed, including a series of publications covering topics such as ‘Plant-Based Cuisine’ and ‘Great British Dishes’.

The event concluded with a round of positive messages from the panellists and the challenges to take forward to ensure that the initiative is carried forward with increasing momentum over the next six months.

Neil Rippington, Director of Education at The Chefs’ Forum and host of the event said: “What a positive event we enjoyed today! It was fantastic to witness experts from a variety of fields coming together to share their experiences and ideas to resolve a shared problem. Everyone involved is passionate to reach the objective of providing of a world-class food and drink service throughout the NHS.”

Catherine Farinha, Founder of The Chefs’ Forum, closed the event, thanking everyone for their attendance and contributions. Catherine said: “This was the second event covering the delivery of the NHS Food Review. Philip and the panellists are making terrific progress towards the achievement of the review but there is still much work to be done. We look forward to hosting the next review in six months’ time and welcoming everyone back to analyse the progress made during this period.”

Fallow Finds Permanent Home in St James’s Market

The trio behind Fallow have left their residency on Heddon Street and will open their permanent restaurant on 16 November Chefs Will Murray and Jack Croft, alongside Chairman James Robson, owners of the sustainably-focused restaurant concept, Fallow, have announced that they will be moving to a permanent site in London’s St James’s Market this November. Having launched as a 12-week pop-up in March 2020 at 10 Heddon Street, The Crown Estate’s revolving restaurant site, Fallow’s residency was extended due to the COVID-19 lockdowns, however, during its time they received numerous awards and accolades, including a Michelin Bib Gourmand.

The new 150-cover site, open all day, will boast a 65-cover dining room with a bar, wraparound terrace, and seven-seater chef’s counter overlooking the open kitchen. Will and Jack will continue their culinary approach, creating bold sharing-style dishes celebrating the most sustainable produce across the British Isles and from their small holding near Esher. There will be particular focus on whole animal butchery, with the kitchen downstairs boasting a dry ageing room.

The menu is divided into six sections, with dedicated offerings for those sitting at the bar or chef’s counter:

Snacks (£2-9): Fallow’s signature corn ribs with kombu seasoning are making their way to St James’s along with a string of new nibbles and small plates. Caramelised Cauliflower Croquetas honours the whole vegetable, likewise with the Smoked Pumpkin Skewer, the peel will be used for a crumb. The much-loved Mushroom Parfait with Shiitake and Truffle will use mushrooms cultivated from used coffee grounds in the kitchen.

Raw Bar (£3-11): Adjacent to the chef’s counter, a raw bar will serve British and Irish oysters, lightly marinated day-boat fish and Fallow Deer Tartare. Scallop Tartare with Dulse and Lemon is dressed with an XO sauce made from the roe.

Bread (£6): Sourdough flatbreads, made in-house using Gilchester Organics’ flour, will feature punchy toppings such as Veal Tongue with Smoked Mayo and Broccoli Head with Beenleigh Blue.

Plates (£10-32): Cod’s head covered in homemade sriracha butter sauce along with other often-wasted ingredients like fish bellies and leek tops, will take centre stage in the plates section. Dishes include Salmon Belly with Marrowbone Brioche and Chives, a Salmon Mousse laden with fresh herbs from the terrace garden and served in the bone with a laminated marrow brioche bun, and Ewe Kebab with Dill Pickles and mButtermilk using mutton from Barrowbrook regenerative farm in Kent.

Sides (£6): Recommended to order alongside the plates are a selection of side dishes such as House Smoked Gem Lettuce and English Greens with Walnut Pesto, using Kentish nuts.

Grill (£4-28): Dishes that lend themselves well to the flames come next. Huge advocates of championing retired dairy animals grazed on pasture, Will and Jack will only buy whole carcasses and serve rotating cuts such as Dairy Cow Sirloin Steak, Dairy Cow Rib of Beef and Cull Ewe Mutton Chop.

Dessert (£5-10): Joining Will and Jack in the kitchen is Chef Anna Williams, previously Head Pastry Chef at Dinner by Heston. Their new desserts include Chelsea Tart with Caramelised Whey, using leftover whey from Kappacasein Dairy. Rotating ice creams, starting with Sourdough Soft Serve made from surplus bread, will also showcase the underused leaves from different fruits such as figs and blackcurrant.

Each dessert will be paired with a cocktail such as a Foraged Negroni or Anglo Colada, made using British ingredients such as cold pressed apple juice and fig leaves, but mimicking the flavour of a Piña Colada. Wines will lean towards biodynamic bottles and are sourced as close to home as possible, with a large selection from the UK and the rest no further than Europe. The team will also be barrelling their own wine with London-based Renegade Urban Winery, made with Pinot Noir organic grapes hand processed by the Fallow team.

Fallow’s approach to reducing waste will also be mirrored in the décor. The design, headed up by Christina Leung and Timothy Tan of Studio Gossamer, have reused and repurposed many existing fixtures, giving them a fresh new look. Walls will be clad using a terrazzo-style bespoke shellfish panel, using leftover oyster and mussel shells accrued from their Heddon Street residency, as well as a rotating mushroom wall featuring six varieties from Isle of Wight Mushrooms.

Chairman James Robson says, “Navigating a startup during the various lockdowns has been the business challenge of a lifetime but greatly fulfilling. The guest response has been tremendous and working with The Crown Estate to secure a substantial West End lease will give Fallow a permanent home to cement their future potential and ambitions.” Will Murray and Jack Croft added, “We are over the moon with the support for Fallow so far, and we are striving to make the new site better than ever before.

We’re currently in experimentation mode and can’t wait to showcase the new ingredients we’ve recently discovered and grown on our small holding.”

Fallow St James’s opens on 16 November. Visit www.fallowrestaurant.com to book.

Seafish Launches Campaign on Climate Change Impacts for Seafood

Chef Brad Carter Launches First Kebab Shop in Manchester

Brad Carter, Chef Director of Birmingham’s Michelin-starred Carters of Moseley, today opens ‘One Star Döner Bar’ at Escape to Freight Island, the 2,000-capacity urban market located at Depot Mayfield – part of the £1.4bn regeneration of Manchester’s Mayfield district.

Inspired by Gemüse Kebab, one of the best dishes Brad has ever eaten, and other Berlin street kebab vendors, Brad launched the highly successful One Star Döner Bar during lockdown while his restaurant was shut. It will join the likes of Voodoo Ray’s pizza, Madre, first class éclairs Choo Choo and Camden Town Brewery at Escape to Freight Island.

The kebabs, all served on Pide flatbreads sourced from a Turkish Bakery in Manchester, use the very best of British produce including Cornish Lamb, Tamworth Mortadella and Cotswold White Chicken. Two shawarmas are on offer, the Mortadöner, using mortadella, shredded cabbage, cavolo nero and Margarita Hot Sauce; and the Bonedöner with chicken, kebab van salad, pickled chillies and Roast Garlic Mayo. A Lamb Döner is served with kebab van salad, smoked chilli sauce, minted yoghurt and grilled pointed peppers. Brad’s signature potato smileys are also available as a side served with either Hot Wing Mayo or Cacio e Pepe sauce.

As well as an impressive food and beverage offering, Escape to Freight Island will also play host to comedy nights, resident DJs and live performances. One Star Döner Bar opening hours are Wednesday – Thursday 3pm – 12am and Friday to Sunday 12pm – 12am. Bookings and walk-ins available: www.escapetofreightisland.com

The Future of Hospital Kitchens Seminar #2

The next steps every hospital kitchen should take.

Why all hospital caterers, chefs, nutritionists, kitchen planners and designers must attend:

A combination of new technology, new hospitals and new hospital kitchen thinking has changed the way food will be served to those in and visiting hospitals for many years to come.

There has never been a better time to be aware of the opportunities in hospital catering as it prepares itself for a bright future.

From diet and nutrition to changes in menu formation the time is now for hospitals to up the ante and by harnessing new technology a new dawn is now possible.

The future of hospital kitchens is the meeting of minds of industry leaders to create hives of talent and new thinking within the sector.  To this end, The Chefs’ Forum has assembled a key panel of experts to address every conceivable detail over two hours.

The event will be hosted by The Chefs’ Forum’s Founder, Catherine Farinha and Director of Education, Neil Rippington and will explore, among other things:

• Progress report – The NHS Hospital Food Review six months on
• Food to Go – The Changing Landscape
• Hydration and Nutrition in Hospital Menus – New culinary thinking that embraces health
• Staffing tomorrow’s kitchens and training requirements – why it’s so important to enable chefs with the right equipment and space.
• Adapting kitchens for the future – Key advice
• Hospital culinary talent and why it is winning awards

The seminar is the fifth in a series of sector-specific seminars in association with The Chefs’ Forum to gain valuable market insight to fine-tune RATIONAL’s approach to servicing stakeholders, tailor-made to their individual requirements.

Delegates can register FREE to attend the event on the 20th October between 3pm-5pm by emailing: catherine@redcherry.uk.com

UK Pastry Team Ranked 4th In The World – President Jamie Houghton Explains Le Coup du Monde 2021

The Chefs’ Forum couldn’t wait to hear all about the UK Pastry Team’s success at last month’s final of Le Coup du Monde.  UK Team President Jamie Houghton recounted this incredible event, documenting all of the emotion, trials and tribulations along the way – Here’s what happened:

What is the Coup du Monde, how many countries were represented?

Le Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie is the world’s most respected team competition. Each national team has 10 hours to produce a chocolate showpiece, sugar showpiece, plated desserts, chocolate sharing desserts and frozen sharing cakes. Due to COVID-19 only thirteen different countries from around the world took part this time but previous years have seen up to twenty-four countries participate over the two-day competition, all to compete for the coveted title of ‘World Champions’.

Who went? Meet the UK pastry team.

The UK Pastry Team consists of four members: President, Team Captain and two candidates.

This year, I was honoured to be the President, the Team Captain was Chris Seddon, who had also been the Ice Candidate in 2019, Michael Kwan (Hotel Café Royal) was the Chocolate Candidate who was the President in 2019 and Nicolas Houchet, the Sugar Candidate.

What was the run up to the main event like – Tell us about the excitement and focus, the journey over to France?

The run up to any competition is always stressful, but this year with the uncertainty of the pandemic it was particularly hard, as the team had to deal with postponements from January 2021 to the final date in September.

The week before the competition the guys did a final run through, they started at 10:30am and we had a clock set to the times of the competition to work towards.

We invited friends and sponsors to come and try the final tasting and let’s just say everyone left with a smile on their face.

Two days before we left for France we packed and set up everything we needed for the final, Chris drove the van with everything in it down to Lyon, which was an added stress for him, but he had great company to help him.

The rest of the team flew down together and there was definitely a buzz, as most of us had been before we knew what to expect and could use this to get the whole team excited.

Why peach melba – What was the inspiration and story behind the entry?

One of the sponsors for this year’s pastry World Cup was Capfruit. Once the Coupe had released the purée range that we were able to use, it was noticed that you were able to use Peach and Raspberry. The instant thought was to recreate the classic Peach Melba but as an ice cream cake. When it comes to ideas and creations, Chris has a very imaginative mind, always creating astounding results – the cake he created is a testament to that.

This is the cake description that was presented on the day: ‘The ice cream cake is an ice-cream play on a peach melba, with the sweet candy raspberry notes coming from both a coulis and a raspberry marshmallow, the outside layer of yellow peach with a touch of bitterness from the ruby peach centre to help with a less sweet taste and vanilla ice-cream to round it all off and bring it together’.

Tell us about some of the highs and the more emotional moments?

As with any competition, they can take a toll on participants bith physically and mentally, but when you’re working as a team rather than on your own, you can boost each other’s positivity with ideas and creations that get you excited to create the next thing. Everyone has their bad days, but out all of those bad days come even better, stronger and brighter days. The photos that you can see at the end of the 10-hour final where we’re all embracing each other, for me they are very powerful photos because it shows a huge weight being lifted from shoulders and extreme pride in the finished creation.

How proud are you of your fellow UK team members and the result?

Having previously experienced the competition in the capacity of Team Captain and Sugar Candidate in 2019, I know and fully-appreciate the sacrifices you have to make to achieve great things. This year the team ranked 4^th place in the world, which is the highest the UK Team has ever achieved and a huge tribute to how much has gone on behind the scenes. The team have continued to show that the pastry scene within the UK is strong and keeps getting stronger. Over the last several editions of the World Cup the UK has come 11^th, 9^th, 7^th, 5^th  and now 4^th and we will keep getting stronger. I am very proud of what these three guys have created this year and I will forever be proud to have been a part of this world.

What’s next for the UK pastry team?

The UK pastry team is currently having a well-earned rest, but in the not-so-distant future, I believe that the European Cup will be taking place to qualify for the next Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie.

What’s happening with The Chefs’ Forum’s Young Pastry Chef of the Year Competition 2022?

Following the success of the Young Pastry Chef of the Year 2021, I’m currently in conversation with The Chefs’ Forum to design and create the next edition for pastry chefs within the UK that are still in learning. This will be in springtime next year and one thing I can say is that I’m truly excited for the next step of this competition!

For more information on dates and entry requirements of the Young Pastry Chef of the Year competition 2022 contact catherine@redcherry.uk.com