Young patissier wins first Mövenpick Gourmet Dessert Chef of the Year title

Sarah Frankland, head patissier at William Curley, has won the inaugural Mövenpick Gourmet Dessert Chef of the Year competition following a live cook-off at the final held at Westminster Kingsway College.

Inspired by Mövenpick Ice Cream's hazelnut flavour, her dessert of poached apple cannelloni centred with a jasmine mousse topped on a chocolate sable breton, served with Mövenpick hazelnut ice cream, blackberry sauce, fresh blackberries, apple foam, poached apple, jasmine flowers and apple blossom – was praised by the judges for its innovative use of ingredients, flavour combination and elegant presentation.

Launched in partnership between Mövenpick Ice Cream and the Craft Guild of Chefs, the competition encouraged entrants to realise the creative potential of desserts.

"All I can say is 'wow'!" said judge Allan Pickett. "All six finalists excelled in pushing the boundaries of creativity under the pressure of timed conditions and the scrutiny of myself and fellow judges.

"A well deserved congratulations to Sarah, whose winning dish clearly shows the potential for desserts as an opportunity for chefs to demonstrate their passion and flair. This competition should act as inspiration for chefs to put desserts back on the menu and encourage a revival of a course that is so often seen as an after-thought rather than what could be the icing on the cake of a top class meal."

Mövenpick's head of customer marketing, Julia Jones, agreed with Pickett's comments, adding: "With figures showing that 80% of restaurant orders do not include a dessert, it's encouraging to see such an inspired approach to a course that so many customers are failing to order.

"The standard displayed by all our finalists was truly impressive and selecting a winner wasn't easy. The competition has been an excellent showcase for the talent our hospitality industry has to offer and all six finalists should be very proud of their achievement. We're already looking forward to what entrants will come up with next year."

Joining Pickett and Jones on the judging panel were chefs Matt Owens and Christopher Basten, along with Stockpot editor Sheila Eggleston.

In addition to the title, Frankland won a luxury weekend for two in Switzerland, the home of Mövenpick Ice Cream.

Runners up Javier Millet from Lexington Catering and Emmanuel Bonneau from the London Hilton Park Lane both received prizes of a patisserie and desserts day-course at Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons as their prize, while all six finalists received a year's free membership of the Craft Guild of Chefs.

• The winner, runners up and winning recipe can be viewed on the competition website: http://www.movenpick-icecreamcompetition.co.uk/winners

Words: Sheila Eggleston

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