Taylor UK helps top student chefs stay chilled during finals of prestigious competition

Equipment provided by Taylor UK will play a key role at the finals of the Student Pastry Chef of the Year competition this May.

The competition, organised by UK-wide chef networking organisation, The Chefs’ Forum, takes place at the Hotel Café Royal in London on May 10th. Eight student chefs from England, Wales and Scotland will be battling it out to impress a panel of expert judges. The theme for this year’s competition is “dessert on the go.”

Varimixer Teddy

Taylor UK is supporting the competition as Headline Sponsor and is providing state of the art blast chillers from Friulinox as well as three Varimixer Teddy mixers, to help the finalists make and chill their creations, and a glass fronted display fridge from ISA to help them display their entries in style.

The finalists are Shirin Asl, Orla-Kate O’Neil and Annie Carter from The Manchester College,  Alex Williams from Halesowen College, Courtney Mcallister from Glasgow College, Josie Wheeler from Coleg T Cymoedd Nantgarw, and Mina Mohsenie and Zarema Yalkhoreva from Leicester College.

On the day they will be using ingredients supplied by two of the competition’s other sponsors, Henley Bridge and First Choice Produce. The finalists will be asked to create twelve identical desserts with one packaged as it would be if it was for sale. Judges will be looking for well-structured desserts with good textures and clear flavours, as well as presentation and garnishes that complement the flavour and design of the dessert.

“This is a very exciting event and the competition is fierce,” says David Rees, marketing manager of Taylor UK.  “We wish all the finalists the very best of luck – and we look forward to trying out their recipes.”

The judging panel includes head judge Jamie Houghton and Benoit Blin from Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Michael Kwan from The Dorchester, Thibault Houchard from Claridge’s, Chris Underwood from Artisserie, Daniel Pearse from The Savoy, Douglas Oberson from Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, Loic Carbonnet from Hotel Café Royal and Neil Rippington, Hospitality Education Consultant and author.

“We are so grateful to Taylor UK for sponsoring and providing market-leading equipment to give the students the best possible environment in which to create their desserts,” says Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum.