Compered by award-winning pastry chef and chocolatier, Will Torrent, Rigden battled it out against five other finalists in the final, and impressed the panel of judges with her Manjari chocolate dessert entitled ‘Chocolate Texture’, which was enhanced by Mövenpick raspberry sorbet.
The judges: Ruth Hinks, UK World Chocolate Master; Cherish Finden, head pastry chef at The Langham Hotel; Joe Lutrario from Restaurant Magazine; Sheila Eggleston from Eat Out & Cost Sector Catering magazines; and Tim Futter, Mövenpick’s consultant development chef, praised Rigden for her artistic merit and innovative use of Mövenpick ice cream.
Her prize is a luxury two-day spa break in Edinburgh, along with an exclusive, one-on-one chocolate showpiece course with Hinks at her Cocoa Black Chocolate & Pastry School in Peebles.
Rigden commented: “I feel so proud to have won this year’s Mövenpick Gourmet Dessert Chef of the Year competition. I worked hard to make sure my dish incorporated well-balanced flavours and textures, so I am delighted the judges felt I achieved this. The raspberry sorbet was a perfect accompaniment to the dish, due to its strong consistency and intense flavour that paired wonderfully with the chocolate.”
First runner up Biju Joshwa from London Marriott Country Hall and second runner up Zac Dearden from the Design House Restaurant in Halifax were also praised for the taste and presentation of their creations – ‘Raspberry & Fennel’ using raspberry sorbet, and ‘Carrot Cake and White Chocolate’ with cinnamon ice cream respectively. Both chefs will also head to Hinks’ acclaimed school to enjoy a ‘Make Your Own Chocolate Truffles, Pralines and Ganache’ course, as well as an overnight stay in Edinburgh.
Hinks said: “The competition was all about flavour. The standard was incredibly high and everyone did a fantastic job, but for me chocolate and raspberry is always a winner. I can’t wait to welcome Louise, Biju and Zac at Cocoa Black soon – it will be a joy to have such talented chefs at the school.”
Finden added: “The standard this year was higher than ever before, so judging the competition was not only incredibly exciting, it was also very hard. The winning dish was beautiful to look at and displayed so much precision. I could have demolished plate after plate.”
For full details, visit www.moevenpick-icecreamcompetition.co.uk